Cultivate Mankato: July 2022 News

VOL. 26 JULY 2022

This Month's News

Parent Resources

Art Show, Sign Language, Cultivate Kitchen, Parent Association

The Calming Magic of Hugs & Being Your Child’s Safe Place

NURTURE. GROW. EMPOWER.

July News Index

SUMMER FUN! CULTIVATE NEWS | 2

2022 Center Closures

03

COVID Policies, 'I Matter' T-Shirts, Cultivate Kitchen

04

Upcoming Events, Upcoming Study

05-06

Upcoming Cultivate Art Show

07

Catering on Bike, Welcome Back Tera

08

Sam Olsen Podcast, We are Hiring

09

Community Guests, Parent Association

10

Community Room

11

Infant Development Update

12-13

Workiversaries

14-15

Parent Resource Article

16-17

Menus

18-19 www.cultivatemankato.com

JULY 4 ...

AUGUST 26

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g!

Upcomin DED DAY! NOTE THE AD

Covid-19 Policies updated February 2022

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

Click Here

Now Available Infant, Toddler & Child T-Shirts

T MATTER

T MATTER

Baked Ziti and Take & Bake Pizzas T MATTER

T MATTER

ORDER HERE PICK UP AT CULTIVATE MANKATO ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES. CULTIVATE NEWS | 4

NOW AVAILABLE! We have Take and Bake Pizzas and Baked Ziti for families to purchase. Feeds between 4-6 people. Pizza options: cheese, pepperoni, veggie. Order by Wednesday, pick up on Fridays. Pick up at Cultivate Mankato - Main Street.

ORDER HERE www.cultivatemankato.com

Message From Anissa & Upcoming Events!

Summertime at Cultivate Mankato is FULL OF FUN and community connections!

BIG THANKS to the families and team members who volunteered time or made monetary donations to the June Give Back to the Community Initiative. We planned and led the children’s activities at two separate Juneteenth Celebrations in our area. We could not have done it without your help.

Mark your calendars NOW because you don’t want to miss it!

The month of July is going to be FUN! Thursday, July 7 6:15pm, Caswell Sports Complex

CHEER ON THE CULTIVATE MANKATO VOLLEYBALL TEAM

Come and cheer on the Cultivate Mankato Rec Volleyball Team! Pack a picnic and enjoy some volleyball antics with some of your favorite teachers. Freeze Pops will be provided!

Friday, July 22 5 - 7pm, Carnegie Art Center

ART SHOW OPENING RECEPTION

Join us for the opening reception of the Cultivate Mankato Art Show. We are excited to be partnering with the Carnegie Art Center to create our first art show. We will be showcasing the creative minds of the children and team members of Cultivate Mankato.

Friday, July 29 6:15pm, ISG Field

MOONDOGS GAME! - JULY’S GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY EVENT

We had SO MUCH FUN at last year’s game! We are heading back to do it even bigger and better, but we can’t do that without you! $14 includes your ticket to the game, a hot dog, chips and a drink. There will be fun surprises throughout the game, you don’t want to miss this!

This is a fundraiser for Partners for Affordable Housing. Follow this link to order your tickets or make a monetary donation. https://forms.gle/B6V2B1wFA3JuzzoZ7

Share your talents and skills at Cultivate Mankato!

We would like to have you as a guest at Cultivate Mankato! Come and talk about the work you do or share your special talents or hobbies. Maybe you would like to be a guest reader or sing to the babies or dance with the toddlers. The ideas are endless! Let’s talk!

Please connect with me (anissa@cultivatemankato.com) and we will arrange a time for you to visit. The children (and the teachers) LOVE special guests, especially parents.

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www.cultivatemankato.com

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 Summer.

This month we have begun our 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!

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Sign Language with Ms Morgan Mr. Bear and Morgan Wiersma, Toddler 2 CoLead Teacher, went on their first classroom visits this month to teach sign language to our toddlers! Morgan will continue to visit the toddler classrooms once a week.

www.cultivatemankato.com

Save the Date: Art Show Working with children is one of the greatest gifts in the entire world. Children are learning about the world through their interactions with their environment and relationships to others. They approach life with curiosity, present mindedness, reflection and are incredibly relationship driven individuals. Unfortunately, society can sometimes be so blind to the teachings of children and to the ways of being childlike. This lack of regard for children is one of the biggest mistakes we can make as a human society. We need to provide opportunities for children to feel honored, respected, and valued in relationships and in community and help guide them to understand their influence in the larger community.

