Cultivate Mankato: July 2021 News

VOL. 14 JULY 2021

This Month's News

Parent Resources

CultivateMN

Infant Development Center Announcement, Sensory Room, Love Wall Community Project

Subscribe to Upskill, Is your kid emotionally intelligent?

Meet our Podcast Guests, Rent Podcast Room

NURTURE. GROW. EMPOWER.

July News Index Putting on a puppet show in Toddler 3

03-04

Upskill Parent Resources, Business Membership Future Closures, Becky & Marsha Kitchen Prep, National Survey

06

Infant Development Center Announcement Snack Packs, New Hats, Coffee Sale,

Making caterpillar headbands

Donate to Cultivate MN 501c3

in Preschool 3

08

Upcoming Study, Snack Cart, CCC

09

P4H Fundraiser w/ Moon Dogs, 5 Voices

10

& Me T-Shirts Story time with Caitie in Juneteenth Celebration, Love Wall Event

Community Room, Meet our new Staff, Workiversaries

Painting with fly swatters in Toddler 4

CULTIVATE NEWS | 2

07

New Sensory Room: Donation Needed

Scholastic Book Order, Hiring, Mommy

Infant 1

05

11 12 13-15

Meal Menus

16-17

Parent Resource

18-19

Cultivate MN Podcast

20-26 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 | 3

www.cultivatemankato.com

PARENTS WE

NEED

YOUR

HELP

SPREADING

THE

WORD

ABOUT

THIS

MEMBERSHIP

BE THE CHANGE #supportyouremployees

OVERVIEW Cultivate Mankato's Child Care Business Membership is a low-risk membership program that provides tremendous value to employees and employers.

As a member, you will get the following:

ATTRACT AND RETAIN TALENT

55%

High quality child care options for your employees Discounted weekly child care rates for employees Company wide access to Cultivate Mankato’s Community Room

of parents would take a pay cut for a job that offers child care.

Source: Harris Poll, 2019

IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY

10%

Prioritized access to child care openings Tax write-off

How it works:

increase in work-life balance, employees with access to child care reported.

Source: KCE Fortune 100 Client Survey

ENCOURAGE ENGAGEMENT

30%

Step 1: Business purchases the tier that best fits their needs Step 2: Business offers child care benefit to their employee Step 3: Employee enrolls their child at Cultivate Mankato Step 4: Employee pays a discounted rate of child care each week

reduction in employee absences by providing child care.

Source: Child Care Council, 2014

PROVIDE SUPPORT

You choose the discount you want to offer your employee: Membership levels are structured to offer a low-cost, high value benefit

77%

of parents are looking to employers to offset the cost of child care.

Source: KinderCare Education Works

to your employees. Membership dues are annual and are per employee.

TIER 1

TIER 2

TIER 3

CUSTOM

10% DISCOUNT

15% DISCOUNT

25% DISCOUNT

YOU DECIDE

CULTIVATE MANKATO CHILD CARE BUSINESS MEMBERSHIP

January 1st | New Year's Day

A Glimpse into our Food Prep

April 2nd | Teacher Appreciation

Did you know we buy, cut and prep all of

Future Closures May 31st |

Memorial Day

July 2nd | Independence Day September 6th | Labor Day

our fruits and vegetables? Nothing comes pre-cut or in a can. We value serving our children healthy, fresh and nutritious meals.

Shout out to our kitchen team!

October 22nd | Teacher Appreciation November 25th | Thanksgiving November 26th | Thanksgiving December 24th | Christmas Eve December 25th | Christmas Day

Take Action to Reduce Child Care Costs

Take our National Survey to help us TAKE ACTION to reduce child care costs!

Also, please share this survey with your friends and family.

CULTIVATE NEWS | 5

www.cultivatemankato.com

COMING SOON SAME PROGRAM & VALUES – SECOND LOCATION

*Renovations starting July 2021

CULTIVATE NEWS | 6

www.cultivatemankato.com

Snack Packs

NEW HATS!

