VOL. 11 APRIL 2021
This Month's News
Parent Resources
CultivateMN
Future Closures, River Rock Bakery, Playground Update
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Meet our Podcast Guests, Rent Podcast Room
NURTURE. GROW. EMPOWER
April News New Dramatic Play Area "Science Lab" in Toddler 3
Index 02-03
Upskill Parent Resources, Business Membership
Future Closures, City Center Renovations Award, Reminders, Playground Updates
05 06
River Rock Bakery, Ordering Bread
Bubble Wrap Painting in Infant 1
Message from Anissa, Mix & Match Hat Sale, Cultivate Memory
Healthy Culture Coming Soon, New Cultivate MN Coffee, Sneak Peak: Justin
07 08
Ek Art, Scholastic Book Order
Cultivate Cafe Connect, Snack Pack, Upcoming Study
09
"Reading Buddies" in Toddler 1
Monthly Infant Development Focus
10
Giving Back to Our Community, Hiring
11 12
New T-Shirt Design, Toddler Shirt Interest?, Staff Training
Sensory Play in Infant 4
CULTIVATE NEWS | 2
Community Room, Workiversary, Menu, Cultivate MN Podcast
13-18
www.cultivatemankato.com
Laura has years of experience in the classroom as a preschool and kindergarten teacher and also brings a plethora of leadership experience. She works directly with our teachers to ensure they are supported in early
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childhood education.
“My name is Laura Walser and I am the Laura Walser, our Early Education Coordinator will be creating short parent resource videos called Upskill for $10/month.
Upcoming topics will be:
Early Education Coordinator at Cultivate Mankato. I am from Minnesota Lake. I graduated from Maple River Schools, then got my Early Childhood Education degree from Minnesota State University
Handling big emotions
Mankato. I worked at Maple River for 14
Emotion coaching
years as Kindergarten teacher and then
Keeping yourself calm
Early Childhood Director. Through my
Bedtime routines
experience in working with children and
Building independence
Some more topics that will be discussed in the future include:
being a parent, I have established a passion for social/emotional development and the important role it
Biting
plays in laying the foundation for a
Morning routine
child's life. It is so incredible to think of
Teaching a skill vs consequences
the impact we as early childhood care
Multiple environments equals multiple
providers can have on children...it's an
expectations
amazing feeling to know that our work
Childcare drop off and pick up routine
truly makes a difference! I am thrilled to
Setting your child up for successful sleep at childcare Potty training The importance of sleep Knowing yourself as a parent Guiding your child’s behavior; positive discipline Language development
be part of curriculum development and ensure best practices with the team at Cultivate Mankato. I strive to provide the staff with the competencies, support and confidence they need to create a positive learning environment! I also enjoy collaborating with families and the community to empower them as well, in
If you have questions, please email Laura
laura.walser@cultivatemankato.com CULTIVATE NEWS | 3
meeting the needs of young children.”
www.cultivatemankato.com
PARENTS WE
NEED
YOUR
HELP
SPREADING
THE
WORD
ABOUT
THIS
MEMBERSHIP
BE THE CHANGE #supportyouremployees
ATTRACT AND RETAIN TALENT
55%
of parents would take a pay cut for a job that offers child care. Source: Harris Poll, 2019
ENCOURAGE ENGAGEMENT
30%
reduction in employee absences by providing child care. Source: Child Care Council, 2014
IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY
10%
increase in work-life balance, employees with access to child care reported. Source: KCE Fortune 100 Client Survey
PROVIDE SUPPORT
77%
of parents are looking to employers to offset the cost of child care. Source: KinderCare Education Works
CULTIVATING CONNECTIONS CHILD CARE BUSINESS MEMBERSHIP
Future Closures January 1st | New Year's Day
City Center Renovations Award
April 2nd | Teacher Appreciation May 31st |
Memorial Day
July 4th | Independence Day (or the Friday or Monday before if on a weekend)
September 3rd | Fall Readiness September 6th | Labor Day October 22nd | Teacher Appreciation November 25th | Thanksgiving November 26th | Thanksgiving December 24th | Christmas Eve December 25th | Christmas Day
Reminders Safety: If you park on Broad Street to drop off
Playground Update
or pick up, please be sure you pull forward PAST the BIKE LANE SIGN. This allows some space between your vehicle and the corner on Main Street. Sometimes cars come around that
All of the materials are trickling in and once we receive all of the materials we will schedule out a timeframe for construction!
corner really fast and we want there to be some time for them to see you and your vehicle. Also, remember to make sure the side door leading out to Broad Street closes all the way. Many families exit out of this door which is totally fine. However, sometimes the door gets swung open too far and gets stuck open, which brings in cold air and causes safety risks as well. If you can please make sure to check behind you to ensure the door closes that would be deeply appreciated.
