It is the holiday season, which always makes me think of family. And family reminds me more broadly of the importance of connection and belonging. Sometimes belonging is given to us in the family we are born into or the people who officially or unofficially adopt us into their families. Sometimes we create belonging with […]

The Sauer Family Foundation invests in strengthening the well-being of children so they thrive in their families and communities in Minnesota. After the events at George Floyd Square unfolded not far from our office and home, we decided there is no better time to bring a larger influx of our resources to bear for children […]

Many people are not aware there are thousands of people across the state of Minnesota caring for the children of their relatives. It happens in all kinds of families, and it goes like this – family members receive a call from a county or tribal agency asking if they can care for a child that […]

Every year, the Annie E. Casey Foundation publishes the KIDS COUNT® Data Book. Given all the challenges of COVID, it was inspiring to read that in the 2021 book Minnesota ranked third for child well-being. Yet, as we see time and again, when you dig a little deeper and disaggregate the data, it’s not all kids in Minnesota […]

Learning loss and digital divides – two among many concerns that were raised up during 18 months of interrupted schooling. Now we are reading about accelerated learning, intensive summer schools, increased tutoring, and calls to “just let our children have a Summer”.  Each child, family and school experienced the pandemic differently. As our students emerge […]