growing farm to preschool: bringing the “farm” to preschool settings

Growing Farm to Preschool

Bringing the “Farm”

to Preschool Settings

Stacey Sobell, Ecotrust

Rosa Romero, UEPI, Occidental College

Zoe Phillips, UEPI, Occidental College

15th Annual CFSC Conference– November 6, 2011

Group popcorn questions:

who is in the room? • Do you work with preschools or childcare?

• Are you involved with farm to school programs?

• Are you a educator? Do you work for a non-

profit? Are you food service staff? Are you a

farmer or food producer?

• Are you from the west coast? The east coast?

From out of the country?

Key Concepts

• K-12 farm to school movement is strong

and growing

• Farm to preschool movement is emerging

• Farm to preschool is a systems approach

• National Farm to School Network and

www.farmtopreschool.org website provide

resources and support

Topics

• Introduction/Overview:

– Farm to preschool – what and why?

– Systems approach

– Case study: program in Los Angeles

– National support

• Interactive activities:

– Student activities

– A closer look at the systems approach

Farm to Preschool:

What and Why?

What is Farm to Preschool?

• Farm to School:

– Connects local food producers and

processors with the school cafeteria or

kitchen

– Food- and garden-based education in the

classroom, lunchroom, and community

• Farm to Preschool:

– Ages 0-5

– Childcare centers, preschool, daycare

centers, in-home care, Head Start

Cafeteria – Classroom - Community

National Farm to School Network http://www.farmtoschool.org/

Operating in 50 states

More than 2,352 programs in K-12

Why Farm to Preschool?

• Addresses increases in obesity among

preschoolers

• Encourages preference and consumption

of fruits and vegetables

• Increases access to fresh fruits and

vegetables

Why Farm to Preschool?

• Teaches food and environmental literacy

to students, teachers and food service

workers

• Benefits local economy and environment

• Improves opportunities for small farmers

Why Preschool?

• Children consume as much as 80% of

daily nutrients in childcare

• Early patterns are a determinant of later

eating habits

• Children and schools can be agents of

change in their family and community

• K-12 Farm to School movement strong

– Prepares preschoolers for later activities

Farm to Preschool:

Systems Approach

Farm to Preschool Partners/

Stakeholders

Farm-to-

School

Students

Educators

Community Members

Food Service/ Cooks

Preschool

Staff

Farmers & Food

Producers

Families

Case Study: Los Angeles

Farm to Preschool Program

UEPI, Occidental College

• Nutrition and Garden curriculum

• Experiential learning

• Physical activity

• Parent outreach and workshops

• Local food sourcing

• Wellness policies

• Community links

• Evaluation

Nutrition and Garden

Education

Harvest of the Month nutrition curriculum

– CA state developed program for K-12

– Modified a PreK version

– Meets Head Start Domains and DRDP-R

– Weekly lessons

– Monthly taste tests

– New topics include:

-Seasonal and local food system

-Plant cycles through gardening

Students

Educators

Experiential Learning

Interactive Books Monthly Taste Test Gardening

Science Labs Language and Arts

Students

Educators

Physical Activity

• “Tutti-Fruitti” physical activity breaks with

healthy eating themes

• Studies show that PA breaks increase

concentration throughout the day

• Ideal for during group and transitional times

Educators

Students

Parent Outreach &

Workshops • Workshop Themes:

- Healthy Eating on a Budget

- Reading Nutritional Labels

- Understanding Diabetes/Cholesterol

- Home Gardening

• Monthly family newsletters

• Field trips & CSA

Students

Preschool

Staff

Farmers & Food

Producers

Families

Local Food Sourcing

• Facilitate relationships with farmers,

farmers‟ markets, and food distributors

• Source locally in meal and snack menus

• Best Practices: start small,

realize budget is the bottom-

line; volume and seasonality

are key

• Models are emerging:

-Cooperative Buying (Springfield, Mass)

-Scratch cooking by large distributors (San Diego, Ca)

-Farmers‟ Markets, Farm direct, CSAs, Farm Cooperatives

Farmers & Food

Producers

Food Service/ Cooks

Wellness Policies

• Not required in childcare

• Watered-down

• Potential for sustainable improvements in

school environment

• Include language for farm to

preschool components

• Barriers: buy-in, not required

• Best Practices: involve administrators, staff,

teachers and parents in development

Families

Educators

Preschool

Staff

Community Links

Farmer in the Classroom

Students Educators

Community Members

Farmers & Food

Producers

Farmers‟ Market Fieldtrip

Cooperative Extension

Evaluation

Surveys from students and parents

over two school years showed:

• Increased knowledge of „local‟ and „fresh‟

• Increased knowledge of fruits and vegetables

• Increased willingness to try new fruits and vegetables

• Trend towards preferring more fruits and vegetables, less likely to prefer unhealthy foods

• Parents: Increased knowledge of farmers‟ markets, healthy eating practices, reading nutrition labels, identifying obesity risk factors

Educators

Preschool

Staff Community

Members

Families

Farm to Preschool

Nationally

A Growing Movement

– Handful of pilot programs a few years ago

– National Farm to School Network: one-year

farm to preschool planning initiative

– Farm to Preschool Subcommittee

– 2012 Activities:

• National survey of programs

• Convening key stakeholders

• Farm to Cafeteria Conference

• Report

• Website…

Coming Soon!

www.FarmToPreschool.org

Farm to Preschool:

Interactive Activities

Sample Farm to Preschool

Activities

Students:

• Science Discovery Lab

• Taste test

• Gardening

• Tutti Fruitti stretch

Community Mapping

Activity: Creating a Farm to Preschool

Community Action Plan

Farm-to-

School

Students

Educators

Community Members

Food Service/ Cooks

Preschool

Staff

Farmers & Food

Producers

Families

Questions?

Contact Information/Resources

Rosa Romero Stacey Sobell

rromero@oxy.edu ssobell@ecotrust.org

www.farmtopreschool.org

www.farmtoschool.org