The foundation of our care for children at Cultivate begins with relationships and community. We often ask ourselves questions in this pursuit of cultivating an environment where all children (from birth forward) understand that their life has meaning and purpose. What does it mean to be in relationship with one another? What does it mean to build relationships that are mutually respectful and kind? What does it mean to equally contribute to relationships? What can we learn from each other to help raise up our self and collected consciousness? How can children contribute to society in ways that are meaningful? How can we share space with children in ways that provide agency and influence for children? How can we teach about community and the interconnectedness of community? How can we teach children about self while also teaching about the importance of the collective.

The artistic concept of The Giving Tree takes the narrative of Shel Silverstein’s book, The Giving Tree, and provides opportunities for children to give to the tree; to shower the tree with items, objects, and memories that are incredibly meaningful to them. Through this practice of giving, children are able to share a piece of their environment and their meaningful treasures with the greater community. The community is then able to honor the meaning of children and begin to ask questions about how children make sense of the world and the environment. The gifts that the children bring to the tree are unique to them and wholly individual. They are unguided and simply based on the child’s willingness and ability to give meaning to an object and then to give the object away. The tree represents a reminder of the interconnectedness of nature and self. In our fast paced environment, it is easy to ignore our relationship with nature and how we are connected to it.

And, it’s important to remember that we are in relationship with everything around us.

Finally, the entire show in partnership with the Carnegie Arts Center is an artistic expression of collaboration, community, and connection. We are working together to create meaningful spaces of community and connection in ways that are honoring ALL members of our community. We are helping to build spaces that provide agency, influence and opportunity for children to engage in their community in meaningful ways. We are cultivating relationships, love, and community in authentic ways, which is the greatest gift of all.

Once there was a tree and she loved…

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www.cultivatemankato.com

Welcome Back Tera!

Welcome back Tera Van Keulen, Infant 2 Lead Teacher! If you see her around the center, say Hi! She's been on maternity leave for a few months now.

REMINDER Upcoming Center Closures We are CLOSED of July 4th for Independence Day NEW: We are CLOSED August 26th for Teacher Workshop Day

Did you Know?

Nathan Caters our Meals on Bike Nathan Bartell, Cultivate Mankato's Technology Coordinator, is a jack of all trades. He is an avid biker and bikes pretty much wherever he goes.

Since April, he has been catering our meals from the Cultivate Kitchen at the top of Main Street hill to Cultivate Main Street location. He was positive that he could come up with a way to cater on a bike and tried many different renditions of this (some of them not so safe...sorry insurance dudes)! But, with the electric front loader bike and light weight insulated food warmer, he's got us covered! If you see Nathan riding around, give him a honk or a wave! Also, check out his e-Bike rental experience at funbikerides.com. Riding an eBike is a great and accessible way to explore the city and the awesome trails in our community!

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www.cultivatemankato.com

Part 2 Now Available!

If you haven't heard the news yet.... Cultivate Mankato has partnered with Sam Olsen from Persist Therapy! Sam Olsen specializes in occupational therapy for kids, family and sibling services and parent coaching. Sam already works with some Cultivate families and is very familiar with the Cultivate community.

Listen to Cultivate MN's part 2 podcast with Sam Olsen and podcast cohost Laura Walser, Cultivate Mankato's Early Education Coordinator.

LISTEN HERE For more information about Persist Therapy visit: www.persisttherapymn.com

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: Teachers, Assistants, Supports in Infants & Toddlers

www.cultivatemankato.com/employment CULTIVATE NEWS | 9

www.cultivatemankato.com

We are Looking for Community Guests!

Early Childhood Screening

Whether it's a one time visit, monthly or weekly we are always looking for community members to come in and share their knowledge, talents and experiences.

