Blog, News & Events
Insights, Ideas, and Resources for Early Learning
Welcome to the Think Small Blog, your go-to destination for valuable insights, innovative ideas, and inspiring stories in the field of early learning. Dive into a treasure trove of articles crafted by our team of experts, dedicated to empowering child care providers, educators, and families.
Discover practical tips, evidence-based strategies, and the latest research findings to support children aged 0-5 on their journey to kindergarten readiness. From fostering social-emotional development to promoting cognitive skills, our blog covers a wide range of topics, ensuring you stay informed and equipped to make a positive impact on young lives.
Small Talks A Think Small Speaker Series
Recording Small Talks Slides White Paper About the Event Only 30% of Minnesota 8th graders were deemed proficient in reading in a recent national assessment (NCES 2022). Addressing this ...
Small Talks A Think Small Speaker Series
About the Event Only 30% of Minnesota 8th graders were deemed proficient in reading in a recent national assessment (NCES 2022). Addressing this troubling statistic begins with babies. ...
Summer Spark at Saint Paul Public Library
Summer Spark is the Saint Paul Public Library's summer reading and learning program, open to kids ages 0-18. Families and individuals are welcome to join, and we also love working with groups - summer school classes, family child care programs, care centers, and camps! Our goal is to get kids reading for fun and feeling excited about stories and books.
Think Small Institute to Host Annual Family Child Care Week
For over 25 years, Think Small has offered an annual Family Child Care Business Seminar in the fall focused on increasing providers’ knowledge and skills on topics to support their business. In 2020 the Think Small Institute (a ...
Putting Technology in the Hands of Child Care Providers and Children
Access to technology is important to those working in the early childhood field. Laptops and tablets help small business owners, like child care providers, improve their skills, grow their business, ...
Small Talks: True Costs to Families and Early Child Care Educators
Small Talks features leaders who share key insights on early childhood education and discuss innovative solutions to early learning issues in Minnesota. Inadequate investment, scholarship caps, complicated funding streams, and ...
Guest Post: The Equity Summit
By May Esperanza Losloso, Senior Organizer, Children’s Defense Fund-Minnesota From April 11-13, 2018, eight members of the Voices and Choices for Children Steering Committee attended the PolicyLink 2018 Equity Summit ...
Picturing Brighter Futures
By Kristie Thorson At Think Small, we picture a brighter future for Minnesota’s kids. We picture a day when ALL young children have access to high-quality early care and education ...
Small Talks - Elevating the Early Childhood Profession
Small Talks features leaders who share key insights on early childhood education and discuss innovative solutions to early learning issues in Minnesota. By Kristie Thorson “If this is going to ...
Small Talks - Don't Expel Me: Social Emotional Strategies for a More Inclusive Child Care Program
Small Talks features leaders who share key insights on early childhood education and discuss innovative solutions to early learning issues in Minnesota. By Kristie Thorson, Communications Specialist The third Small ...
Early Childhood Advocates Partner to Provide Parent Trainings
By Megan McLaughlin, Way to Grow Several organizations that serve children and families recently worked together to provide trainings for Minneapolis parents. As part of a grant from Minnesota Comeback, ...
Think Small Offers Free Information Sessions for Parent Aware Participation
By Susan Schaffhausen In 2017, Think Small undertook new efforts to increase the number of child care providers who devote their care to ensuring children’s health, safety, and best practices ...
Small Talks - Text Me: Turning Everyday Moments into Early Learning Experiences
Small Talks features leaders who share key insights on early childhood education and discuss innovative solutions to early learning issues in Minnesota. By Kristie Thorson, Communications Specialist Text Me: Turning ...
Small Talks - Talk to Me: How Early Conversations Impact a Child's Life
Small Talks features leaders who will share key insights on early childhood education and discuss innovative solutions to early learning issues in Minnesota. By Kristie Thorson Talk to Me: How ...
Make a Difference for Give to the Max Day
Think Small is participating in Give to the Max Day on Nov. 17. The annual event, sponsored by GiveMN, encourages Minnesotans to donate to their favorite nonprofits and charities on ...
Come on In, the Water is Fine! Welcoming New Child Care Staff with a Purpose
Think Small is hosting an event to help child care directors welcome their newest staff members.During this two-hour, interactive session, participants will explore new employee orientation processes and systems that ...
Celebrate Think Small Day with us!
Governor Mark Dayton has proclaimed today Think Small Day in Minnesota in honor of our 45th Anniversary. Now that’s something to celebrate! It all started with a bus. As more women ...
Think Small Resource Fair: Connecting for Children
Join families, child care providers, and child care centers to discuss what you think about parent engagement. Tell us what changes you’d make, or what you want to remain the ...
Register for a free child care providers training on healthy food choices
Think Small, Adults’ & Children’s Alliance, and the Cargill Foundation have partnered to provide free training for Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) participants.
Celebrate Think Small's 45th Anniversary at Open House
Think Small is celebrating its 45th Anniversary on Thursday, Oct. 13 with a community open house. The event will be hosted in our new office space in the lower level ...
Register for Think Small's 23rd Annual Family Child Care Business Seminar
Think Small’s 23rd Annual Family Child Care Business Seminar is coming up! It will be held November 5th at the Ramada Plaza Minneapolis. Use this opportunity to review 2016 tax ...
#TourDeNice and A Journey for Early Learning
By: Marie Huey As a passionate advocate for the importance of early learning, I’m always interested in ways to support the cause. When I heard about an opportunity combining fitness, ...
Think Small to Compete in First #TourDeNice
By: Maya Fanjul-Debnam Cyclists will hit the streets of downtown Minneapolis for a good cause on Saturday July 9. Nice Ride and The Minneapolis Foundation have teamed up with several ...
Think Small Bringing Cutting Edge Program for Child Care to Clinton Global Initiative America Meeting
Think Small is thrilled to share new, cutting edge approaches to reducing opportunity and achievement gaps at the 2016 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) America meeting in Atlanta this month. It’s ...
Granite City Donating 10% of all Bills to Think Small June 1
Celebrate International Children’s Day and support Think Small by dining at any metro Granite City location on Wednesday, June 1st. Ten percent of all bills that day will be donated ...
Happy Child Care Provider Appreciation Day!
Today is National Child Care Provider Day. Intentionally celebrated on the Friday before Mother’s Day, it is a time to show gratitude for those who take care of children. Child ...
Make a Difference During Week of the Young Child 2016
The Week of the Young Child is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) celebrating early learning, young children, their teachers and ...
CCAP, Early Learning Scholarships Key to Equity Conversation at #CYIB16
The 2016 Children and Youth Issues Briefing this week featured an important and inspiring conversation about the future of early learning in Minnesota.
Register for Free Healthy Eating Training for Child Care Providers
Healthy eating habits are important, especially for young children in the U.S. Unfortunately; childhood obesity has skyrocketed in recent years, setting many children on an unhealthy path. That’s just one ...