VOL. 19 DEC 2021
This Month's News
Parent Resources
Children's Museum Field Trip, CultivateMN AmazonSmile, Dan Duffy & the Orchestra
Helping Your Child Through Disappointment, Not Academic Ones
NURTURE. GROW. EMPOWER.
December News Index Story Time with Mr John in in Preschool 3
03-04
You're Invited: Dan Duffy Orchestra, Business Membership
Cotton Ball Sensory Bin
Future Closures, Holiday Auction
05
Preschool Field Trip to the Museum
06
Upcoming Study, COVID-19 Policies,
07
We are Hiring, Weather Reminder
in Infants
Yoga in Toddler 1
Holiday Shopping
08
Gratitude Message from Anissa
09
Upskill Parent Resources
10
Thank You to our Community Partners
11
Workiversaries
12
Meals
13-14
Community Room
Parent Resource
15 16-17
Pajama Day in Infants
CULTIVATE NEWS | 2
www.cultivatemankato.com
Please join us on Saturday, December 11 for SOCIAL HOUR at Cultivate Mankato The Dan Duffy Orchestra will be playing from 5 - 6:30pm. Beverages and light appetizers will be served. Come and share some holiday cheer with the team at Cultivate Mankato. This is an adult-only event.
Please RSVP by Wednesday, December 8: https://forms.gle/9XwDEwj1rzNVQsKz9
Let me know if you have any questions. anissa@cultivatemankato.com
CULTIVATE NEWS | 3
PARENTS
WE
NEED
YOUR
HELP
SPREADING
THE
WORD
ABOUT
THIS
MEMBERSHIP
BE THE CHANGE
of U.S. companies DO NOT offer
comprehensive child care benefits
6%
%49
94%
%6
#supportyouremployees
94%
HOWEVER.... RECORD NUMBER OF EMPLOYERS ARE NOW O F F E R I N G C H IL D C A R E B E N E F I T S INTERVIEWER: “What would you say to other CEO’s who are perhaps hesitant or on the fence about offering a service like this?”
INTERVIEWEE: "Well, you know, for those CEO’s we are going to be able to hire their talent. You want to build an incredible and successful company, in this kind of economy knowledge future, you have to take care of your people. This is going to be the norm.”
SOURCE: www.nbcnews.com/now/video/record-number-of-employers-now-offering-child-care-benefits-126581829820? fbclid=IwAR30gWNHeu5CgRxpu30h1ooUvUebNA1_FR9FKf28X0eg4Nodos1wwDxWbPg
CULTIVATE MANKATO CHILD CARE BUSINESS MEMBERSHIP
REMINDER!
Future Closures January 1st | New Year's Day
October 22nd | Teacher Appreciation
April 2nd | Teacher Appreciation November 25th | Thanksgiving May 31st |
Memorial Day
November 26th | Thanksgiving
July 2nd | Independence Day
December 24th | Christmas Eve
September 6th | Labor Day
December 31st | New Year's Day 2022
Stay Tuned: Cultivate Mankato Holiday Auction
This month as part of our Giving Back to our Community initiative, we are organizing an online Holiday Auction to raise funds for United Way! CULTIVATE NEWS | 5
www.cultivatemankato.com
Preschool Field Trip to the Museum! Our preschoolers took a bus to the Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota a few weeks ago and they all had a blast! View all the photos from our field trip to the museum
CULTIVATE NEWS | 6
here
www.cultivatemankato.com
Upcoming Study
Covid-19 Policies
Within our education curriculum, we use
updated 10/18/2021
studies to guide our lesson planning. Studies are a broad concept that we focus on for 4-6 weeks. Currently our study has been about Fall. This month we will begin our
Review and download MN Department of Health COVID-19 Decision Tree for People in Child Care Programs
Click Here
Winter Study. If you feel your family
has something special to share in regards to our upcoming study, we would love family participation. Reach out!
We Are Hiring Employment Package includes: health, dental & vision insurance, retirement plan, professional development stipend, child care benefits, and other employment perks. Please share this information to help us find caring, outstanding and qualified individual to join our team!
Open Positions: Preschool Co-Lead Assistants and Supports in all programs
www.cultivatemankato.com/employment
Weather Reminder As the snow has already fallen this month, we want to remind you of our weather policy. Cultivate Mankato does not follow the district 77 weather closings. However, we may have to close if it is deemed unsafe for families and employees getting to and from Cultivate. We have only had to close early once last year so hopefully early closures will be minimal.
Some pictures from our Animal Study the last few weeks. CULTIVATE NEWS | 7
Also, please remember to bring snow boots, snow pants, hats, mittens and a coat every day. We do have some extras but our extras are limited. www.cultivatemankato.com
MAKE YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING COUNT
THE HOLIDAYS
are Right Around the Corner!