CULTIVATE NEWS | 5
www.cultivatemankato.com
River Rock Bakery
Families are welcome to place an order for River Rock breads & can pick up at Cultivate Mankato
CLICK HERE TO ORDER “Similar to how coffee, wine, and chocolate have been differentiated over the last thirty years, I believe there’s room for that with wheat.” Montana adds, “Everyone knows a tomato picked ripe, still warm from the sun is better than a tomato picked green and shipped long distances. The same concept is true with wheat; it has the most complex, interesting,
Photo of Montana Rasmussen, River Rock Owner At 3am, when the world is taking its first breath, Montana Rasmussen and her team at
flavors. Fresh wheat is a whole different beast.”
www.minnesotacooks.org/river-rock-kitchenbakery-co-penner-farms/
River Rock Kitchen & Bakery in St. Peter begin
Supporting local and community based
their workday, hauling fifty-pound bags of
organizations has been an important part of
flour, mixing sourdough by hand, baking for
growing Cultivate and will continue to be as we
hours on end to create their luscious delights.
move forward. In order to ensure that we are
It’s a dream come true for Montana, who
providing children with quality grains rather
always wanted her own bakery. “I love food,”
than prepackaged and sugary grains, we have
she says. “What we eat and where we eat
partnered with River Rock Bakery to provide
matters, so I fully believe in being part of our
muffins, rolls, and their beloved Midwest
food system.”
Multigrain and sourdough breads.
Not only does Montana love the art of cooking
Muffins: Made with an organic flour from up
and baking, she excels at it. Each taste of her
in the twin cities, Bakersfield. They are doing
breads, pastries, soups, and quiches reveals the freshness, quality, and care both she and her farm partners take to deliver exceptional products. Ben Penner of Ben Penner Farms in
fantastic work with local farmers and mill the flour at their location in NE Minneapolis. We have many flavors -- Organic Apple Spice, Organic Blueberry, Organic Zucchini, Organic Peach, Organic Raspberry and Organic Cinnamon
Belle Plaine, is one of those farmers. His
Raisin (organic fruit, organic allspice, organic
wheat is grown, milled and distributed in
clove, organic cinnamon and organic nutmeg). All
Minnesota and usually reaches Montana
the fruit that we use is organic and we try to
within two weeks of being milled. It’s so fresh
source it from local farmers whenever possible.
Montana notices it sometimes varies from bag to bag, depending on which field it came from and when it was harvested. Ben’s mission is to inspire human flourishing through agriculture. He grew up on a wheat farm in central Kansas, so wheat and farming are both in his blood. He grows spring wheat
Midwest Multigrain: This is the beloved sandwich bread. It starts by soaking the following overnight: organic oats, organic cornmeal, organic millet, organic sunflower seeds, organic wheat bran, organic flax, organic molasses and local honey. The next day it is all mixed with organic bread flour, local organic whole wheat flour, organic brown sugar, yeast and
and a hard heritage variety originally from
kosher salt. It is one of the most popular breads
Ukraine called Turkey Red. Ben hopes to
and is enjoyed by both kids and adults!
showcase wheat’s potential for variety in both flavor and milling characteristics. He says,
CULTIVATE NEWS | 6
Rolls: Made with organic flours from local farmer, Ben Penner.
www.cultivatemankato.com
Message from Anissa
Memory
It’s SPRING!!!
Two years ago we had our insulation install!
Spring fever is in full motion and we are all eager to spend more time outside enjoying the warmth and fresh air. This season, we have secured a community garden plot just a few blocks away from Cultivate Mankato. What will we grow? I don’t know,...yet. That’s where all of you get to help.
We are seeking ORGANIC seed donations for our 12x12 garden plot. Won’t it be fun to plant vegetables that we can eat for a snack? Carrots and cucumbers and bell peppers, oh my! The possibilities are endless!
Seed donations can be left with your child’s teacher. And if you and your family would like to volunteer some time and help with the garden, let me know! We would love to see you there!
P.S. Flower seeds would be lovely too!
ANISSA SANDLAND Culture & Community Coordinator anissa@cultivatemankato.com
ORDER HERE CULTIVATE NEWS | 7
www.cultivatemankato.com
Coming Fall 2021
Want to support teachers in early education? Here is an easy way to do so! Purchase coffee through our non-profit, Cultivate MN, and support CONFERENCE
HOSTED
BY:
early education professionals! Not a big coffee drinker? Purchase for your break room at work or as a gift! Only have a Keurig at home? Just purchase a reusable K cup!
Justin Ek Art Sneak Peak
Scholastic Book Orders Through the Scholastic Book Club, you have the
We have more amazing Justin Ek art coming to
choice to place an order each month. Your
Cultivate Mankato! Here is a sneak peak of the
orders will allow us to earn free books for our
outdoor fence coming soon!
