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Farm to Preschool
Strategies for growing healthy children
and communities
Zoe Phillips, MPH; Rosa Romero, Master Gardener;
Kristine Smith, RD; Ryan Reddy, Lead Teacher
CACFP Roundtable conference – October 18, 2011
Farm to Preschool Program
• Urban & Environmental Policy Institute,
Occidental College
• Goals: Influence early childhood eating habits
and expand the Farm to School network of
programs
• Completed 2 year pilot, in expansion phase
• Piloted in Los Angeles and San Diego counties,
expanded to Hawai’i
Program Components
• Nutrition and garden curriculum
• Experiential learning
• Local food sourcing
• Parent outreach and workshops
• Teacher trainings
• Evaluation
• Wellness policies
• Demonstration training workshops and tours
• Linkage to national network and website
Evaluation
• Model: Quasi-experimental
• Surveys: students, parents, teachers
• 2009-2010 & 2010-2011 school years:
over 700 children, over 180 parents
• Barriers: time; age and cultural
appropriateness
• Best Practices: evidenced-based with
control data; outside program evaluator
Evaluation: Results
• Increased knowledge of fruits and vegetables
• Increased knowledge of ‘local’ and ‘fresh’
• 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
• Qualitative results: – students enjoyed fruit and vegetable taste tests
– asked their families to make healthier purchases
– more families shopped at farmers’ markets
Wellness Policies
• Not required in childcare
• Watered-down
• Potential for sustainable improvements
• Include language for farm to preschool
components
• Barriers: buy-in, not required
• Best Practices: work with school
administrators and childcare agencies
National Network
• Developing a national Farm to
Preschool/Farm to Childcare network
• Website: www.FarmToPreschool.org
• Farm to School model and resources
– Nationally-based Farm to Preschool
Subcommittee
• Early stages: linking programs and
resources; finding relevancy
Local Food Sourcing
• Facilitate relationships with farmers, farmers’
markets, and food distributors
• Source locally in meal and snack menus
• Barrier: childcare follows various sourcing
models
• Best Practices: start small,
realize budget is the bottom-
line; volume and seasonality
are key
Nutrition and Garden Education
• Harvest of the Month nutrition curriculum
– CA state developed program
– Developed for K-12, modified preK version
– Weekly lessons
– Monthly taste tests
– New topics:
-Seasonal and local food system
-Plant cycles through gardening
Harvest of the Month
Weekly Lessons Monthly Taste Tests
Farmers’ Market FieldtripGardening
Farmer in the Classroom
Experiential Learning
Science Labs Art
Physical Activity
• “Tutti-Fruiti” physical activity breaks with healthy
eating themes
• PA breaks increase concentration throughout
the day
• Ideal for during group and transitional times
Parent Outreach & Workshops
• Workshops: nutrition, healthy food access,
cooking demos, interactive activities, gardening,
‘promotora’ visits
• Monthly parent newsletters
• Field trips
• CSA or market basket program
Contact Information
Zoe Phillips, Program Manager
Rosa Romero, Program Coordinator
Urban & Environmental Policy Institute
Occidental College, Los Angeles
323-341-5098/5090
phillipsz@oxy.edu or rromero@oxy.edu
http://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/
NHA’s Nutrition Services
• The Team
– 8 Food Service Assistants
– 1 Milk Truck Driver
– 2 Cooks
– 1 Chef
– 1 Food Service Manager
– 1 Fiscal Analyst
– 1 RD / Director of
Nutrition Services
• About 7,000 meals daily to 38 sites
• 1.2 Million meals prepared in central kitchen last year
Our Menu
• Unique – all foods made from scratch daily
• Chef creates delectable flavors
• RD ensures nutrient density
• Disproves myth preschoolers don’t like “healthy” or “adult” food
• 94% child approval rate last year
• Teaching tool for parents and teachers
• Coordinates with San Diego’s harvest seasons
- Farm to Preschool
- School gardens
- Farm visits
- Delicious and nutrient-dense produce
Our Menu
CACFP and Cooking from Scratch
• Cyclic and seasonal menu- Create frequently used staples
- County Farm Bureau may have harvest schedule
- Provide annual schedule of produce needs to farmers
• Standardized recipes
- Proper ingredient nomenclature from FBG
• Training for staff
- Culinary
- Nutrition
- Food safety and sanitation
• Contact county Farm Bureau to find farmers and markets
• Build relationships with farmers
– Shop at farmers’ markets in your city
– Don’t be afraid to say, “Hi!”
– Question them about their farm
– Get their business card
– Visit their farm
• Define “local”
– Within the County
– Within “X” miles of your site
Sourcing Locally and Contracting
Talking to Farmers
• Speak common “language” and be polite
• Remember farmers may be limited with
- Admin staff
- Transportation
- Technology
• Tell them what you want/need but be flexible
• Visit the farms you choose to work with
• Invite farmers to your kitchen or classrooms
Contact Information
Kristine Smith, RD
Director of Nutrition Services Central Kitchen
Neighborhood House Association
kmsmith@neighborhoodhouse.org
www.neighborhoodhouse.org
Contact Information
Ryan Reddy
Lead Teacher
Children's Bureau of Southern California
Wallis Annenberg Child Development Center
Magnolia Place Preschool
ryanreddy@all4kids.org
www.all4kids.org
Activity
Taste Test!
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