Farm to Early Care & Education application now open!

Farm to Early Care and Education enhances the health and education of young children by developing systems and experiential learning processes that connect children and their families with local food and farms. The initiative includes any type of activities in ECE environments that incorporate local foods through meals and snacks, taste tests, lessons, farmer visits, cooking, growing foods, and/or community and parent involvement. Child Care facilities who wish to be considered for this experience should fill out the Farm to ECE form provided. If chosen to participate the childcare facility would benefit by:

• Free high-quality training, coaching, and consultation support to assist with implementing Farm to ECE with a racial equity lens
• Technical Assistance on Go NAPSACC’S newly released Farm to ECE module
• Access to a team of content experts for an in-depth understanding of health and nutrition best practices as well as racially equitable food systems work
• Support in developing a sustainability plan for Farm to ECE gains achieved
• A $500 stipend paid to each core team member to support participation can be used to cover costs of participation such as childcare, substitute teachers, or travel to sessions, and will be provided incrementally based on continued involvement in face-to-face sessions, team meetings, and conference calls
• A $600 mini-grant will be offered to each childcare center in addition to the stipend to perform any variation of the following on-site activities:
  • Update kitchen infrastructure for processing fresh food
  • Develop new or upgrade existing garden infrastructure
  • Offset fresh food purchasing while implementing Farm to ECE procurement strategies
• A Food Literacy Box, a culturally relevant resource box for gardening and storytelling, given to each child care site
• Selected Farm to ECE curriculum, promotional materials, and parent engagement tools
• Direct Technical Assistance in procuring local produce for meals and snacks
• Lunch during the full day, face-to-face sessions and training

To submit an application, please use this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5MPPVYT