For families of 3+ year olds! Early Childhood Screening is important for your child's continued learning and readiness for future school success. Early Childhood Screening is FREE and available by appointment.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED CLASSROOM VOLUNTEERS

PARENT NIGHT VOLUNTEERS

STUDY GUIDE VOLUNTEERS

PROGRAM PLANNING VOLUNTEERS

READING VOLUNTEERS

If interested in volunteering, email info@cultivatemankato.com

Early Childhood Screening is recommended at age 3 and is REQUIRED before entering Kindergarten in Minnesota Public Schools.

Early Childhood Screening provides a snapshot of your child's development and is also required prior to enrolling in our 3's or 4 year old preschool programs.​ To make an early childhood screening appointment with the Mankato Area Public Schools visit: www.mankatocer.com/programs/earlylearning/early-childhood-screening

Join our Parent Association!

We are looking for a core group of parents who are committed to the growth of Cultivate Mankato. As part of this group we will ask you to actively participate in: spreading awareness about our program, sharing content on social media platforms, provide feedback on certain decisions, and actively participate in volunteer opportunities as they come up.

We will be holding our first Parent Association VIRTUAL meeting on Tuesday, August 9th from 6-7pm. Our meeting objective is to determine what area of volunteering you would be interested in and how much time you are able to give.

If you are interested in attending this meeting, please email Jordyn Erickson at jordyn.erickson@cultivatemankato.com and she will send you an calendar invite with the zoom link to the meeting.

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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 • Tables, table clothes & matching chairs • Three large windows for lots of natural lighting • Beautiful artwork

• A kitchenette with a refrigerator, freezer, sink & microwave • Access to a preschool room or an extra meeting room • Access to bathrooms

ENROLLED CULTIVATE FAMILIES RECEIVE A FREE COMMUNITY ROOM RESERVATION

To reserve visit: www.cultivatemankato.com/community-room

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www.cultivatemankato.com

CULTIVATE MANKATO INFANT DEVELOPMENT CENTER

SAME PROGRAM SAME VALUES SECOND LOCATION

RENOVATION UPDATE NOW ENROLLING & HIRING | OPENING JULY 6TH 2022

www.cultivatemankato.com We have completed two inspections (building and Health Inspection) and are awaiting two more (State Fire Marshal and Dept. of Human Services). Once those are complete, we should be all licensed and ready to go. Lexi and Cassandra have been busy getting things cleaned up and set up. We have large shipments of materials and supplies coming in this week. Open date is dependent on the timeline of the state departments.

Our Infant Development Center, opening July 6th 2022: 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

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

ENROLLMENT CONTACT FORM

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www.cultivatemankato.com

JOIN OUR TEAM APPLY HERE MORE INFO

Cultivate MN Sponsored Juneteenth Events Thank you to all who joined us at the 5th Annual Juneteenth Celebrations. CultivateMN was proud to sponsor the children's activities at this year's Juneteenth Celebrations in St. Peter (Saturday) and in Mankato (Sunday)!

Cultivate MN is dedicated to promoting awareness within early childhood programs, family services organizations, and community initiatives that serve children and families.

Cultivate MN wants equitable and high quality early education experiences for everyone.

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www.cultivatemankato.com

CELEBRATING ONE YEAR WORK ANNIVERSARY Debbie Boeck, Support Staff

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CELEBRATING three YEAR WORK ANNIVERSARY Britni Greenfield, Infant 3 Lead Teacher Laura Walser, Early Educatiion Coordinator

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Parent Resource The Calming Magic of Hugs & Being Your Child’s Safe Place Written by Rebecca Eanes Link to Article

Family therapist Virgina Satir once said, “We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth.” How many hugs do you give your child each day? How many are you getting? I think that too few of us are getting the amount of hugs we truly need on a daily basis. Satir wasn’t just spouting fluffy words. According to scientists, the benefits go far beyond a warm and fuzzy feeling. Here are a some ways hugs are magical: Hugs reduce stress. Hugging results in a decrease of the stress hormone cortisol, says Matt Hertenstein, an experimental psychologist at DePauw University in Indiana. "Having this friendly touch, just somebody simply touching our arm and holding it, buffers the physiological consequences of this stressful response," Hertenstein says.

