Cultivate Mankato: May 2021 News

VOL. 12 MAY 2021

This Month's News

Parent Resources

CultivateMN

Staff Trainings, Sensory Room, Playground Update

Subscribe to Upskill

Meet our Podcast Guests, Rent Podcast Room

NURTURE. GROW. EMPOWER.

May News Singing songs during circle

Index

time in Toddler 2

02-03

Upskill Parent Resources, Business Membership

Future Closures, Sunscreen, Reminders, Playground Updates

05

Congratulations Preschool Graduates

06

Congratulations College Graduates

07

Message from Anissa, Memory, Cultivate

08

Playing with bubbles in Infant 2

Hats Sale

Cultivate MN Coffee, New T-Shirts, Scholastic Book Order, Sensory Room

Upcoming Study, Snack Cart, Cultivate Dramatic Play in Preschool 3

Connect

09 10

Giving Back to Our Community, Hiring

11

April Month of Staff Trainings, Teachable

12

Platform, Videography Internal Use

Community Room, Workiversary, Menu, Parent Resource, Cultivate MN Podcast

13-18

Meditation with Andy with Preschool 1

CULTIVATE NEWS | 2

www.cultivatemankato.com

Laura has years of experience in the classroom as a preschool and kindergarten teacher and also brings a plethora of leadership experience. She works directly with our teachers to ensure they are supported in early

Click Here to Subscribe

childhood education.

“My name is Laura Walser and I am the Laura Walser, our Early Education Coordinator will be creating short parent resource videos called Upskill for $10/month.

Upcoming topics will be:

Early Education Coordinator at Cultivate Mankato. I am from Minnesota Lake. I graduated from Maple River Schools, then got my Early Childhood Education degree from Minnesota State University

Handling big emotions

Mankato. I worked at Maple River for 14

Emotion coaching

years as Kindergarten teacher and then

Keeping yourself calm

Early Childhood Director. Through my

Bedtime routines

experience in working with children and

Building independence

Some more topics that will be discussed in the future include:

being a parent, I have established a passion for social/emotional development and the important role it

Biting

plays in laying the foundation for a

Morning routine

child's life. It is so incredible to think of

Teaching a skill vs consequences

the impact we as early childhood care

Multiple environments equals multiple

providers can have on children...it's an

expectations

amazing feeling to know that our work

Childcare drop off and pick up routine

truly makes a difference! I am thrilled to

Setting your child up for successful sleep at childcare Potty training The importance of sleep Knowing yourself as a parent Guiding your child’s behavior; positive discipline Language development

be part of curriculum development and ensure best practices with the team at Cultivate Mankato. I strive to provide the staff with the competencies, support and confidence they need to create a positive learning environment! I also enjoy collaborating with families and the community to empower them as well, in

If you have questions, please email Laura

laura.walser@cultivatemankato.com CULTIVATE NEWS | 3

meeting the needs of young children.”

www.cultivatemankato.com

PARENTS WE

NEED

YOUR

HELP

SPREADING

THE

WORD

ABOUT

THIS

MEMBERSHIP

BE THE CHANGE #supportyouremployees

EMPLOYERS WHO PROVIDE CHILD CARE BENEFITS TO THEIR EMPLOYEES BENEFIT FOR EMPLOYERS & EMPLOYEES

ot pu

55%

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

77%

ot pu

ATTRACT AND RETAIN TALENT

Source: KinderCare Education Works

BECOME A MEMBER

Source: Harris Poll, 2019

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

Source: KCE Fortune 100 Client Survey

ENCOURAGE ENGAGEMENT

30%

ot pu

ot pu

10%

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

reduction in employee absences by providing child care.

Source: Child Care Council, 2014

CULTIVATING CONNECTIONS CHILD CARE BUSINESS MEMBERSHIP

Future Closures January 1st | New Year's Day April 2nd | Teacher Appreciation May 31st |

Memorial Day

July 2nd | Independence Day

Playground Update We will be breaking ground the weekend of May 8th, weather pending!