CultivateMN Store Purchase coffee through our non-profit, Cultivate MN, and every purchase supports early education professionals! We also sell t-shirts and awareness signs. Check out what we offer and support early education professionals!
www.cultivatemn.org/shop
CultivateMN is now on AmazonSmile. This is an easy way to support early educators! AmazonSmile, a separate portal from Amazon's main site, offers the same items, prices, and benefits as Amazon.com, but with one distinct difference... When users shop on AmazonSmile, the retailer's Foundation contributes 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charity of your choice. There is no cost to charities or customers, and 100% of the donation generated from eligible purchases goes to the consumer's charity of choice.
For frequent Amazon users, this additional perk is a great way to give back to charities effortlessly.
CULTIVATE NEWS | 8
www.cultivatemankato.com
Gratitude Message From Ms. Anissa THIS MONTH'S ORGANIZATION
It is a true gift when your personal values
We raised awareness and funds for
are in alignment with the work you get
multiple community organizations and
to do.
one very special little boy this year. We
So often I get pulled into the thoughts of needing to do more. There are so many things that I would like to do. So many people that I would like to collaborate with. So many worthwhile projects that I would like to be a part of. So many things that I would like to make happen.
put our feet on the ground and volunteered at the Juneteenth Celebration and with Habitat for Humanity. We sold tickets for the Partners for Affordable Housing MoonDogs fundraiser and then we showed up in mass for the game. We had our first ever Cultivate Mankato
But, there are only so many hours in a
Carnival and raised money for a local
day, so many days in a year. And it all
boy going through cancer treatments. I
takes time.
became the bubble lady at multiple
I just looked back at my calendar for this year and I am in tears. We have done some really special things in 2021. We brought special guests to Cultivate Mankato to enhance our classroom studies. We took field trips and learned more about our neighborhood. We made community connections that will continue to grow.
neighborhood block parties. Oh, and don’t forget we are opening a Infant Development Center in early 2022! There will always be more that needs to be done. I am grateful to work in an organization that understands the importance of being involved in our community, knowing that the little things we do may lead to bigger things getting accomplished. Never
We continued to grow our team and
underestimate the importance of the
found ways to come together to
little things.
celebrate who we are and the work we do. We had a prom in the spring and the Crundie Awards in the fall and a holiday party in December. We are
Here’s to 2022! May we continue to be active members of our community and develop new relationships.
always looking for ways to lift each
Anissa Sandland
other up and support one another
Community & Culture Coordinator
through the challenges.
CULTIVATE NEWS | 9
www.cultivatemankato.com
Laura Walser, our Early Education Coordinator will be creating short parent resource videos called Upskill for $10/month.
Upcoming topics will be: Handling big emotions Emotion coaching Keeping yourself calm Bedtime routines Building independence
Some more topics that will be discussed in the future include: Biting Morning routine Teaching a skill vs consequences Multiple environments equals multiple expectations Childcare drop off and pick up routine
Click Here to Subscribe
Setting your child up for successful sleep at childcare Potty training The importance of sleep
TWO NEW VIDEOS NOW
AVAILABLE!
Knowing yourself as a parent Guiding your child’s behavior; positive discipline Language development If you have questions, please email Laura
laura.walser@cultivatemankato.com CULTIVATE NEWS | 10
www.cultivatemankato.com
Thank You
TO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS
MEDITATION WITH ANDREW ARCHER Andrew Archer has been teaching meditation through stories and practice once a week to our oldest preschoolers here at Cultivate Mankato.
MENTAL HEALTH CONSULTING WITH CRYSTAL DUBBELDE Crystal Dubbelde brings a unique lens to Cultivate Mankato by offering support to the staff as a mental health consultant. Early childhood well-being and development are a passion of hers. At Cultivate, we believe that supporting teachers who work with young children is critical to their professional and personal development and helps to promote longevity in the field of early education.
TAEKWONDO WITH MASTER WINKLER Master Winkler with Lee's Taekwondo Academy here in Mankato visits once a week. He spends time with each of our preschool classes, teaching them about respect and taekwondo basics.
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY SERVICES Sam Olsen, Occupational Therapist with Persist Therapy, brings her services to Cultivate Mankato and provides support to our families. She also collaborates with our teachers and parents, giving them the resources and education they need to help a child succeed.
RIVER ROCK KITCHEN & BAKERY CO. Back in spring of 2020 we partnered with River Rock Kitchen & Bakery Co. This partnership was created to ensure that we are providing children with quality grains rather than prepackaged and sugary grains. River Rock provides us with muffins, rolls, and their delicious midwest multigrain and sourdough breads.
STORY TIME & MUSIC WITH MR. JOHN Mr. John, a former Cultivate parent who continues to volunteer his time with our friends, comes once a week to read stories and sing songs with his guitar.