Hugs boost the “cuddle hormone.” In addition to decreasing cortisol, hugs increase the release of oxytocin, a neuropeptide that promotes feelings of devotion, trust, and bonding. "It really lays the biological foundation and structure for connecting to other people," Hertenstein says.

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Hugs ward off illness. In a study led by Sheldon Cohen, the Robert E. Doherty University Professor of Psychology in CMU's Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, researchers tested whether hugs act as a form of social support, protecting stressed people from getting sick. Their findings were published in Psychological Science, which found that greater social support and more frequent hugs protected people from the increased susceptibility to infection associated with being stressed and resulted in less severe illness symptoms.

Hugs facilitate growth and development.

Children need sensory stimulation for their brains to grow and develop properly.

Studies looking at infants in orphanages who were rarely held found they had severe cognitive impairments, but when they were held for just 20 minutes per day for 10 weeks, they scored higher on brain development assessments. Researchers have also revealed that children who get more hugs have more developed brains.

Hugs help children regulate their emotions. In a process called coregulation, hugging helps tantruming or upset children calm down quicker.

Cognitive neuroscientist Caroline Leaf, PhD days, “As you co-regulate with someone, the mirror neurons in their brain are activated, and this enables the person in the deregulated state to literally ‘mirror’ your calmness.”

“I have learned that there is more power in a good strong hug than in a thousand meaningful words.”

- Ann Hood

www.cultivatemankato.com

Being Your Child’s Safe Place Dr. Deborah MacNamara, Director of Kids’ Best Bet and author of Rest, Play, Grow, says, “The greatest gift we have to offer our child is an invitation to rest in our care. This isn’t the type of rest that comes from sleeping, but from an enduring invitation for contact and closeness, a sense of significance and mattering as well as a sense of belonging and being known by the people a child is most attached to. To be a safe space for them.”

Providing lots of hugs is a great way to build that foundation of attachment and connection so that your child can experience emotional rest. Remember, hugging releases oxytocin which facilitates bonding. Here are a few more ways to build that bond and assure you are your child’s safe place.

Validate their emotions. Many parents and caregivers are uncomfortable with big emotions, particularly anger and sadness. We want our children to be happy, of course, but anger, sadness, disappointment, frustration, and the whole range of human emotions are just part of this experience on earth. We can build resilience and emotional intelligence by allowing our children to feel all of their emotions, not requiring that they stuff them down for our own comfort, and discussing with them how to recognize, name, and move through big feelings.

Respond with empathy. When our children open up and tell us things, particularly if they divulge trouble they’re in or something they did wrong, it can be difficult not to jump to judgment and

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lecturing, but this shuts down communication and makes children feel unsafe. Even when children make poor choices, if we can respond calmly and with empathy, we keep communication open and strengthen our relationship, securing our spot as their safe place.

Use positive discipline. Some common discipline methods cause separation between parent and child, and they require that the child “work” to get back into our good graces. For example, “Go to your room and don’t come out until you can behave,” tells the child that we do not want to be with them unless they can “be good.”

Yet, from a developmental standpoint, children aren’t always capable of controlling their emotions, impulses, and behaviors, and when they are having a hard time doing so, this is the time when they need us by their side the most. Swap separationbased discipline such as time-outs for time-ins.

Here’s how.

Remember, messy rooms will one day be empty. A bad report card won’t matter in 5 years. Tantrums end. Your relationship with your child is what will last a lifetime.

Build it strong and nurture it daily.

Rebecca Eanes is the bestselling author of multiple books including Positive Parenting: An Essential Guide, The Positive Parenting Workbook, and The Gift of a Happy Mother. She is the grateful mom of two boys.

www.cultivatemankato.com

July Menus Click the menu to download a pdf

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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.

To place an order: Visit our Cultivate Mankato shop!

Questions? Email us at info@cultivatemankato.com

www.cultivatemankato.com

Click the menu to download a pdf

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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.

To place an order: Visit our Cultivate Mankato shop!

Questions? Email us at info@cultivatemankato.com

www.cultivatemankato.com