Direct from the Exec | Quarter 3 | July 2026

As another school year comes to a close, it's a natural time to pause, reflect, and celebrate the progress we've made together. Just as students, educators, and families take stock of a year of learning before preparing for what's next, Cradle 2 Career and our partners are doing the same. This season reminds us that meaningful systems change doesn't happen overnight. Rather, it happens through consistent collaboration, shared learning, and a vigorous commitment to continuous improvement.

This spring brought encouraging momentum across all of our collaborative networks. Our Prenatal to Age 3 and High School Graduation Networks continue to show growth in both tactic- and population-level data, reinforcing that our collective efforts are creating measurable progress for children and young adults in our community. At the same time, our Transition 2 Kindergarten Network has spent the past several months thoughtfully designing and refining strategies that are ready to move into action this fall. Meanwhile, our Parent Council celebrated another successful Parent Advocacy Cohort, empowering parents to strengthen their leadership skills and elevate family voice in systems change.

As we wrapped up another year of collaboration, we also took time to celebrate the people and partners who make this work possible. At our annual convener luncheon, we recognized the dedication of our network conveners, especially Sandy, Amanda, and Erica, whose years of leadership have helped build a strong foundation for the Transition 2 Kindergarten Network. In June, our team gathered for the first part of our annual staff retreat to reflect on lessons learned, strengthen our vision for the future, and begin planning for the year ahead, with the second phase of that work continuing in August. We are also deeply grateful for the contributions of Yezi, our Groundwork Fellow, as well as John Marshall High School student Lily and University of Minnesota at Rochester students, whose energy, talent, and commitment have strengthened our team throughout the year. And new investments from partners such as Mayo Clinic, Olmsted County Public Health, and the Rotary Club of Rochester Community Foundation continue to strengthen our shared work.

This season has also been one of growth beyond our local community. Our participation in the StriveTogether Policy Summit in Washington, DC, reinforced the importance of local voices in shaping state and federal policy. This summer, we're excited that the Education Partnership Coalition (our nine-community statewide coalition) has been invited to showcase our collaborative work to the entire StriveTogether staff during their annual retreat in Minneapolis. We are eager for this opportunity to highlight the innovation and partnership happening right here in our community and across the state!

While many schools are enjoying a well-deserved summer break, our work continues. Throughout the coming months, our team will be investing in professional learning, strengthening partnerships, refining strategies, and preparing for another year of collaboration and impact. We are grateful for each of you who makes this work possible and look forward to continuing to improve educational outcomes for every child and young adult in our community by transforming the way partners work together.

In partnership,

Julie Ruzek
Executive Director

C2C staff members at our June retreat

Photos: (Left) Transition 2 Kindergarten Network convener luncheon; (Right) Network conveners’ send-off