Snack Packs are a healthy option for business meetings, parties, or even a great grab and go option for your children at home this summer, the lake or a picnic!

To order visit: www.cultivatemankato.com/shop

ORDER HERE

MAKE A DONATION HERE

CULTIVATE NEWS | 7

www.cultivatemankato.com

We are currently working on opening a new sensory room for CultivateMN. This room will include different items such as large motor items, sensory books, and a few different sensory table top activities that help children with high

This will be available to all children that attend Cultivate Mankato. The items are mobile and can transfer from building to building. sensory needs, sensory processing disorders, and sensory diets.

We are asking for your help in funding this project. We have a great need at Cultivate for these resources to support children with various sensory needs. The estimated cost of the project is around $5,000. If you are interested and able to donate, Thank you,

CLICK HERE. All donations will also be tax deductible! Any contributions will be greatly appreciated.

Cultivate MN

What is a sensory room and who benefits?

A sensory room—a therapeutic space with a variety of equipment that helps children with sensory issues calm and focus themselves so they can be better prepared for learning and interacting with others.

Sensory issues occur when a child has a difficult time receiving and responding to information from their senses. Children who have sensory issues may have an aversion to anything that triggers their senses, such as light, sound, touch, taste, or smell. Symptoms of sensory processing issues may depend on the way in which a child processes sensations. Children who are easily stimulated may have hypersensitivity. Children who aren’t as easily stimulated experience fewer sensations and have hyposensitivity.

Sensory spaces in schools have been shown to decrease negative behaviors and improve student engagement. The benefits of sensory rooms in schools have led some educators to begin using sensory rooms for groups of students beyond those with a diagnosed sensory processing disorder or developmental disability.

Having sensory rooms within a school can also reduce the need to send students out of the school for additional services. For students who need to work with occupational or physical therapists, these professionals can be brought into the school, rather than students being taken out of class and the school to have these appointments. This maintains consistency in a student’s day and reduces the amount of time they have to be away from school.

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 summer. 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

art 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.

CULTIVATE NEWS | 9

Some pictures from our Summer Study the last few weeks. www.cultivatemankato.com

GNIVIG FO HTNOM YLUJ

Giving Back to Our Community Give back to the community & enjoy a night at ISG Field!

Partners for Housing is Fundraising with the MoonDogs Friday, July 23rd at 6:45pm $10 ticket (includes a voucher for a hot dog, drink and chips) If you are interested in purchasing tickets CLICK HERE Join us in cheering for the MoonDogs at this great community fundraiser!

Click here for the P4H Summer 2021 newsletter.

Click here to learn more about Partners for Housing

5 Voices Did you know we provide professional development to all of our team members? We recently had our team take the 5 Voices assessment through a platform called GIANT World Wide. GiANT is a global media and content development company specializing in leader transformation. "We unlock the potential of people.

Our platform allows you to view unique insights for each of your team members."

Take the free 5 Voices assessment here: www.giant.tv/5voices/30days Or learn more about 5 Voices here: https://5voices.com/ CULTIVATE NEWS | 10

www.cultivatemankato.com

Scholastic Book Orders 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 will be due on the 2nd Friday of each month.

Use the link below to order.

Order will be due on Friday, May 14th.

Any questions about ordering can be emailed to Ms. Tera at

tera.vankeulen@cultivatemankato.com

Link to order: https://orders.scholastic.com/R76H7

We Are Hiring We are always looking for top performers to join our team!

Employment Package includes: health, dental & vision insurance, child care benefits, retirement plan, professional development stipend and other employment perks.

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

Open Positions: Support Staff & Assistants

Class Code: R76H7

Mon-Fri 1:30-6:30pm or 10:30-6:30pm www.cultivatemankato.com/employment

Toddler Sizes Now Available: Order Today!