Supplying Sunscreen

September 3rd | Fall Readiness September 6th | Labor Day October 22nd | Teacher Appreciation November 25th | Thanksgiving November 26th | Thanksgiving December 24th | Christmas Eve December 25th | Christmas Day

Reminders

Moving forward we will be supplying Rocky Mt. sunscreen for all families.

Click here if you

would like more info about the sunscreen.

Safety: If you park on Broad Street to drop off or pick up, please be sure you pull forward PAST the BIKE LANE SIGN. This allows some space between your vehicle and the corner on Main Street. Sometimes cars come around that corner really fast and we want there to be some time for them to see you and your vehicle.

Have You Heard?

The American Families Plan calls for investing billions of dollars into programs such as child care, paid family leave and education.

Also, remember to make sure the side door leading out to Broad Street closes all the way.

Many families exit out of this door which is

Click Here to Learn More

totally fine. However, sometimes the door gets swung open too far and gets stuck open, which brings in cold air and causes safety risks as well.

If you can please make sure to check behind you to ensure the door closes that would be deeply appreciated.

CULTIVATE NEWS | 5

www.cultivatemankato.com

Congratulations Preschool Graduates!

PRESCHOOL GRADUATE PARENTS ARE INVITED TO OUR KINDERGARTEN CELEBRATION, MAY 12TH 4:00-4:30 PM

Penny

Fern

Beckett

Tristan

Mathilde

Rowan

Henry F

Dashel

Henry K

Landon

Milo

Louie

Brielle

Taisei

Jameson

Mia

Abel

Jace

CULTIVATE NEWS | 6

www.cultivatemankato.com

Congratulations College Graduates!

Caitlan Lawin

Morgan Wiersma CULTIVATE NEWS | 7

Morgan Lindely

Megan Reed

Gerri Williamson

Taryn Adams

Katie Hawbaker www.cultivatemankato.com

Message from Anissa Facebook Memory from May 2, 2019

And it turned out Cultivate Mankato was hiring.

I wasn't looking for a job, but sometimes the universe has other plans. I had nothing to lose, so I applied.

"Last August I came across a Free Press article about a woman who was renovating

And then I got to sit at the table with Candice

an old building in downtown Mankato. Her

and talk about Cultivate Mankato. If nothing

plans were to open a much-needed child

else happened, I got to meet an amazing

care for up to 160 infants, toddlers and

woman who was about to change Mankato.

preschoolers. Cultivate Mankato - I remember thinking I should keep an eye on this.

Fast forward to February. I had about an hour between work and the next thing so I went to The Coffee Hag to read for a bit. I was sitting in the corner, sipping my drink and reading my book when the woman from the article sat down a few tables away from me. Soon after, another woman joined her and it was evident

You guys, I got the job.

I am the Program Lead for Cultivate Mankato.

I am so excited!"

How lucky am I to get to work in an organization that lives its values every day?

ANISSA SANDLAND Community & Culture Coordinator

that they were talking about Cultivate Mankato. I couldn't hear their conversation, but there was an ease about it that was kind and welcoming. I really wanted to go over and talk with them, but instead I brought up the website to read more.

The Vision: "Our vision is to cultivate an inclusive community of children, parents, teachers, & local businesses working together to create a safe and stimulating environment of love & learning for all children." YES! And then there are the core values. LOVE. AUTHENTICITY. RELATIONSHIPS. COMMUNITY. And this.

"Cultivate Mankato provides opportunities for children to learn about the world through hands-on, reflective learning and healthy dialogue. Through this framework, our goal is to provide an environment for children to build relationships of mutual caring and respect while exploring the world around them through play-based learning."

ORDER HERE

This is so good.

CULTIVATE NEWS | 8

www.cultivatemankato.com

New T-Shirts Now Available: Order Today!

Want to support teachers in early education?

