Planning Team Meeting 1

Tribal Early Childhood 1

Safe sleep environment a

priority

2

Mn CCR&R name change 2

Out of the mouth of

babes

3

Breaking News 3

Tribal Poster Projects 4

Metro Work Group 5

American Indian Early 6

Taste of the Metro 6

Professional Development 7

Parent Aware 8

Upcoming Events 9

Children’s Corner 10

MnTRECC Staff 11

MnTRECC News www.mntrecc.net

MnTRECC’s quarterly planning team meeting will be held at the

Wewinabi Early Education Center in Onamia, Minnesota on

January 10th, 2013. Constituents of this group include tribal

child care directors/managers from the 11 Federally Recognized

tribes in Minnesota, tribal Metro representation and

stakeholders from the Minnesota Department of Human

Services. Thank you to Mille Lacs for hosting the meeting.

Planning Team Meeting

MnTRECC will hold its first Tribal Early Childhood Resource

Meeting on January 11th, 2013 at the Wewinabi Early Education

Center in Onamia, Minnesota. The goal of this meeting is to

bring tribal programs together to provide an avenue where they

are able to share resources, network and have access to training

tools that will enhance their tribal child care programs. Mille

Lacs will be providing a presentation on the Smart Board and a

round table discussion has been planned around the Ojibwe

Curriculum Kit. ( Please Note this meeting will be replacing the

Tribal Early Childhood Network Meetings)

Tribal Early Childhood Network Meeting

Understanding someone else does not come suddenly or easily; we understand each other by sustained engagement with each other’s histories, cultures, and languages.

Minnesota Tribal Resources

for Early Childhood Care

MnTRECC

Edition 2

January 2013

February 2013

2

The Minnesota Department of Human Services regards ensuring children are safe while sleeping as a funda-

mental public concern. Resolution of a recent temporary immediate suspension in which a two-year condi-

tional license was put in place for a family child care provider due to concerns about safe sleep practices dem-

onstrates how serious the department is about safe sleep.

The terms under which the provider was allowed to operate under the conditional license, after demonstrating

both an accurate understanding of and commitment to consistently comply with all safe sleep practices for in-

fants in care, include:

The provider will place all infants to sleep on their backs in cribs with tight-fitting sheets and no blankets

or toys in the cribs.

The provider will never place infants to sleep in infant seats.

The provider must complete six hours additional training, as well as repeat training on reducing the risk of

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Shaken Baby Syndrome during the conditional license period.

The provider’s overall capacity and the number of infants in care will be limited and no variances to age

distribution or capacity will be granted during the conditional period.

A copy of the Order of Conditional License must be posted in the family child care program and must be

provided to parents of children in care.

The provider must pay all fines.

This case clarifies the department’s priorities on this important topic, while recognizing that child care provid-

ers share this commitment to ensuring children’s safety and will continue to work with the department and all

those concerned about this issue.

Safe sleep environment for children a priority!

3

Children’s Definition of Love….. “When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. Your

just know that your name is safe in their mouth.” Billy—age 4

“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening pre-

sents and listen.” Bobby—age 7

“My mommy loves me more than anybody-you don’t see anyone else

kissing me to sleep at night.” Clare—age 6

“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars

come out of you.” Karen—age 7

“Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip be-

fore giving it to him to make sure the taste is OK.” Danny—age 7

Out of the mouths of babes…………..

When author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge he told the

following story. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child; the winner was a four year

old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing

the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, “Nothing I just helped

him cry.”

MnTRECC is excited to work in collaboration with Amaze to bring the Families

All Matter curriculum to tribal communities statewide and to the Metro area.

Funding for this project was provided through grants from Sheltering Arms

and General Mills Communities of Color Grant. Recruitment of tribal trainer

candidates will begin in January 2013 and a Training Of Trainers (TOT) is

slated for March 2013.

Breaking News…..

