The Anoka County Fair won three first place titles awarded by The International Association of Fairs & Expositions at its 2022 national awards.

Anoka County Fair won for Facility Beautification Project - Hand Washing Stations; Newly established or evolving program/exhibit at your fair which promotes agriculture or a current agricultural issue to the fair-going public - Compass Child Care Ag Education Building and The overall Division 1 award for Agriculture.

The fair also placed second in Innovation and Sponsorship for its New Compass Child Care Ag Education Building.

“It is an amazing feeling to have the Anoka County Fair recognized for the hard work and dedication that the fair board and our partners put in to keep improving the fair experience for the community. It is an honor to be a part of this fair, and I am excited for what the future holds here,” said Anoka County Fair Manager, Michaela Liebl said in Monday, Dec. 5 press release from the Anoka County Fair..
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This is the first year The Anoka County Fair has been recognized on a national level for its innovation and improvements to the facility, the release states.

Parent Aware, Minnesota’s Quality Rating and Improvement System, offers tools and resources to help:

• Families find quality child care and early education
• Programs improve their practices
• Children benefit from care and education that will prepare them for school and life.

Compass and Parent Aware believe that:

• Every child has unique gifts and abilities to celebrate and nurture
• All families deserve equitable access to quality care and education for their children
• Quality early learning from trained and culturally competent professionals makes a difference for children
• Children learn through relationships and playful interactions with their families, peers, providers, teachers, and environment

Compass and Parent Aware commit to:

• Advancing inclusive practices that build on family, child, and community strengths
• Helping care and education programs adopt best practices and serve children of all cultures, races, ethnicities, languages, beliefs, and abilities
• Offering services and supports from people who reflect our diverse community
• Supporting practices that will lead to closing the achievement gap for young children

Parent Aware will:

• Promote the importance of high-quality inclusive care and education programs and practices to all Minnesotans
• Offer professional growth for child care and early education professionals through cutting-edge, culturally-responsive training, education, and coaching
• Always improve Parent Aware services through evaluation, listening to parents and providers, and using the latest methods, models, and research.

Compass Child Care centers are constantly working to improve. Ask your director for the current rating!

Ginger Olson is truly a kid at heart.

Her love of children can be traced to an earlier time in her life, influenced by Mrs. Dempsey, one of her high school teachers.

"Love of children is just one part of running a successful childcare facility," Olson notes. "I need to balance that with the ability to plan, maintain order, and design play with a purpose."

As Olson's interest in childcare grew, she focused on learning these aspects and applied her knowledge as an employee and volunteer at church, corporate schools, and other child care programs.

"When I became a mom, that really provided practical experience about the needs of children as well as parents, which has helped my perspective with the everyday needs at Compass."

Olson brainstormed alongside her sister, Amy Steiner, about how to build their dream child care center and how it would be set apart from others. Their combined passion was based on building a safe, educational environment that would be a home away from home.

"We didn't spend much time thinking about how this venture could be profitable for ourselves. We were excited about what we could do to serve these kids and our communities."

Olson feels they are laying the groundwork for the educators that will one day work with the children who  start at Compass. She hopes children will start school with a foundation where kids develop a love of learning.

"Every time I see a child with that 'I get it!' look in their eye, I feel I have the best job in the world," Olson says. When a child is successful at zipping their own coat or tying their shoes or taking their first step, Olson is proud in the child's accomplishments and thinks of the incredible trust parents grant them to work with their children.

Being flexible during times of growth or dealing with a pandemic has been challenging, but Olson states that she is determined to maintain her ideals of providing a safe, positive and educational environment through this time at Compass Child Care .