Blog, News & Events

In celebration of National Native American Heritage Month, we’re featuring several winners of the 2024 American Indian Youth Literature Awards and 3 newly published titles and 1 classic for adults ...

Today’s list of book recommendations highlights ten great children’s titles that celebrate families and many of the different people and roles they might include!Pro-tip: Track the books you & your ...

The library has had a glow up! Stop by during Think Small?s open hours (Monday ? Friday, 9:00 ? 5:00pm) to enjoy the new soft seating area and other features, ...

The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed on July 26, 1990, and that same year, Boston became the first city to host a Disability Pride Day honoring Americans with disabilities. ...

Young children aren’t old enough to vote, but they are old enough to learn about democracy and voting! Principles like fairness, listening, and cooperation are key to strong communities in ...

Learn more about the history of Juneteenth with these new titles for children from preschool to the early elementary years, and celebrate with your community at one of the many ...

Ready to celebrate Pride Month 2024? There’s something for everyone from babies to grownup in this booklist from the Debra Fish Library.Pro-tip: Track the books you & your children are ...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and serves as a poignant reminder of the critical role mental health and well-being play in our lives. Promoting and supporting mental health is ...

May is here and so is Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Below, you’ll find 10 fresh titles to explore all month long and for years to come.May ...

Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month is an annual campaign that raises awareness of the inclusion and contributions of people with developmental disabilities (DD) in all aspects of community life. It highlights ...

We’re celebrating women who advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion all month long. Check out the reads below! Children’s titles Fall Down Seven Times, Stand Up Eight: Patsy Takemoto Mink ...

Women’s History Month is coming up in March, but before we get there, check out these picture book titles that honor women during National Women Inventor’s Month (February), National Girls ...

Black History Month 2024 is just around the corner, and one way to celebrate is diving into newly published titles and returning to old favorites. Check out the list of ...

If you?ve used the Child Care Cost Calculator and you?re left wondering:? How the heck would all of this work?? This blog post is for you!??? Think Small created the ...

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day honors the great Civil Rights leader and has the distinction of being the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service. On this ...

  A fun way to add excitement to any week is by adding a theme that everyone can celebrate together!? The National Association for the Education of Young Children celebrates ...

  November has arrived and with it encouragement to celebrate Native American heritage, voting, All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Veterans? Day, Thanksgiving, and more. Here at Think Small Institute, ...

Chokma! Chickasha saya.?? Hello! I am Chickasaw. I am one of just over 5 million Native Americans living in the United States. That?s just over 1% of the entire country?s ...

  Add some of these wonderful titles by and about Filipinos & Filipino Americans to your celebration of Filipino American History Month! October 18, 1587, marks the first known arrival ...

Fall is in the air, and apples and pumpkins are everywhere. In October, we encourage you to intentionally support children?s mental health and wellbeing and encourage fantasy play.

The Hispanic Heritage Month celebration is turning 54 years old!? California Congressman George E. Brown first introduced this tremendous festival in June 1968.? The soul of this celebration is to ...

"Just like all other types of diversity, disabilities offer us the opportunity to appreciate others for their uniqueness and celebrate the things that make us different."

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day enslaved people in Galveston, Texas learned the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed. Although the proclamation outlawed slavery in all Confederate states and had been signed nearly three years earlier, the news was kept from Black Texans until occupying Union forces arrived in Galveston at the end of the Civil War. [Note: Black Americans were still enslaved in Union states up until the 13th amendment was ratified on December 6, 1865.]?

Building wellness and respect for children in their gender identify from an early age can lead to a more healthy and robust child. In celebration of Pride Month, the Debra S. Fish librarian, Jennie Walker Knoot, has compiled a list of helpful resources to help facilitate dialog that can help conversation go 'Beyond the Binary.'

May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month ? a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. At Think Small, we recognize and celebrate AAPI month.

Children need representation, inclusion, & diversity in the books they are enjoying. It is a simple enough statement; one we can all agree on. But if asked to talk about why, what is our answer? How do we know if we are doing it right? Or wrong?

April is Month of the Military Child which honors the experiences of the 1.6 million American children with family members serving in the armed forces. Check out the titles and ...

Dive into these 10 brand-new children?s titles to celebrate the history, present, and future of the Black Diaspora and discover notable Black activists, musicians, inventors, athletes, and poets.

Early childhood educators spoke and we listened. We started Think Small Institute to provide high-quality, affordable, mobile-first professional development putting the tools you need to spark new ideas in your ...

Guest Blog by Ang?le Sancho Passe In the book?Mama?s Gloves,?by Mike Huber, (Redleaf Press, 2014), four-year-old Esteban learns that mama ?always comes back with two kisses and hug.? This routine ...

Pride occurs year-round; here are three ways early educators can support community members beyond the calendar month.

On June 17, 2021, President Biden signed legislation making Juneteenth a federally recognized holiday in the United States. The Juneteenth holiday celebrates when the last enslaved African Americans were notified of their freedom on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas...

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, ...

Nearly 300 child care providers in the metro area picked up hand sanitizer & bleach beginning in April. The hard-to-find products were made available to child care programs at no ...

By Kathy Benjamin from Moorhead, MinnesotaI am a single parent of three children. All three were in daycare at one point.? I was already receiving child care assistance from the ...

Child Care Providers Can Meet Parent Aware Requirement by Encouraging Families to Sign Up When Woodbury parent Amy Raleigh heads to the store with her 4-year old daughter Fiona, she ...

?Did you know Minnesota’s best resources for early childhood professionals are available FREE to you?? April 9 – 15 is National Library Week! ?What a great opportunity to explore a ...

This month marks one year since the start of the Think Small blog. To celebrate, we?re using January to highlight information and initiatives from Think Small and our partners about ...

This month marks one year since the start of the Think Small blog. To celebrate, we?re using January to highlight information and initiatives from Think Small and our partners about ...

90% of brain development occurs by age 5.80% of the brain is developed by age 3.These eye-catching statements sound impressive but can be confusing and misleading. Learning certainly continues after ...

Preschool age children develop eating habits they will practice for the rest of their lives, so they are at an ideal age to experience and learn about healthy eating.At the ...

Beginning July 1, 2016, MNStreams.org ? Child Care Aware of Minnesota?s current online catalog for face-to-face trainings ? will no longer be accessible. In its place, early learning and school-age ...

We are very proud to partner with Minnesota Reading Corps to bring early learning experts into family child care settings to work directly with children and child care providers on ...