Here is an easy way to do so! Purchase coffee through our non-profit, Cultivate MN, and support

ORDER HERE

early education professionals!

Not a big coffee drinker? Purchase for your break room at work or as a gift! Only have a Keurig at home? Just purchase a reusable K cup!

Sensory Room CONTACT US We need your help! Did you know Cultivate MN is creating a Sensory Room? We are looking for monetary donations to help support the creation of the sensory room. If you are able to donate, please click 'Contact Us' above.

Thank you!

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

Class Code: R76H7 CULTIVATE NEWS | 9

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 music. 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

water 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.

Some pictures of our Spring Study the last few weeks.

CULTIVATE NEWS | 10

www.cultivatemankato.com

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.

May Giving Back to our Community During the month of May we will be collecting

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

www.cultivatemankato.com/employment

items for MY PLACE - Mankato Youth Center!

We offer after-school and summer programs that build the social, academic, and health skills of members. Every kid is welcome at MY Place!

“MY Place” Mankato Youth Place, opened in October 2018 as Boys & Girls Club of Mankato to provide a safe place for kids after school and in the summer. In the fall of 2019 we began a transition to MY Place. The name is a reflection of community and youth engagement and ownership of the space.

www.facebook.com/MY-Place-MankatoYouth-Place-Inc-1262960237144087/ Wish List Sidewalk chalk

Yard games

Chalk stencils

Bubbles

Hula hoops

Jump ropes

$5 Dairy Queen/McDonald/etc Gift Cards (academic incentives for our teens) Thank you for your continued support and living the Cultivate Mankato values.

CULTIVATE NEWS | 11

www.cultivatemankato.com

Pyramid Model Classroom Observations

April Month of Staff Trainings

At Cultivate we value Social/Emotional

During the month of April the Leads in our

Development above all else in our curriculum!

organization have been busy working on their

We use the Pyramid Model as a framework for

professional development! The world of training

social emotional development and working

has worked hard to make changes so providers

through challenging behaviors. To help us to

can continue to grow and learn during COVID.

support implementation of teaching practices

Cultivate provided the leads with a subscription

that are evidence-based, we use an

to an on-line training called Your Time. Your

observation tool called TPOT/TPITOS. The tool

Way. Press Play! The UW-Whitewater Early

is scored based on a 2 hour observation and

Childhood Conference (Virtual Edition)

an interview. Once the observation is

provided the staff an opportunity to pick from

complete for each room, the score is

about 60 different workshops. They got to pick

reviewed with the lead. Strengths are

whichever workshops they wanted and attend

reviewed and goals are set for areas of

as many as they wanted! They attended these

improvement.

workshops on their own time and did some follow-up reflection on how they were going to incorporate what they learned into their work.

Teachable Platform

Our infant team also had an in-person training this month!

(photos of our training below)

We use a platform called Teachable for all of our staff online trainings. Everything from classroom expectations to cleaning procedures to new hire orientation and more. We also use this platform for our Upskill Parent Resources by Laura Walser.

Teachable is a great online learning tool that gives us the ability to add a variety of content, links, and videos for our team to review. It also tracks staff progress, allows us to add quiz questions at the end of each section, and gives us the ability to know how long each person took to complete each section (this lets us

Internal Videography Use

know if someone rushed through their training or if they took the time needed to understand

We use videos of staff with child interactions

the content).

for staff trainings. When we know better, we do better. If you do not want your child to be

We have started back up with in person trainings as well. Just a few weeks ago we had an in person infant training.

CULTIVATE NEWS | 12

videographed for internal (or external purposes), please

click here to fill out our

opt-out form and return as soon as possible.

