Seeking New Edina Director

We are now accepting applications for the Director position at our Edina location! The hours for this full-time position are 9 AM - 6 PM, M-F. Pay rate based on qualifications. This full-time position offers health and dental insurance, childcare benefits, paid training, ongoing education, vacation and holiday pay plus annual wellness bonus and more! If you have the necessary credentials and are interested in the position, please email your resume to Maria Erickson at thecradleclub@gmail.com

Qualifications: A bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in either early childhood or elementary education, or three (3) years experience in a child care center with at least six (6) months of management or supervisory experience and ninety (90) hours of accredited courses in staff supervision, human relations and/or child development.

Other valuable factors include, but are not limited to:
*Proficiency in MN Rule 3 Legislation, MN labor law and OSHA requirements
*One to three years administrative and financial management experience
*Strong organizational skills with ability to prioritize and work on multiple tasks
*Great problem solving, mathematical and analytical skills
*Excellent verbal and written communication skills
*Strong leadership and supervisory skills
*Proficient in MS Windows, Excel, Word and accounting software
*Professional attire and outstanding customer service skills
*Positive attitude, reliable and trustworthy
*Evidence of physical fitness
*Maturity and excellence in human relations
*Demonstrates ability to identify and meet individual and group needs of children
*Current driver's license, First Aid and CPR certification

We look forward to hearing from you!

School Closing Due to Weather

Hi Cradle Club Families!

We are closing both our Downtown and Edina locations tomorrow, Thursday, December 24th, 2009 due to severe weather. Stay safe and warm and have a wonderful Christmas and Holiday season with your family! If you have any questions or need anything, please feel free to contact us at (Downtown) dtcradleclub@gmail.com or (Edina) thecradleclub@usfamily.net .

Updates in Progress!

Since we have been so busy with our amazing Cradle Club kids, we haven't done a lot of new stuff online in a while. However, updates to our website are now in progress. We have updated some of the details throughout our website and are in the process of updating the photos on our site! As you may know, all of our images are 100% Cradle Club kids and staff! Stay tuned in the days ahead for some fresh faces - maybe even your own little ones!

We are also updating parent and staff testimonials on our site. Thank you to all of you who have given us permission to use your comments to help others know what you think of The Cradle Club. We so appreciate your kind words and celebrate with you the wonderful staff that are doing such a great job with all of our children.

Speaking of our staff, we held an All-Staff In-Service last Wednesday with both our Edina and Minneapolis staff in which they set classroom goals for the Fall quarter, received training on implementing our expanded Spanish Curriculum and numerous staff received awards!

Winners for "Outstanding Enthusiasm" were Laura Lecy and Dena Vernstrom from Edina and Holli Cheyne and Sarah Abbubo from Minneapolis.

Winners for Excellence in Curriculum Newsletters and Calendars were Lydia Brekke and Krystel Rhierson from Edina and Kristine Anderson and Monica Johnson from Minneapolis.

Congratulations to all of our award winners and "hats off" to all of our staff who do a great job everyday!

Cradle Club and Members Only Photos Now On Web!

There are two places on our website where a photo gallery has been created for current and/or prospective Cradle Club parents. Check out these adorable photos today! We hope to add new photos at least monthly so stay tuned for updates! To view the Members Only photos, the user name is thecradleclub and the password is available by checking with your Director. Enjoy!

Introducing The Cradle Club’s New Website!

We are so thankful to Quist Designs for our beautiful new website! A special thanks also to professional photographer Ali Hohn for taking most of our web site photos for us! We are so excited that all of the images on our site are actually us! How fun is that?!

If you have any questions or suggestions regarding our new site please contact webmaster

Employment Opportunities at The Cradle Club:

See our Employment Opportunities Blog at http://thecradleclubemployment.blogspot.com/

Edina Cradle Club News

By Sarah Otis, Director

Happy November everyone!!! Time is sure flying by and it is hard to believe we will all be enjoying the holidays which are just around the corner!

