MEET OUR LEAD INFANT TEACHERS
Caitie Lawiin
Infant 1 Lead Teacher
Bio coming soon!
Tera Van Keulen
Infant 2 Lead Teacher
Hello! My name is Tera Van Keulen and I am the lead teacher in the infant 2 room. I grew up in St. Clair, MN. Currently, I live in Mankato with my husband, Doug and our 7 month old son, Logan. I have a degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. In the past few years, I have had the opportunity to teach in both a child care and school setting.
My favorite part about work with infants is getting to witness the development that the children go through in their first year. I am so blessed to get to help the infants learn and grow each day. I am so excited to bring my passion for teaching to the Cultivate team!
Britni Greenfield
Infant 3 Lead Teacher
“Hi! My name is Britni and I’m a teacher in one of the infant rooms at Cultivate Mankato. I live in Mankato with my husband and 3 kiddos. You can usually find me having a dance party with my kids or in the kitchen baking cakes for my baking business.
I am so excited to start this journey at Cultivate! Working with children has always been a passion of mine. There is something so special about being apart of a child’s life and helping them grow and develop.
As a childcare provider my overall goal is to focus on each individual child’s needs and potential. I strive to create a trusting and safe atmosphere for children to explore, question, practice, play and become the best version of themselves. I think that it is extremely important to build relationships with not only the children but with their families as well. Our classroom will always have an open door policy with a listening ear and helping hand inside! I am excited to start making and strengthening relationships with the kiddos and families that I am lucky enough meet!”
Cassandra Norris
Infant 4 Lead Teacher
Hi! My name is Cassandra and I am the lead teacher in Infant 4. I started at Cultivate in January of 2020 and have loved it ever since. I was born and raised here in Mankato and graduated in 2020 with my Bachelors degree in Child Development and Family Studies at Minnesota State Mankato. I am currently engaged and will be getting married in December of 2020.
I have been working with children of all ages for as long as I can remember, but infants have won my heart over. I love watching them develop, grow and learn how to move their little bodies. They have such fresh minds that are making connections everyday. I am so grateful I get to work at Cultivate and be able give these children the love they all need.
Grace Rydeen
Infant 5 Co-Lead Teacher
Hello! My name is Grace and I am a lead teacher in Infant Five. I have grown up just outside of the Mankato area my whole life and am now pursing a Social Work degree here at MSU - Mankato! I started at Cultivate in May of 2020, while I was a senior in high school. In my free time you can find me spending time with family or traveling the world as much as possible, enjoying the outdoors. I have worked in all of the programs at Cultivate, at least a little bit, but infants has always had a special place in my heart. Being apart of some of the babies “firsts” is truly one of the greatest experiences ever. Being able to work within the Cultivate community has been such a blessing and I am so grateful for the many relationships I have built with our children and families over the years.
Olivia Kohls
Infant 5 Co-Lead Teacher
Hi! My name is Olivia Kohls and I am a lead teacher in Infant 5. I have work at cultivate since October of 2019 and have worked in childcare for 5 years now. I currently am studying Elementary Education at Minnesota State University, Mankato. I have lived in Mankato for 5 years now with my boyfriend and 2 cats. I am originally from Apple Valley Minnesota. I love teaching and being able to watch the infants grow so much in our infant rooms. Creating relationships with the children and their families are so important to me. I am so lucky to be able to be apart of cultivate and watch the core values of Cultivate Mankato come to life.
