Fall is right around the corner and speeding quickly our way. Where did the time go? And with school starting soon or already started it’s time for child care providers to do some thinking about their own education, specifically Minnesota providers.
Does it matter to you who hosts the event?
In the case of the Minnesota Child Care Provider Information Network members get a discount.
Both Milestones and Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation’s conference promise to draw a large number of people. Definitely something to consider if you aren’t fond of crowds and prefer a smaller event.
Date? Yep, we all have busy lives…so fitting one more thing into an already busy calendar. Two of the events are coming up fast in September and the other two are the end of October right before Halloween.
Three conferences are located in the Southern portion of the state.
One is in the Southwest region.
One conference is in Duluth which is great if you live in the Northern half of the state or are looking for a getaway, see our next point cost.
Cost? This is always a concern for a small business owner but is it worth to go to Owatonna for the low cost conference when you might have to spring for a hotel room. In that case maybe you want to make it a girls weekend? Or a weekend away with your partner? Or maybe a family getaway?
FYI, we’ll highlight a few littleList suggestions for you in the weeks ahead of how to take a conference weekend and turn it into a getaway.
Keynote Speaker: Do you enjoy hearing from an expert in the field? Someone who speaks knowledgeably and from experience about children?
KCF training areas? Let’s not forget that fulfilling those different pieces of the MN KCF are important for maintaining your MN license and the reason for attending a conference.
Lastly: Hanging out with other providers is a great way to share your experiences and hear other provider’s experiences. After all these are the people who understand what it’s like to literally be the only adult in the room.
November is National Adoption month. All month organizations that support child adoption run campaigns on social media and their own websites to raise awareness. Here at littleSonder we are pro-children and not only young children but older children. We believe that all children who come into this world deserve to be loved and cherished and as we all know that is simply not the case.
Everyone wants to adopt young children but not many people consider older children. Why is that? Here in Minnesota we have 488 children who need homes and of that number 25% are under 6 years old. The included graphic breaks down the numbers for you. Stop and think about it.
Almost 500 are children waiting to become part of a family and unlike in years past there are a number of resources to help you navigate the process. To help you we have put together resources on our Pinterest and Facebook pages! Check back during the month as we post more about adoption as it has affected people we know and love!
Finding a childcare provider, whether you are a first time parent, or in need of a new provider, can be a daunting task. Endless searching, calling, interviewing, to find that perfect match for your family takes away from time spent with your family and adds stress to already busy life.