Cultivate library and will be used throughout all of our classrooms. Books will be delivered to Cultivate and sent home with your child. Orders will be due on the 2nd Friday of each month.
Use the link below to order. Order will be due on Friday, March 12th. Any questions about ordering can be emailed to Ms. Tera at
tera.vankeulen@cultivatemankato.com
Link to order: https://orders.scholastic.com/R76H7
Class Code: R76H7 CULTIVATE NEWS | 8
www.cultivatemankato.com
Upcoming Study Within our education curriculum, we use studies to
C U L T I V A T E N U R T U R E .
C A F E
G R O W .
E M P O W E R .
guide our lesson planning. Studies are a broad concept that we focus on for 4-6 weeks. Currently our study has been about music. This month we will begin our
Cultivate Cafe Connect Stop by the Cultivate Cafe for a cup of coffee with Candice! Once
a
month,
Candice
will
Spring study. If you feel
your family has something special to share in regards to our upcoming study, we would love family participation. Reach out!
be
offering parents an opportunity to connect with her. Parents can stop by
the
Cultivate
Cafe
cart
where
Candice will be serving coffee. The Cultivate Cafe cart will be located at either one of our entrances.
CCC Hour with Candice One Friday a Month 7:30-8:30am **will be announced the monday before**
Snack Cart Did you know we have a snack cart for children to take a snack home at pick up? Our snack cart is next to the island in our community room and it is stocked with healthier snack options; apples, bananas, fruit snacks, pretzels, crackers, etc.
Some pictures of our recycling study over the last few weeks CULTIVATE NEWS | 9
www.cultivatemankato.com
Monthly Infant Development Focus We are excited to let you know a little bit about how we have been implementing developmental focuses in the infant program. We implement lesson plans and studies in our other programs here at cultivate, and are continuing to do so even
"Today we explored
"For today's activity we
different balls! We rolled
explored bubble wrap and
them, threw them and
paint. The kids loved feeling
bounced on them. This
the bubbles and making the
program is a monthly focus. This is a little different
moved our arms and
paint spread! This activity
than a traditional lesson plan as infants are
worked on our balance."
involves more than just art! It
in the infant program with our youngest kiddos. One of the things we implement in the infant
developing so fast and have so many skills to learn
also worked on our fine
within their first year. Our infant staff have created
motor skills and colors."
a unique approach to infant lesson planning where teachers will take one skill or area of infant development to focus on and complete planned activities to do with the infants for a month long period of time. This approach allows for longer exposure in that particular area and gives the teachers the opportunity to really work on the skill with the infants. Some of the areas of focus include: fine motor
"This month we are exploring different art materials. For today's
skills, large motor skills, language, communication,
exploration we crumped,
music and movement and so much more. How it
ripped and tried to eat
works is teachers plan two activities per week that
wrapping paper. The kids
incorporate that month's focus. For example: if the monthly focus is large motor skills a teacher might
loved the sounds of the paper ripping."
"Today for our gross motor activity we did some tummy time while splashing in some water with toys! The kids really enjoyed splashing away and working on their core muscles."
plan an activity involving reaching for and throwing balls one day. Then later in the week they may plan to do an activity where they loosely tie a balloon to the child's wrist or ankle and encourage them to move their arms and legs to make the balloon move up and down. Both activities encourage large motor development in a way that is fun for the infants and age appropriate! Going forward we will continue to pick different skills and areas of development to focus on each
"For today's activity we
month to create fun learning opportunities for the
looked and played with a
"For today's activity we
children in our infant program. We are committed
ribbon box. The kids
looked at ourselves in the
really enjoyed looking at
mirror and made silly faces."
to providing the best care possible and further develop and grow the skills of even the littlest
all the colors!"
minds here at Cultivate Mankato!
CULTIVATE NEWS | 10
www.cultivatemankato.com
We Are Hiring For the following positions: Human Resource Assistant: Part-time. Assist with scheduling and policy. Must have experience. Submit an application to employment@cultivatemankato.com
Assistant & Lead Teachers:
April Giving Back to our Community During the month of April we will be collecting items for MY PLACE - Mankato Youth Center!
Must meet qualifications and be able to work full-time.
For more information and to apply visit www.cultivatemankato.com/employment
Employment Package includes: health, dental & vision insurance, child care
“MY Place” Mankato Youth Place, opened in
benefits, retirement plan, professional
October 2018 as Boys & Girls Club of Mankato to
development stipend and other
be: a safe place for kids to learn and grow,
employment perks.
staffed with caring, adult professionals who develop ongoing relationships with members, life-
Please share this information to help us find
enhancing programs and character development
an outstanding, caring and qualified
experiences, hope and opportunity.
individual to join our team!
