Cultivate Mankato: April 2023 News

VOL. 35 APRIL 2023

This Month's News

Parent Resource

Cultivate Cookbook Coming Soon!, Volunteer Appreciation Week, Sensory Library Now Open

It's Not Working because They Just Need You

NURTURE. GROW. EMPOWER.

NEW!

Important! Find menus, events, events, reminders, forms, links, here on –our Access to menus, reminders, links,etc., forms, etc. allParent in one Dashboard location!

C L I C K H E R E T O AC C ES S T H E P AR EN T D AS H B OARD

Remember to bookmark or add the link to your home screen – this link cannot be found on our website.

Only those with the direct link can access the dashboard.

April News Index 2023 Center Closures

04

Up & Coming. -Mark Your Calendar

05

Welcome New Team Members

06

Employee Benefits and Incentives

07

Cultivate Cookbook Coming Soon

08

Upcoming Study

10

Sensory Library

11

RaiseRight - Save on Tuition

12

Arena Group: GiANT Monthly Sessions

13

Scholastic Orders, Volunteer Appreciation

14

Infant Development Center

15

Workiversaries

16-17

Alleyway Reminder, Pfau St. Construction

18-19

227 Event Space

20

Parent Resource

21

Covid-19 Policies updated February 2022

Review & download MN Dept of Health COVID-19 Decision Tree for People in Child Care Programs

25-26

Up & Coming!

DON'T FORGET TO MARK YOUR CALENDAR

APRIL 9: PFAU ST CONSTRUCTION BEGINS INFANT DEVELOPMENT CENTER, SEE PG 15

APRIL 21: SPRING CONFERENCES CENTER CLOSED, ALL PROGRAMS

MAY 10: PROFESSIONAL GRADUATION PHOTOS PRESCHOOL PROGRAM, KINDERGARTENERS FALL ' 23

MAY 17: KINDERGARTEN CELEBRATION

Details coming soon

PRESCHOOL PROGRAM, KINDERGARTENERS FALL ' 23

CULTIVATE NEWS | 5

www.cultivatemankato.com

CULTIVATE MANKATO

Referral & Hire $200 TUITION CREDIT

Family Incentive Program

Refer a teacher and if hired, receive $200 tuition credit.

No limits on the number of referral & hires.

Questions? Email Megan Diedrich at megan.diedrich@cultivatemankato.com

! e m o c l e W

​Please share this information to help us find caring, outstanding and qualified individual to join our team!

TO OUR TEAM!

Joan Quiram, Mia Hanson, Brooke Odland

OUR NEW TEAM MEMBERS

OUR BENEFITS & INCENTIVES: ‣ Health, Dental, Vision Insurance ‣ Professional Development Training & Stipend ‣ Retirement Plan ‣ Professional Work Environment ‣ Competitive Wages ‣ Paid Teacher Appreciation Days ‣ Child Care Benefits ‣ No Nights or Weekends ‣ Drinks, Snacks & Lunch Provided ‣ Team Parties & Events Click Here to Apply

CULTIVATE NEWS | 7

www.cultivatemankato.com

Coming C U L T I V A T E M A N K A T O Soon! C O O K B O O K We are creating a CULTIVATE MANKATO COOKBOOK! This cookbook will include some of our favorite Cultivate Kitchen recipes alongside recipes from YOU! Please share a favorite family recipe and the story of why it is special to you. We are looking for your family’s go-to dishes. The ones that everyone looks forward to. The ones you break out for special occasions and the ones you eat every week. Maybe you have a recipe you created as a family, like Skyler’s Butterfly Breakfast. (see photo - - ->) Please submit your recipes and stories to becky@cultivatemankato.com by April 30th.

CULTIVATE NEWS | 8

Here is an example of a family recipe and story from Ms. Becky…

Salsa

6 medium size vine ripened tomatoes (stems removed) 2 jalapeno peppers 1 poblano pepper 1 cup green onion (diced) 1 juice from freshly squeezed lime 1 cup canned diced tomatoes 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro 2 cloves garlic (minced) 1 tbsp salt

Taco Filling

2 tbsp vegetable oil 1 cup finely chopped white onion 2 medium size jalapenos (seeded and finely chopped) 3 cloves of garlic (minced) 2 tbsp chili powder 1 tbsp mexican oregano 1 tbsp ground cumin 1 tbsp ground coriander 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder 2 pounds ground beef 1 cup chicken stock 1 cup finely chopped fire roasted tomatoes (15oz can) 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (leaves and stems) 1 tbsp fresh juice from lime

She would fry the corn tortillas (one shell at a time) in a tiny cast iron skillet and as they began to harden she would fold one side over the other to form a taco shell and cook it a little longer until they were hard and crunchy. While this may sound simple enough, it was a process that would take hours of love and include a secret ingredient as well as a memory that would be with me forever.

