(Blooming Prairie, MN March , 2023) :

Professional Development and Growth at Leo Augusta Children’s Academy March 2023

Those of us who work in the field of childcare and education fully understand the need to continue our learning and education.  At Leo Augusta Children’s Academy our team of professionals continually seeks out opportunities to further their education and understanding of child development and early childhood education.

As you have read previously, the Academy is currently working on its accreditation with Parent Aware.  This organization also values professional development, growth, and education and requires organizations to participate in a required number of educational opportunities and activities.  As a full-time worker at the Academy, it is expected that, at a minimum, an employee participates in 24 hours of in-service training and education.  As a Lead Teacher or Director at Leo Augusta, the expectation is that staff participate in a minimum of 50 hours of in-service training and education

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The Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) strongly supports and financially makes available training opportunities for childcare workers. During the month of March alone, the Foundation is sponsoring three opportunities for early care workers to take part in the training below.
  • Every Drop Counts-Understanding how our communications with children work to meet the emotional needs of young children. We as childcare educators need to know how the state of our emotional tank impacts our work with young children.
  • Ready, Set, Grow-Incorporating Farm-to-Table practices in early childhood programs to encourage healthy habits in children and early childhood educators.  Exploring the ideas available for reducing food waste in early childhood education.
  • Super Saturday Training for Childcare Providers-Sudden Unexpected Infant Death, Abusive Head Trauma, and Understanding The Learning Cycle and Supporting Children’s Play From Awareness to Application are a few courses available.

At Leo Augusta Children’s Academy the education of our children and the opportunity to continue our education is one of our many priorities.  Childcare training programs help our staff to improve their skills, become better educators, and help us build a quality childcare program. In addition, childcare staff training allows our staff to earn the health and safety credentials they need to ensure that our children stay safe and our business continues to thrive.


Doug Anderson, Director: doug@leoaugusta.com

Daysha Zilm, Assistant Director: daysha@leoaugusta.com


For updates on progress and development follow the LACA Facebook page.