Farm to School

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Early Care and Education

What is Farm to Early Care and Education?

Farm to early care and education (farm to ECE) offers increased access to the same three core elements of local food sourcing, school gardens and food and agriculture education to enhance the quality of the educational experience in all types of ECE settings (e.g., preschools, child care centers, family child care homes, Head Start/Early Head Start, programs in K – 12 school districts). Farm to ECE offers benefits that parallel the goals and priorities of the early care and education community including emphasis on experiential learning opportunities, parent and community engagement and life-long health and wellness for children, families and caregivers.

Why Farm to Early Care and Education?

Harvest of the Month for Early Childhood Education: Parent Perspectives by Christine Lux, Brianna Routh, and Lacy Stephens
Abstract: The purpose of this research brief is to report on the impact of Harvest of the Month (HOM) for Early Care and Education (ECE) at home to better understand parent perspectives and influences on children’s nutrition behavior. Harvest of the Month (HOM) is a farm to school programming strategy that features a locally grown food in at least one nutrition and agriculture lesson, taste test activity, and a snack or meal recipe each month. This exploratory study used a survey research design to gather parent perspectives during pilot implementation of HOM for ECE during the 2017–2018 school year. The survey was delivered electronically. Twenty-one parents from a campus-based preschool program in the northwest United States reported procurement and consumption of HOM foods at home. Findings suggest that a variety of HOM foods are being served and consumed at home. Parents in this study placed more importance on knowing where food comes from rather than serving local foods. Further, parents’ knowledge of farm to ECE, reported food purchasing at farmer’s markets, and participation in community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs were limited, suggesting a need for continued targeted parent education that could have a positive effect of families’ healthy eating.

Ohio Farm to ECE work

photo of child gardening and text describing Farm to ECE projectOhio is one of 5 states involved in the ASPHN Obesity Mini CoIIN project. The purpose of the project is to support and enhance state level farm to early care and education (ECE) initiatives to increase the quality of ECE settings and access to healthy environments for young children by July 2020. This project will provide technical guidance and support for state teams utilizing a quality improvement process to increase the number of ECEs conducting sustainable, comprehensive farm to ECE.

Learn more about the Mini CoIIN initiative and Ohio’s plan here.

 

Farm to ECE Resources

 How to Buy Local Food for Early Care sites

How to Serve Local Food for Early Care sites

Tools to teach about food

Gardens and Growing

Contact Us

Carol Smathers, MS, MPH
Program Director,
Ohio Farm to School
OSU Extension Field Specialist
(614) 688 - 1801
Haley Plahuta
Ohio Farm to School
OSU Extension
(614) 312-8077

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Ohio State University Extension
FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN ECOLOGY
COLLEGE OF FOOD, AGRICULTURAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

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