Growing up, one of my favorite dishes was my mom’s tacos. I remember her cooking the ground beef in cast iron skillets that were handed down to her by her grandmother. She made fresh homemade salsa, chopped avocados (from our avocado tree), hand shredded cheese and lettuce.

Directions

On a stove heat a large skillet (medium high heat) place vine tomatoes and peppers in the skillet.

Continue to saute, rotating the vegetables occasionally until all sides begin to blister (about 20 minutes). Set aside to cool.

Once cooled, chop off the stems of the peppers, remove the seeds from the jalapenos.

Cut the vegetables into large pieces.

Place tomatoes, peppers, onion, lime juice, and canned tomatoes into a blender and pulse quickly until just mixed (about 5 seconds) add garlic, cilantro, salt and pulse for another 15 seconds until well blended but chunky.

Place in a large bowl and refrigerate until cooled. It tastes better after 24 hours. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

Add onions and cook until beginning to brown around edges (5-7 minutes) Add jalapenos and garlic and cook for 30 seconds then add chili powder, oregano, cumin, coriander and chipotle powder and cook for another 30 seconds.

Add ground beef and cook, breaking apart with a wooden spoon until browned throughout about 5-7 minutes.

Stir in chicken stock and diced tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until liquid thickens, about 15 minutes.

Stir in cilantro and lime juice and season with salt to taste.

Upcoming Study

Within our education curriculum, we use studies to guide our lesson planning. Studies are a broad concept that we focus on for 4-6 weeks. Currently our study has been all about Reduce Reuse & Recycle. This month we will begin our Spring Study. Reach out if you feel your family has something special to share in regards to our upcoming study. We love family participation!

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www.cultivatemankato.com

C U L T I V A T E MN

SENSORY LENDING LIBRARY made possible by community donations through CultivateMN now available for the Southern MN community

Reserve Anytime. Online reservations only. 7 day reservations.

Pick up is available Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8:30-5pm 110 S. Broad Street, Mankato MN 56001 We worked hard with Sam Olsen, OT with Persist Therapy, to get our sensory library ready for use! Cultivate Mankato teachers will also be able to utilize our sensory library, and children will be able to visit and use our quiet space if sensory breaks are needed.

Thank you to the following for supporting our youngest children!

Bev Palmquist Kristen Friedrichs Nazli Yilmaz CULTIVATE NEWS | 11

Kirsti Cole Michele Determan Lyn Merritt

Tarek Khalife The Dubbelde Family Anissa Sandland

Cathy Walser Brooke Forstner Shea Kluender

www.cultivatemankato.com

SAVE ON TUITION

click here for Cultivate Mankato' s RaiseRight FAQ ENROLL HERE

ENROLLMENT CODE:

GIFT CARD ORDER SCHEDULE:

HAVE QUESTIONS?

CZGPSWL3ID8X

1st & 3rd FRIDAY OF THE MONTH

JORDYN ERICKSON jordyn.erickson@cultivatemankato.com

CULTIVATE NEWS | 5

(physical gift cards)

www.cultivatemankato.com

INVITES YOU

ARENA GROUP

MONTHLY SESSIONS UPCOMING TOPIC:

KNOW YOURSELF TO LEAD YOURSELF Sessions are held every month on the last Wednesday of the month via Zoom

Upcoming Session:

APR 26

TH

* Participating is optional

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC If you would like to join this session, contact Candice Deal-Bartell at candice@arenagroup.services and request the zoom link For 2023 our team is intentionally focusing on culture, relationships, values, and leadership development at Cultivate! Every month, our team has the option to attend a virtual leadership meeting that focuses on a specific topic. All are welcome – including our Cultivate families!

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www.cultivatemankato.com

HELP US BUILD OUR CLASSROOM RESOURCES

SCHOLASTIC Book Orders!

Use Class Code: R76H7

Through the Scholastic Book Club, you have the choice to place an order each month. Your orders will allow us to earn free books for our Cultivate library and will be used throughout all of our classrooms. Books will be delivered to Cultivate and sent home with your child.

Orders are due the 2nd Friday of every month.

Reminder: please write your first & last name on your book orders Use the link below to order.

Order will be due on Friday, April 14th.

