Cultivate Mankato: March 2023 News

VOL. 34 MARCH 2023

This Month's News

Parent Resource

NEW Parent Dashboard, Welcome Team Members, Sensory Library, GiANT Monthly Sessions

Role of Play by Age

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 the link – it cannot be found on our website.

Only those with the direct link can access the dashboard.

March News Index

2023 Center Closures

04

Up & Coming. -Mark Your Calendar

05

Welcome New Team Members

06

Referral and Hire: Parent Incentive

07

Get to Know our Team: 'All About Me's'

08

Upcoming Study

09

Sensory Library

10

RaiseRight - Save on Tuition

11

Arena Group: GiANT Monthly Sessions

12

Scholastic Book Orders, Pyramid Model

13

Alleyway Reminder, Pfau St. Construction

14-15

Samantha's Greenhouse

16-17

Infant Development Center

18

227 Event Space

19

Workiversaries

20-21

Parent Resource

22-23

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

MARCH 10: TEACHER APPRECIATION DAY CENTER CLOSED, ALL PROGRAMS

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

! e m o c l e W TO OUR TEAM!

OUR NEW TEAM MEMBERS

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

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

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

CLICK HERE TO GET TO KNOW OUR TEAM

CULTIVATE MANKATO

All About Me!

Name

Voice Order Position Title

When is your birthday?

What is your favorite color?

What is your favorite restaurant?

What are your favorite snacks?

What is your favorite workday beverage?

What program do you primarily work in?

5 VOICES

CULTIVATE NEWS | 8

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 Music.

This month we will begin our Reduce Reuse & Recycle Study. Reach out if you feel your family has something special to share in regards to our upcoming study. We love family participation!

CULTIVATE NEWS | 9

www.cultivatemankato.com

C U L T I V A T E MN

SENSORY LENDING LIBRARY made possible by community donations through CultivateMN coming soon to the Southern MN community

CULTIVATE NEWS | 10

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

ARENA GROUP

INVITES YOU MONTHLY SESSIONS

UPCOMING TOPIC:

BUILDING RESILIENT & CONNECTED TEAMS Sessions are held every month on the last Wednesday of the month via Zoom

Upcoming Session:

MAR 19

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!

CULTIVATE NEWS | 12

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, March 10th.

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

PYRAMID MODEL TRAINING Teachers at Cultivate are required to get Pyramid Model training. This on-line course offers a comprehensive learning platform to build competencies in all 3 Pyramid Model Tiers; Universal practices, Targeted Supports, Intensive Individualized Interventions.

CULTIVATE NEWS | 13

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.

CULTIVATE NEWS | 15

www.cultivatemankato.com

DOES CULTIVATE MANKATO HAVE ITS OWN INDOOR GREENHOUSE? THE ANSWER IS....

SORT OF!

CULTIVATE NEWS | 16

"I started our seedlings for the planting season in my office for a few reasons. Mainly to be selfsufficient, but I knew other benefits would start to also stack up. Some of the kids now know me as “the garden lady”, a few have actually referenced the community garden 1/2 a block away from school as being my home. Throughout the summer a majority of the preschoolers would smell like basil by the end of the day, they can strip a plant of its leaves in under 30 seconds and then ask for more. All of these interactions are one of my favorite parts of the job. Most of the kids don’t really know what I do, or where I go when I leave their classrooms. Some of them think I’m the person who is there to solely clean up the Community Room after breakfast, and others just know I’m not a teacher, but also know I’m someone who is there to be their friend and keep them safe. Our gardens, and these seedlings, give me an opportunity to connect with our classrooms and share a piece of my own core preschool memories of walking through the on-site greenhouse we had with each of them. There is something about the feeling of walking into a warm room full of things that can’t say a word, but are living and breathing beings that need to be taken care of. If the conditions are right, it’ll stick with them all for forever." - Samantha Laman, Operations Coordinator

www.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 | 18

ENROLLMENT CONTACT FORM JOIN OUR TEAM APPLY HERE MORE INFORMATION 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

CELEBRATING ONE YEAR WORK ANNIVERSARY Paige Walters, Central Kitchen Assistant

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www.cultivatemankato.com

CELEBRATING two YEAR WORK ANNIVERSARY Payton Merritt, Preschool 1 Co-Teacher

CULTIVATE NEWS | 21

www.cultivatemankato.com

Parent Resources

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www.cultivatemankato.com

Functional play plays a huge role in development, at each stage!

WHAT IS FUNCTIONAL PLAY? Functional play refers to using toys, objects, and items designed for play in their intended function to participate in play as an occupation. There are many types of play and the various functional play skills promote development in young children.

For example, functional play is: Building blocks into a tower or other imaginative construction Coloring with crayons Driving matchbox cars along the floor Swinging a bat to hit a ball Kicking, throwing, or rolling a ball Pushing a doll in a play stroller Using a volleyball to play a volleyball game Many toys can be used in ways different than their intended nature. We see this a lot in occupational therapy sessions where we think outside the box with the toys we have on hand.

Toys are used in ways not exactly inline with their function, or the reason why they were created.

We use blocks or jump ropes to make an obstacle course path.

We make playdough using crayons.

We stack kitchen containers.

We climb up the slide.

Each of these examples stretches the object’s typical use into other ways to play and also support development.

Read here about functional play at each stage and age CULTIVATE NEWS | 15

www.cultivatemankato.com