Some important things for you to know about are…

• We have ordered a new white vinyl maintenance free fence for our playground! We also have a brand new climber with slides on its way to add to our current play area in place of the sandbox! We will adding more surfacing as well. These updates to the playground will happen as soon as the equipment arrives! When I receive the formal plan, I will post it up front at the desk so you all can see it!

• To make sure that I am available both opening and closing hours, my schedule is Mondays and Fridays 7:00-3:00 and Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays 9:00-6:00. For your convenience you are also able to contact me via email at thecradleclub@usfamly.net.

• Music with Mrs. Jean will continue to be on Thursdays for the month of November. Every classroom has a different schedule, so please check with your child’s teacher if you need more musical info!

• The Preschoolers have Rob Ellos coming in on Friday the 9^th at 3:30 to teach the children all about Outer Space!!! The cost for this presentation is $3.00

• Merla Jean will be in on Tuesday the 27^th to do an interactive presentation with puppets and songs about Winter Animals! Both toddlers and preschoolers are invited to participate and the cost for the show is $3.00.

• The Cradle Club will be closed in observance of Thanksgiving on Thursday the 22^nd and Friday the 23^rd.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let me know! Have a wonderful month of November…don’t eat too much turkey!!!

Downtown Cradle Club News

By Scarlett Radway, Director

Happy November! Thank you to all of the parents that took time to come in for parent/teacher conferences. Our teachers really appreciate the time to connect with you and to share all that’s wonderful about your child! If there is something that didn’t get addressed, please let me know and we’ll take care of it.

Here is some information for you to know…

• Our toddler and preschool classrooms will continue to have Music with Miss Jean on Wednesdays this month. We also will have, “Once Upon A Star” here on November 27^th. Please watch for permission slips in your child’s correspondence from the teacher.
• As you already know, we have updated our emergency cards. If you haven’t turned in your updated cards, please do so at once. Please make sure you filled two of them out for each child you have enrolled at our center and leave them in my office.
• Now that the weather is colder, please make sure your child has weather appropriate attire. Our toddler and preschool classrooms will go outside daily and we want to make sure your little one is bundled up with a winter coat, hat and mittens. Also double check your child’s extra clothes in the classroom to make sure they are weather appropriate.
• If you have someone (not mom or dad) pick up your child, don’t give them our code. Have them knock on the door so they can be let in by us. This ensures that we’re keeping the children safe at all times and that your party gets to the appropriate room.
• If you will be taking any time off during the holidays, please let me know your plans so I can make the necessary corrections on your child’s classroom roster.
  

THE CRADLE CLUB WILL BE CLOSED ON Thursday AND Friday, November 22 & 23 IN OBSERVATION OF THANKSGIVING!

The Cradle Club Infant Program

Infants
Babies come in many shapes and sizes and at The Cradle Club's Infant Care Center we LOVE them all! As parents you want your child to be brought up in an environment filled with love, security, acceptance and guidance. At The Cradle Club, we believe that every baby needs to feel loved and wanted. Our care givers help every infant to know that they are treasured as the special baby they are.



The Cradle Club provides a healthy, safe, and therapeutic environment for infants six weeks through fifteen months. Even though total numbers of infants may vary from day-to-day, our rule is always one excellent staff member to four delightful babies. Our staff work together as a family in order to provide each and every child with the care they need.

The Cradle Club entitles your baby to…

• Hugs whenever needed
• Bottles and food served with a smile
• Diapers checked every two hours
• A warm, clean crib when drowsy
• Prompt attention when waking
• Many fun toys, and
• A happy and safe home away from home!

At The Cradle Club every infant is a unique and wonderful little person. We respect uniqueness and that is why every infant is on their own personalized schedule. It is extremely important for parents to be involved in their infant's daily routine at The Cradle Club. Parents should sit down with the Infant Teacher and discuss and plan their child's day.
The infant staff is well trained to meet each baby's different needs throughout the day including annual training in the prevention of SIDS and Shaken Baby Syndrome. Our staff understand the importance of individualized care for each and every baby. Over the years parents report they enjoy worry-free work days and happy babies!