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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
[email protected] [email protected]
www.farmtopreschool.org
www.farmtoschool.org