4

Tribal Poster Project The Tribal Posters were created by the Minnesota Child Care Resource & Referral in collaboration with MnTRECC and tribal partners statewide. The posters capture images of children from the reservations in Minnesota and from the Twin Cities Metro area. Posters were distributed across the reservations in Minnesota and in the Twin Cities to promote quality child care services. In a continued effort to revitalize the language the posters reflect the Ojibwe and the Dakota languages.

With the language, with the heart of the people, a nation flourishes.

Visit www.mntrecc.net to listen to the audio for

Bois Forte

Leech Lake

White earth

Metro Dakota

Metro Ojibwe

5

Metro Work Group Activities

The Metro Work Group has been going strong since 2005! In 2009 the mission state-

ment was revised. The new mission statement more accurately captures the goals of this

very active group in the Twin Cities!

Membership List

Baby Space / Executive Director —Deb Lund

Bush Fellowship Grant Award Recipient — Janice LaFloe

Cherish the Children Learning Center —Director Heather Reynolds

Child & Teen Checkups Program Hennepin County —Outreach Sonoma Paize

Little Earth Neighborhood Early Learning Center —Muriel Thompson

MN Child Care Resource & Referral Network —PIP Trainer Darlene LaBelle Manzanares

The Family Partnership —Vice President Kay Tellinghuisen

Think Small Hennepin County —Baseline Coordinator Fay Hopkins

Think Small Ramsey County—Baseline Coordinator Theresa Collins

Wicoie Nandagikendan Early Childhood Language Immersion Program —Parent Advocate Jennifer

Bendickson

Wicoie Nandagikendan Early Childhood Language Immersion Program — Director Betty Jane Schaaf

Special Thanks to Steven E. Floyd the son of Fay Hopkins for creating the beautiful Metro Work

Logo that we proudly display on all of our group work!

Metro Work Group Chat

Metro Work Group Mission Statement

To Strengthen The Cultural Heritage Of American Indians

Residing in the Metro Area By promoting And Supporting

Early Childhood Services That Foster Skills For

School And Life Success.

The Metro Work Group had their chat on November 28th, our focus was the Metro Work Group webpage and the up-

coming tour of the Montessori Children’s House.

Metro Work Group met on December 7th 2012 in Prior Lake Minnesota at the Mystic Lake Hotel and Casino, with 9

core group members in attendance. We are currently planning our next American Indian Early Childhood Fair, updating

our Metro Families Resource Guide and discussed the look of our Metro Work Group webpage that will be inserted into

the MnTRECC website. Our next tentative meeting date is set for Friday February 15th 2013

All meeting minutes can be viewed at www.mntrecc.net

Metro Work Group Face to Face Meeting

6

Taste of the Metro Cookbook was created by the group. It was the vision of the group that the cookbook would

be distributed to American Indian families and children in the Twin Cities. The intent of the cookbook is to in-

troduce families to a variety of foods from different cultures. What an exciting and fun way to create a family

time!

The cookbook can be viewed and is free to download at www.mntrecc.net

American Indian Early Childhood Fair

Taste of the Metro

Roasted Beets with Fresh Horseradish Cream

1 1/2 lbs of beets

1/3 cup crème fraiche or sour cream

2 TBS finely grated peeled horseradish or drained bottled

1/4 tsp freshly grated lemon zest

2 tsp unsalted butter

1 TBS minced fresh chives

Scrub the beets, wrap them tightly in 2 foil packages, and roast them on a baking sheet in the middle of a preheated 350 F oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until they are tender.

Unwrap the beets carefully, discarding any liquid that may have accumulated in the foil, and let them cool until they can be handled. Peel and halve the beets and cut them into 1/4 inch slices.

In a small bowl, stir together the crème fraiche (or sour cream), the horseradish to taste, the zest and salt and pepper to taste. In the skillet, cook the beets with salt and pepper to taste in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter over moder-ately high heat, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes or until they are hot.