SAVE $5

when you purchase

Adult & Toddler Matching Shirts

ORDER HERE CULTIVATE NEWS | 11

www.cultivatemankato.com

Juneteenth Celebration

Love Wall Community Project RESCHEDULED

for Saturday July 17th

10:00-1:00pm.

We would like to welcome the community to take part in our 'Love Wall Community Project' mural with Bellissimo Painting.

Why hearts?

One of our core values is Love.

Heart symbols = love.

But also... because of our location, we have a civic responsibility to create art that is meaningful for the community to enjoy.

And last... we want this mural to be a remembrance of the COVID-19 impact and how we all came together... with love!

CLICK HERE to view more photos Cultivate MN sponsored the children's activities at the 4th Annual Juneteenth Celebration on June 19, 2021. Juneteenth commemorates the historical beginnings of African-American independence in the United States.

This annual Juneteenth Celebration is hosted by the Greater Mankato Diversity Council (GMDC) in partnership with The Minnesota Hip Hop Coalition (MN-HHC) every June.

CULTIVATE NEWS | 12

www.cultivatemankato.com

Lots of New Faces at Cultivate Mankato This Summer These fine folks have recently started at Cultivate Mankato. We are lucky to have them!

Have you met...

Pictured from top left to right

Jacob (teacher) Kate C (teacher)

Kayla (all-around support staff) Paige (all-around super-helper) Madeline (toddler assistant teacher) Kaylee (all-around support staff)

CULTIVATE NEWS | 13

Ashley (infant assistant teacher) JJ (kitchen support) Beau - (teacher) not pictured: Karen (kitchen support)

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 two YEARS WORK ANNIVERSARY Ashlie Fitzpatrick, Infant 5 Lead Teacher Britni Greenfield, Infant 3 Lead Teacher

CULTIVATE NEWS | 15

July 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

CULTIVATE NEWS | 16

To place an order: Visit our Cultivate Mankato shop!

Questions? Email us at info@cultivatemankato.com

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 | 17

To place an order: Visit our Cultivate Mankato shop!

Questions? Email us at info@cultivatemankato.com

www.cultivatemankato.com

Parent Resource Is your kid emotionally intelligent?

A psychologist shares the traits to look for—and how to teach them Written by Sandra Wartski https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/10/is-your-kid-emotionallyintelligent-psychologist-how-to-raise-high-eq-children.html As a family psychologist, I often stress to parents the importance of teaching kids emotional intelligence at a young age.

Research has shown that this skill set can be a strong predictor of success in relationships, health and quality of life. One study even found that children with high emotional intelligence earn better

How to teach self-awareness: Label emotions. It can be challenging for kids to talk about their emotions if they can’t think of the right words. Initiate conversations about their feelings, as well as other people’s feelings. Use descriptive keywords like “sad,” “upset” and “disappointed.”

Provide feedback. When giving feedback on what your kid can spend more time working on, be thoughtful about word choice; coming off as overly critical or harsh can easily lead to discouragement.

Show interest. To boost confidence and selfesteem, let them know you care about their feelings and that what they have to say matters.

Self-Regulation

grades, stay in school longer and make healthier

Why it’s important: Self-regulation helps us

choices overall.

direct our behavior towards a goal, despite the

According to Daniel Goleman, one of the first people to raise awareness of emotional intelligence

unpredictability of the world and of our feelings.

Can your kid self-regulate?

and author of “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can

They can manage their emotions and behavior

Matter More Than IQ,” this skill set can be

in accordance with the demands of the

streamlined down to five core components.

situation.

Here’s a look at each one, how to tell which ones your kids need to work on the most, and examples of how to do it:

When feeling frustrated, they’re able to calm themselves down — instead of acting out in explosive outbursts.

They know when to pause and take a step

Self-Awareness Why it’s important: Self-awareness helps us understand how our actions are perceived by others, know when to engage our strengths (as well as when to pull back), and how to discover areas that need improvement.

Signs that your kid is self-aware:

back to avoid making impulsive choices (that they may regret later on).