In the fall of 2019 they began a transition to MY Place. The name is a reflection of community and youth engagement and ownership of the space. Mankato Youth Place is committed to providing a nurturing environment that empowers youth to build the confidence, knowledge and skills needed to reach their full potential. MY Place provides youth with programs to support success in school, a healthy lifestyle and character and leadership skills to prepare them to become contributing community members. Our mission to empower all young people to reach their full potential will continue. Thank you for your continued support and living the Cultivate Mankato values.
Wish list coming soon! CULTIVATE NEWS | 11
www.cultivatemankato.com
New T-Shirt Design Coming Soon!
Staff Trainings Research has shown that the most important skills your child needs to be
Is There Interest in Toddler Shirts?
successful in the future are social and
Before we order toddler t-shirt sizes, we
Since this is so important for your child,
wanted to check and see if there was
we use the Pyramid Model in our program
enough interest first. If you would
to support social/emotional development.
purchase one of the below t-shirt designs
The Pyramid Model is a framework for the
for your child, please send a message on
adults to use in their work with children to
procare letting us know that you are
support social/emotional and challenging
interested. Thanks!
behaviors. It focuses on the environment,
emotional skills! The more social skills children have, the more likely they are to succeed in school.
relationships and targeted strategies. How do we at Cultivate Mankato Child Development Center ensure the Pyramid Model is being used? The leadership team has the full 4 day training for Infants through Preschool, our Early Education coordinator Laura Walser is a certified trainer for Pyramid Model, provide coaching, on-the-spot modeling and
Please note: t-shirt & text color will change.
CULTIVATE NEWS | 12
trainings for full-time staff!
www.cultivatemankato.com
s& U r e off Ref 0 2 ve $ on i e c Re uiti t r you
Community Room BEAUTIFUL EVENT SPACE FOR YOUR UPCOMING PARTY OUR COMMUNITY ROOM PROVIDES: • A large kitchen island with bar stools
• A kitchenette with a refrigerator, freezer, sink & microwave
• Tables, table clothes & matching chairs
• Access to a preschool room or an extra meeting room
• Three large windows for lots of natural lighting
• Access to bathrooms
• Beautiful artwork
ENROLLED CULTIVATE FAMILIES RECEIVE A FREE COMMUNITY ROOM RESERVATION
To reserve visit:
CULTIVATE NEWS | 9
www.cultivatemankato.com/community-room
www.cultivatemankato.com
CELEBRATING ONE YEAR WORK ANNIVERSARY Gerri Williamson - Toddler 1 Lead Teacher
CULTIVATE NEWS | 14
April Menu
We would like to give families the opportunity to order the bread that River Rock makes for our children. There are two different options to choose from: Sourdough and Midwest Multigrain. Pick up is at Cultivate. Payment is added to your tuition.
Click the menu to download a pdf
CULTIVATE NEWS | 15
To place an order: Email us at info@cultivatemankato.com or send us a message in ProCare!
www.cultivatemankato.com
Cultivate MN has a new private podcast studio available to rent ‣
$25 per hour private podcast recording room
for each microphone
‣
Audio interface
‣
‣
Two dynamic microphones
‣
Mic boom
System designed to be compatible on MacBook
All you need is your own computer! And we will help you install audio interface software. Don't want to edit your podcast? We partnered with Nulifestyle Co: Meraki Marketing to offer podcast editing for an additional cost. To book our podcast studio, contact us at info@cultivatemn.org
What is Cultivate MN? CultivateMN is a non-profit advocacy group dedicated to promoting awareness within early childhood programs, family services organizations, and child welfare programs. We believe sharing stories promotes awareness and cultivates connection.
CULTIVATE NEWS | 17
www.cultivatemankato.com
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CultivateMN is a non-profit advocacy group dedicated to promoting awareness within early childhood programs, family services organizations, and child CULTIVATE NEWS | 18 w e l f a r e p r o g r a m s . W e b e l i e v e s h a r i n g s t owww.cultivatemankato.com ries promotes
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CultivateMN is a non-profit advocacy group dedicated to promoting awareness within early childhood programs, family services organizations, and child CULTIVATE NEWS | 19 w e l f a r e p r o g r a m s . W e b e l i e v e s h a r i n g s t owww.cultivatemankato.com ries promotes
COMING
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MEET OUR PODCAST GUEST
CultivateMN is a non-profit advocacy group dedicated to promoting awareness within early childhood programs, family services organizations, and child CULTIVATE NEWS | 20 w e l f a r e p r o g r a m s . W e b e l i e v e s h a r i n g s t owww.cultivatemankato.com ries promotes
COMING
SOON
MEET OUR PODCAST GUEST
CultivateMN is a non-profit advocacy group dedicated to promoting awareness within early childhood programs, family services organizations, and child CULTIVATE NEWS | 21 w e l f a r e p r o g r a m s . W e b e l i e v e s h a r i n g s t owww.cultivatemankato.com ries promotes