Partnering with Families to Support Children’s Health and Nutrition

Good nutrition is important for promoting healthy growth and development in young children, who are rapidly developing mentally and physically in the early years. Healthy eating has many benefits, including giving children increased energy to learn and play. Research shows that the habits that children learn in the early years continue into adulthood. For these reasons, access to nutrient-dense, affordable food is key, as is recognizing that food can be a source of joy and comfort and a way to connect with community and culture.

Early learning programs play an important role nurturing children’s healthy habits. They can increase exposure to nutrient-dense foods while honoring children’s communities and cultures. To support these goals, early childhood educators can partner with families and communities to create opportunities for children to experience healthy food and learn about nutrition.

One important avenue for these partnerships is farm to early care and education. We (the authors) are mother (Meagan) and daughter (Avery). We are both educators, and we share a mutual enthusiasm for nature-based play and connecting young children to the origins of their food. In this article, we offer an overview of farm to early care and education. We describe how early learning programs can partner with families to reap the benefits of farm to early care and education programs for children’s health and well-being.