How to teach self-regulation: Be direct and constructive. When emotional regulation is needed, refrain from vague statements (e.g, “Knock it off!”) and rhetorical questions (e.g., “Why do you always do that?”), as they are more likely to be ignored or

They understand and recognize their strengths

misunderstood. Instead, use a constructive

and weaknesses.

and supportive tone.

They have high self-esteem and aren’t afraid

Talk about ways to cope. It may be

to speak up for what they need.

tempting to always tell your kid exactly how to

They know that how they see themselves may

handle a stressful situation. But it’s also

not be the same as how others see them.

important for them to practice coming up with their own ways of coping, even if they don’t work.

CULTIVATE NEWS | 18

www.cultivatemankato.com

Create daily routines. Maintaining

They are able to emotionally connect with

consistency in daily life is key to developing

others, and are considerate of other people’s

self-regulation. It also helps provide structure,

feelings.

meaning and purpose in what they do.

They put effort into trying to understand things from someone else’s perspective.

Motivation Why it’s important: Motivation increases our

How to teach empathy: Actively listen. One of the most effective ways to teach empathy is to model it yourself

effort, helps us take action and be more

(e.g., maintain eye contact and let them

productive. More importantly, it’s what keeps us

completely finish their thoughts before

going in the face of extreme challenges.

stating yours).

Is your kid motivated?

They don’t give up on goals they care about.

They’re curious, eager to learn and aren’t

Share your own feelings. Don’t put all the attention on your kid. Create an environment of expressed relatability by sharing how you felt in a similar situation.

afraid to ask questions.

Talk about other perspectives. This will

Instead of feeling discouraged, they learn from

help them escape the common habit of only

their mistakes and apply lessons to future

caring about their own thoughts and

problems.

emotions.

How to boost motivation: Share enthusiasm. Excitement rubs off, so if

Social Skills

your kid sees that you’re sincerely enthusiastic

Why it’s important: Social skills are an integral

about something, they’re likely to feel even

part of functioning in society. They help us

more motivated.

create healthy and positive interactions in both

Create a supportive environment. Remain

our personal and professional lives.

alert to some of the dangerous potholes of

Does your kid have social skills?

parenting, such as demanding perfection,

They display good manners and

over-reactivity, guilt-tripping and low patience.

communicate well with others.

Help them face hardships. Let your kids

They show consideration for the feelings and

make their own choices and face the natural consequences. This is where they’ll really grow and learn to make smarter decisions.

Empathy

interests of their friends, family and peers.

They’re able to express their feelings clearly, calmly and respectfully.

How to teach social skills:

Encourage new experiences. While this might feel uncomfortable at first, your kid might end up

Why it’s important: Being empathetic isn’t just

liking it (and, in the process, learn new things

about understanding the emotions of other people,

Discuss what’s expected. To help them

it’s also about the ability to express sensitivity to

about themselves).

engage in positive behaviors, remind them of

them. Children who experience empathy have an

what to expect in a given situation and the

easier time providing it to others.

different ways in which they could respond.

Does your kid have empathy?

They work well in team settings and can handle challenges (together) as they come up.

CULTIVATE NEWS | 19

Point out body language. This is an

effective way of boosting social skills, because people don’t always express their feelings verbally.

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 | 21

www.cultivatemankato.com

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

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 | 22 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

COMING

SOON

MEET OUR PODCAST GUEST CULTIVATE NEWS | 23

www.cultivatemankato.com

COMING

SOON

COMING

SOON

MEET OUR PODCAST GUEST CULTIVATE NEWS | 24

www.cultivatemankato.com

COMING

SOON

MEET OUR PODCAST GUESTS CULTIVATE NEWS | 25

www.cultivatemankato.com

CLICK HERE TO

PURCHASE TICKETS NOW

CONFERENCE

CULTIVATE NEWS | 26

HOSTED

BY:

www.cultivatemankato.com