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 ONE YEAR WORK ANNIVERSARY Grace Rydeen, Infant Support Tera Van Keulen, Infant Lead Teacher Belle Wilkie, Toddler Assistant Teacher

CULTIVATE NEWS | 14

two

CELEBRATING YEARS WORK ANNIVERSARY Anissa Sandland, Community & Culture Coordinator

CULTIVATE NEWS | 15

May 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

Menu Changes As you know, we take a lot of pride in the food that we provide children. We have been able to meet all parent preferences for food, but we are noticing that it take a lot of time to manage the unique preferences of each child.

We take allergies very seriously at Cultivate and will ALWAYS accommodate food related allergies. Moving forward, however, we will not be able to accommodate all food preferences.

Starting May 3rd, we are providing four milk preferences (Whole Milk, 1% Milk, Oat Milk, and Pea Milk). We are also providing a Regular (Kosher) menu and a Vegetarian menu. This means, we will no longer be able to accommodate dairy free meal preferences (except for the milk) unless your child has an allergy to milk based products. We will also no longer be able to add substitutions to food unless there is an allergy to a particular food.

CULTIVATE NEWS | 16

www.cultivatemankato.com

We would like to give families the opportunity to order snack packs for your child(ren) or upcoming event. There are two different options to choose from 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 Fostering your Child’s Intrinsic Motivation to Clean Up After Themselves…. And How to Survive Until Then Written by Jessica Milburn https://responsiveparentingblog.com/2018/11/18/fo stering-your-childs-intrinsic-motivation-to-clean-upafter-themselves-and-how-to-survive-until-then/

motivation so they spend a lot of time trying to debunk the theory. I believe for this reason, you will find a lot of contrasting research on this subject.

Try to focus on intrinsic motivation. There are many factors that go into intrinsic motivation. Probably the biggest part of intrinsic motivation, that we miss as parents, is when it actually begins. Until children develop theory of mind, they can only be intrinsically motivated by joy. Theory of mind develops throughout early childhood but does not become a concrete concept until after age five, for most children. So, if

It seems a popular topic of discussion lately

something is fun, they may want to do it.

is how to motivate our children to clean up

Now I can hear the parents counting down

after themselves. Many people use

the days until their child turns five,

behavioural techniques such as sticker

unfortunately it doesn’t work like that. As

charts, rewards, taking away toys that are

they get older, they can develop a desire to

not cleaned up or other privileges. For some

live in a clean space but let’s be honest, this

children, these external reinforcements are

doesn’t usually become a personal priority

highly motivating, many children find them

until at least your 20’s, unless you are

motivating, but lack impulse control and

naturally a very organized and clean person.

focus, so they are unable to stay on task

Usually these people fight their own battles,

(delayed gratification) and some children

they aren’t just living in a blissful clean

do not care at all about your sticker chart

universe, they are constantly working to

(this is my eldest spirited child). These

maintain order, often at the sacrifice of

techniques, although popular because they

other, more important and beneficial things.

sometimes yield immediate results, actually

Highly intelligent people are usually messy

create extrinsic motivation. You might say “I

because they just find cleaning boring and

don’t care, I just want them to clean their

they just aren’t willing to waste too much of

room.” But you will care when they are no

their time on it.

longer motivated by whatever reward you

What do we do?

have been offering. See we think if we can convince our children to clean their rooms by rewarding them, they will develop habits of cleanliness and eventually not need a reward for the task. This is actually not true; extrinsic motivation, not only distracts from intrinsic motivation, it has been shown to

Minimize Organize Rotate Offer variety, not quantity Provide project space Have reasonable expectations

hinder it. *this is something that behaviourists do not agree with. Most of their strategies are based on extrinsic

CULTIVATE NEWS | 18

Read the Full Article Here

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 | 20

www.cultivatemankato.com

A MUST LISTEN!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

MEET OUR PODCAST GUEST CULTIVATE NEWS | 21

www.cultivatemankato.com

COMING

SOON

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

MEET OUR PODCAST GUEST CULTIVATE NEWS | 23

www.cultivatemankato.com

CONFERENCE

CULTIVATE NEWS | 24

HOSTED

BY:

www.cultivatemankato.com