Q&A with new President and CEO Dianne Haulcy
Dianne Haulcy rejoined The Family Partnership as President and CEO in mid-July. We asked her to share her thoughts on the organization’s mission and her career.
What can you tell us about being back at The Family Partnership?
“It has been a whirlwind! However, it is good to be back and, it feels as if this is where I am supposed to be. I love the direct service work that The Family Partnership does, and that we are located in both north and south Minneapolis. We have all been through a lot over the last couple of years and we can play a role to help bring healing to the community.”
You are well known as an early childhood education leader, what path led you to focus on early childhood education in your non-profit career?
“Early in my career, I worked with youth in the low-income housing projects in Minneapolis (that no longer exist). I quickly realized these 13-15 year-old teenager’s vision of the future was already set. The girls talked about having babies and the boys discussed not if they would go to jail, but what year they would be going to jail.
These brilliant young people’s circumstances had deeply impacted their future. That grew into a real knowledge around the power of early childhood development to change the trajectory of children’s futures, especially those without financial resources to get high quality care.”
Increasing preschool enrollment is one of your priorities. You were able to attend our preschool graduations recently, and you looked like you were having fun!
“One of the best parts of my job is seeing families celebrate their children and see young children be proud of their accomplishments. At The Family Partnership’s two preschools, over 90% of children routinely graduate rated kindergarten-ready and our on-site screenings and developmental therapies assist in removing any barriers to learning.”
“We are not unique in the impact the pandemic had on our preschool enrollment and availability of teachers. Right now, we are hiring additional teachers and getting the word out for preschool enrollment. Everyone is working hard to restore our preschool enrollment.”
“We have all been through a lot over the last couple of years. How can we help bring healing to the community?”
Dianne Haulcy
What are longer-term priorities?
“We have a brand new building at Lake Street and Bloomington Ave. that opened in the middle of the pandemic. Now we have an opportunity for more use of our facility as a space for community building. I want us to have our eyes and ears open and listen to the community so we can see the trends and ways we can bring healing. Relationship building is very important for me.”
Anything else about your impressions of The Family Partnership?
“We have some really, really committed staff people here that love the work they are doing, serving the families that they serve. Their passion is the foundation that drives what we do. The idea of listening to the community is not a new one, it’s how The Family Partnership has continued to evolve and morph for over 140 years as the community has grown and changed. We will continue to do that!”
Learn more about Dianne Haulcy