What is Farm to ECE?
Farm to ECE is a set of strategies and activities that increase access to local and seasonal foods, nutrition and agriculture education, and hands-on gardening experiences. Farm to ECE looks different in every program, and you may already be participating in Farm to ECE without realizing it! Here are the answers to your top Farm to ECE questions:
Which activities are considered Farm to ECE?
Participating in Farm to ECE means you are incorporating one or more of these three core elements: serving local foods (Eat!), providing nutrition and agriculture education (Learn!), and gardening (Grow!).
You don’t have to buy all your food from the farmers market, have an expansive raised bed garden, or teach a nutrition lesson every day (but if you do- great!). Small steps add up to big success. Choosing Georgia grown produce from the grocery store, reading books about foods and farms, and growing herbs in a recycled container is Farm to ECE!
Serving fresh, local and seasonal foods to children for meals, snacks or taste-tests.
Teaching children about nutrition and agriculture as part of the learning curriculum.
Gardening with children, and maybe families too!
Why should we participate in Farm to ECE?
Farm to ECE can transform your program by improving child health, enhancing program quality, and promoting family and staff engagement. Beyond your individual program, Farm to ECE helps to strengthen local food systems and foster community collaboration, building toward nutrition security and food equity for all children and families.
Who participates in Farm to ECE?
Child care learning centers, family child care learning homes, Head Start and Early Head Start programs, Pre-K and other early learning settings are participating in Farm to ECE. Are you curious about who is participating in Farm to ECE in Georgia? Check out our Farm to ECE Location Map, and complete a profile to add your site!
“Farm to ECE has raised the roof with learning at my school”
Family Child Care Provider, Tee Tee's Learning Center