CULTIVATE NEWS | 11
www.cultivatemankato.com
CELEBRATING ONE YEAR WORK ANNIVERSARY Britt Cline, Preschool 2 Lead Teacher Kenzie Burns, Assistant Teacher
CULTIVATE NEWS | 12
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
Dec Menus
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 at Cultivate in 1-2 business days.
Click the menu to download a pdf
To place an order: Visit our Cultivate Mankato shop! Questions? Email us at info@cultivatemankato.com
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www.cultivatemankato.com
We would like to give families the opportunity to order snack packs for your child(ren) or upcoming event. Choose between a meat or vegetarian option or send us a message to create a custom order. Pick up at Cultivate in 1-2 business days.
Click the menu to download a pdf
CULTIVATE NEWS | 15
To place an order: Visit our Cultivate Mankato shop! Questions? Email us at info@cultivatemankato.com
www.cultivatemankato.com
Parent Resource
How to Help Your Child When They Are Disappointed
Helping Your Child Through Disappointment
Connect with Empathy & Notice your Message For children, even something that seems little — like someone else eating the last cookie — can open a floodgate of unexpected feelings.
By Nicole Schwarz Link to Article
Disappointment!
Suddenly, they are met with the challenge of managing a bunch of feelings at the same time — frustration, anger, confusion, sadness — while making sense of their unmet
Disappointment can be like a tidal wave of emotions for your kids. Image this scenario: The van is packed, and you’re about ready to head out the door. Suddenly, you hear thunder in the distance. No! It can’t be! You checked the weather, and it wasn’t supposed to rain for a few more hours. But minutes later, the rain is pouring down outside.
Three children stare at you. “When are we going to the beach, mom?”
expectations. This is a lot to expect of a child.
When we say, “It’s no big deal,” we send the message: “Your feelings don’t matter.” When we throw our hands up and give in, we send the message: “Your disappointment is too much for me to handle.” When we distract our child from the disappointing event, we send the message: “Disappointment is uncomfortable and should be avoided at all costs.”
Alternatively, when you connect with empathy, you send the message: “It’s hard to feel disappointed. I am here with you as you feel
Bracing yourself, you cautiously say, “Well…it’s
this uncomfortable feeling, and we’ll get
raining…we can’t go to the beach today.”
through it together.”
In an instant, one child is crying and flopping
Say This, Not That
around on the ground; another child is
Instead of forcing your child to stuff their
throwing things, kicking you and yelling; and a
feelings or numb their emotions by giving in, try
third is pouting, staring out the window.
these alternative phrases:
Three disappointed kids.
Now what?
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Instead of: “Get over it.” Try: “I can tell you’re disappointed. I was hoping to go to the beach today too.”
www.cultivatemankato.com
Instead of: “Fine, if you’re going to throw a fit,
Take some time to think about why it is hard for
you can have the toy.”
you to let your child feel disappointed. Here are
Try: “I know you really wanted that toy. It’s so
some examples:
hard when we cannot get what we want.” I feel like my kids take advantage of me.
Instead of: “Oh, your balloon popped. Here,
I don’t feel appreciated.
have an ice cream.”
I feel powerless.
Try: “How sad! You didn’t get to play with that
I don’t know any other way to respond.
balloon very long, did you?”
My own parents never let me show
Instead of: “Don’t ask me again!” Try: “I know you’re disappointed. You really
disappointment. I feel uncomfortable when my kids are upset.
wish I would change my mind.”
I don’t know how to comfort my kids.
Instead of: “If you hit me one more time,
My spouse/co-parent gives them everything
you’re going in a time-out!”
Try: “You can be angry about my decision, but I will not let you hurt others.”
Instead of: “It’s time to go. Don’t make me count to three!”
Try: “You wish we could stay here longer. It’s
they want; now they expect it from me. I’m frustrated that I let this get so out of control. I don’t know how to handle my own disappointment. Once you’ve identified one or two triggers, you can start to work through them — on your own,
hard to leave fun places.”
with a trusted friend, or a mental health
Instead of: “You’re ruining the day for our
professional. Getting these triggers out of the
whole family!”
way will help you respond empathetically to
Try: “You still seem really disappointed that
your child when they are feeling disappointed.
the party was canceled. Do you need a hug?”
About the Author
Check Your Triggers Responding with empathy may seem like a great idea in theory, but you might find it really difficult to put into practice.
Nicole Schwarz Nicole is a mom to 3 young girls, a Parent Coach, and Licensed Therapist in St. Louis, Missouri. She is
Usually, this means you are being “triggered.” Instead of being able to see your child’s struggle, you respond to something internal — a thought about yourself, your child or the situation.
the author of *Positive Parenting for Imperfect Families*. Nicole helps parents connect with their children, feel confident in their parenting, and find positive alternatives to punishment. Learn about online Parent Coaching and read parenting tips on her blog, ImperfectFamilies. Sign up for Nicole's newsletter here.
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www.cultivatemankato.com