Supports for Farm to Early Care and Education: Planting the Seed for Healthy Environments
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How can early learning programs offer children healthy food and help them learn about food, farming, and gardening? Farm to school programs have attempted to help K–12 schools meet these goals for nearly 30 years, and over the past decade, farm to early care and education has done so in birth–5 settings. Both aim to
- Increase access to nutritious, locally grown foods
- Encourage gardening
- Facilitate learning about food, nutrition, and agriculture
Combined, these three components are known as the core elements of both movements (USDA SNAP-Ed Connection 2023). These programs have many potential benefits, including how they can help children learn about environmental issues and climate change.
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Meagan K. Shedd, PhD, has over 25 years of experience working with families with young children and is the director of evaluation with Food Insight Group (FIG). [email protected]
Cynthia Greene has worked in early childhood education for over 30 years and is currently the Farm to Early Childhood Partnership coordinator with Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools in Vermont.