Top the beets with the horseradish cream and sprinkle the cream with the chives and salt and pepper to taste

Janice LaFloe: recipe courtesy of Gourmet

7

MnTRECC Grant Program: MnTRECC regional grants have been awarded. Purchases for mate-

rial and equipment and training needs to be purchased and completed by April 15, 2013. And

all receipts need to be submitted by May 15, 2013. If you have any questions, please don’t

hesitate to give me a call or send me an email 218-335-8344 or patti.turney@llojibwe.org.

Unfortunately we have exhausted all of our funds for any requests for start-up grants or

emergency grants for the remainder of the year (June 30, 2013).

Positive Indian Parenting Trainers: Watch for a “Save the Date” for a two day training that

will be happening in February. I will be sending out emails and flyers announcing a training that

will be held especially for PIP Trainers. “Teaching the Art of Training” will be held on one day

and I am working on another training for the second day. This 2-day training will be held at

the Mille Lacs Casino in Onamia.

You MUST be registered on the MNCPD Registry in order to attend this training. If you have

not registered and need assistance, please give me a call or send me an email. I will be more

than happy to help you.

Joining the Minnesota Center for Professional Development Are you on the MNCPD Registry?

The Minnesota Center for Professional Development Registry tracks and recognizes practitioner train-

ing and career development. Anyone working in early childhood and school-age field such as; Trainers,

training organizations/sponsors, child care professionals/practitioners including Family Friend and

Neighbor caregivers, school age care providers, and center based providers, and Head Start Practitio-

ners you can learn more about the MNCPD registry by visiting the web site at www.mncpd,org

Trainers: Good news trainers, there is now a live trainer web page that you can access:

http://www.mnchildcare.org/trainers you can find announcements for upcoming Train the Trainers opportunities, CHECK IT

OUT!!

Here is a list of resources that you can utilize to find training opportunities:

MnSTREAMS http://www.mnstreams.com/

Minnesota Center for Professional Development http://www.mncpd.org/

Eager to Learn http://www.eagertolearn.org/

From the Desk of the Professional Development and Grants Coordinator

Freedom begins the moment you realize someone else has been writing your story and it's time you took the pen from his hand and started writing it yourself.” -Bill Moyers

8

Lets Talk About Parent Aware

THIS JUST RELEASED:

Focus groups met last month to discuss whether or not Parent Aware was seen as a benefit to

providers and parents. On the reservations, the answer was, “Maybe for others; but, we know

our providers, We are a small community.” But, please consider again, “Do you really know your

providers?”

DO CHILD CARE PROFESSIONALS IN YOUR COMMUNITY:

Use a curriculum; and, if so, which one?

Receive training on nutrition and obesity prevention?

Use the Early Childhood Indicators of Progress in guiding their teaching methodology?

Observe children on a regular basis and document their development?

Share information on children’s progress with parents? And,

Belong to a professional organization that encourages them to keep abreast of current

knowledge in child development?

IF YOUR PROVIDER IS STAR RATED THEY DO ALL OF THESE THINGS AND MORE.

Please take time to find out if Parent Aware can be a positive force in the life of your child,

yourself and your community.

For more information contact: Michelle Traeger-Nelson @ 335-8205 or e-mail michelle.traeger.nelson@llojibwe.org

9

Upcoming Events Leech Lake CCR&R Baseline Coordinator

Happy New Year!

2013 is already proving to be a very busy time! So, sharpen those pencils and make note of the follow-

ing dates on your calendar. But first, please review the Fact Sheet on Parent Aware to learn more

about what the program can do for you as a provider and the families that you care for. Just a re-

minder...by July 31st we will have our first Rated Providers in the Leech Lake Service Area. Our next

newsletter will celebrate their commitment to quality and growth in the field. Please don’t hesitate to

call or e-mail me at any time if you would like to be a part of Parent Aware or have any questions or

concerns.