Any questions about ordering can be emailed to Ms. Tera at tera.vankeulen@cultivatemankato.com Link to order: https://orders.scholastic.com/R76H7

Volunteer Appreciation Week April 17 - 21st

In November of 2022 we put the call out for volunteer Baby Rockers and we were overwhelmed by the positive response. Our post was shared over 50 times and so many loving comments were made by family and friends of Cultivate Mankato and the Infant Development Center (IDC); we knew we were onto something GREAT!

In December we brought together a group of interested people to further discuss what it means to be a Baby Rocker at Cultivate Mankato and the IDC. We went over the job description and reviewed important policies and procedures that need to be followed. In January, 2023 we had our first official Baby Rockers in the classroom!

As of the end of March, we have SIX active volunteers at Cultivate Mankato and the IDC. Dawn, Donna, Kris, Nancy, Raychelle, and Sue have been volunteering an average of 1 hour/week since January. They sing! They laugh! They give really good snuggles. And when the time comes, they gently rock those babies to sleep.

We are SO GRATEFUL to have them here!

To learn more about our Baby Rocker Program visit: https://rb.gy/r3k5hl If you have any questions please contact anissa@cultivatemankato.com

CULTIVATE MANKATO INFANT DEVELOPMENT CENTER

SAME PROGRAM SAME VALUES SECOND LOCATION

SECURE YOUR SPOT FOR FALL NOW ENROLLING FOR FALL 2023 | NOW HIRING

www.cultivatemankato.com Interested in being a volunteer baby rocker? Contact Us Today!

Our Infant Development Center:

♡ Conveniently located near Mayo Hospital & Mankato Clinic ♡ Space is designed specifically for infants 3-16 months ♡ Brand new facility with the same stellar infant program ♡ Exceeds policies & procedures expectations ♡ Detailed parent communication throughout the day ♡ Infant development checklists, lesson planning & activities ♡ Staff on-site training & professional development CULTIVATE NEWS | 15

ENROLLMENT CONTACT FORM JOIN OUR TEAM APPLY HERE MORE INFORMATION www.cultivatemankato.com

CELEBRATING two YEAR WORK ANNIVERSARY Alexis Benedict Preschool Teacher - Feb 2020-2021 Early Education Curriculum and Training Specialist - April 2022-Present CULTIVATE NEWS | 16

www.cultivatemankato.com

CELEBRATING two YEAR WORK ANNIVERSARY Callie Januszewski, Preschool Co-Teacher

CULTIVATE NEWS | 17

www.cultivatemankato.com

Alleyway Reminder

& DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE RAIN COMING SOON...

FRIENDLY PARKING REMINDERS To help us with the flow of traffic and to try and avoid accidents, please enter the alleyway on E Walnut Street and exit on E Main Street.

We appreciate your cooperation!

Spring rain + melting snow = GIANT puddles in the parking lot & sidewalks

IMPORTANT

INFANT DEVELOPMENT FAMILIES

Pfau Street will be under construction beginning April 9th and will not be accessible.

You will be able to access the IDC parking lot by entering the lot on McConnell Street. The two parking lots (the one off McConnell Street and the IDC parking lot off Pfau Street) are connected. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out.

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www.cultivatemankato.com

free event space to host your child' s next birthday party

227 EVENT SPACE PARTNERED WITH NU EVENT PLANNING and offers a beautiful space for your upcoming party, meeting, or training.

Located in beautiful downtown Mankato, 227 E. Main Street.

Our Event Space provides:​​

Reservation Cost:

Seating for up to 60 people A large kitchen island with bar stools A kitchenette with:

$250 for 4 hours ​ FREE for CM Families

refrigerator, freezer, sink & microwave

Please Note: Saturday and Sunday reservations only.

Tables, table clothes & matching chairs Large windows providing lots of natural light Beautiful artwork Access to bathrooms

2023 Graduations are right around the corner and our 227 Event space is the perfect venue!

ALL PROCEEDS FROM OUR 227 EVENT SPACE SUPPORTS CULTIVATE MANKATO' S MISSION & INITIATIVES

FULL SERVICE EVENT PLANNING 227 Event Space partnered with Nu Event Planning

EVENT SPACE

Parent Resources

Just a reminder: BIG emotions are a typical childhood response. What your child is really telling you in these moments is that they just need YOU, your love and your connection. Time outs, taking toys away and giving consequences might help in the moment, but the message that they send is "your emotion is too big and I don't want to see it". Let's change that narrative to "your emotion is big and that's okay. I'll support you through it".

This is NOT permissive parenting....this is responsive parenting.

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www.cultivatemankato.com