Upcoming events:

*Positive Indian Parenting Sessions will be held in Onigum on the following Saturdays: January 19th,

February 9th, & February 23rd. Leila Goggleye and Sharon Howard will present on the topics of guid-

ance and discipline from a cultural perspective during adult circle time. Meanwhile children 0-5 will be

involved in age-appropriate learning activities. Sessions will be held from 1-3:00 and will include a light

lunch and Parent/Child time.

*A course entitled, “Tipping the Scales: Promoting Nutrition and Physical Activity in Early Childhood

Setting” will be held at the Cass Lake Head Start on Saturday, February 2nd from 9-3:30 with a lunch

provided. This class is sponsored by the CCR&R and meets a portion of the educational requirements

for a Parent Aware Rating. Please register by January 11th to ensure your spot and perhaps qualify for

a stipend.

*On February 1st, CPR/1st Aid will be offered from 9-3:30; the place is yet to be determined. All pro-

viders are invited to attend. Flyers will be going out in January; so, watch your mail for further de-

tails.

*The “Second Annual Super Saturday for Parents and Providers” will be held on February 16th. Choose

from: “Setting Limits Without Guilt” from 9-12:00; “Bully Prevention” from 12:30-3:30; and, or a ”A

Talk with Lucy Favorite”. More details will be coming soon.

*LLHS will hold a Health and Safety Training on Friday, March 1st. An agenda will be sent to you as

soon as the event is finalized.

*ECFE will be teaming up with LLHS, local school districts, and parenting groups to provide par-

ent/child activity nights at least one time per month on a rotating community schedule. On Tuesday,

January 8th and Tuesday, March 19th, Family Fun Nights will be held in Sugar Point from 5:30-7:00

with Food ‘n Fun for those with children 0-5 years of age. Watch for more information on events in

your area.

As you can see, a lot is happening in our communities. My hope is that you can make a little time for

you in your busy schedule and attend something that you are interested in. Please call at anytime:

335-8205 if you have questions, want to register for an event, would like support, or just to visit.

See you in the New Year,

10

LET’S MOVE

Yoga + Children = Positive Benefits Yoga + Children + FAMILY = Positive Benefits + FUN

DID YOU KNOW YOGA: 1. Builds a child’s confidence and self-esteem;

2. Improves their powers of concentration and focus;

3. Develops their brain and intellect;

4. Promotes balance, flexibility, coordination and strength;

5. Helps them cope with stress and difficult emotions; and,

6. Develops their creativity and imagination.

DO THIS AS A FAMILY:

. Instructions for Yoga Tree Pose:

Stand up straight. Have your eyes open and find a point to focus on. Gaze

steadily at this point as you practice this pose. This will help you keep your balance.

Now lift up your right leg by the ankle and place it high up on your left inner

thigh. Place it as high as is comfortable.

Now bring the palms of your hands together and bring your arms over your head

trying to keep your elbows as straight as possible. Hold the pose steadily while

breathing long, deep and slow.

Switch legs when ready.

11

Leech Lake Early Child hood Division / MnTRECC

115 Sixth Street NW—Suite E

Cass Lake, MN 56633

MnTRECC

Mission Statement

To serve as a foundation and a link where child

care and other early childhood programs can gain

access to resources and information that will

enhance and strengthen the child care delivery

system for Native American children and

families throughout the state of Minnesota.

MnTRECC Staff:

Sandra Williams / Program Manager

Faith Littlewolf / Outreach Coordinator

Patti Turney / Professional Development & Grants

Coordinator

Michelle Traeger-Nelson / Leech Lake CCR&R Baseline

Coordinator

Toll Free : 1-800-551-0969

Www.mntrecc.net

MnTRECC is a component of the Child Care Services Program within the Leech Lake Early Childhood Development

CCR&R Contact Information

North East District 1-800-890-5399 www.ccrr.pinetech.edu

North West District 1-800-941-7003 www.lakesandprairies.net

West Central District 1-800-292-5437

www.midwestchildcare.com

Metro District 651-641-0332 www.thinksmall.org

Southern District 1-800-462-1660 www.c2r2.org