farm to early care and education

Bringing the same primary tenets of farm to school to our youngest eaters


 

Farm to Early Care is a nationwide movement, to support early care providers in incorporating three main elements: 

  • Nutrition Education
  • Local Purchasing
  • Gardening

Especially with young kids, family engagement is another critical component of farm to early care.

For more information and resources, click the images below.

For at-home activities and other farm to early care ideas, check out our blog

 

 

 


Not sure where to start? Use books!

Many programs have already integrated a variety of best practices in farm to early care - do you read books about gardens or growing? Do you eat together and taste new foods? There are so many easy ways to integrate farm to early care concepts.

One easy place to start is through books. There are so many great books that can help children learn about gardening, local food, and where our food comes from. 

Check out any of these great places to find great books: 

A few of our favorites: 

Grandma Lena's Big Ol' Turnip

Grandma Lena gets lots of help pulling up her big purple turnip.

Right This Very Minute: a table-to-farm book about food and farming

Highlights the role of farmers in growing the food on your plate! More words mean this is probably best for older preschoolers. 

The Carrot Seed

A classic - simple and easy to read aloud in larger

preschool rooms. Also available in Spanish.

Up, Down, and Around

Rhyming book about how vegetables grow - beets, onions,

green beans, and more!

I Will Never NOT EVER Eat a Tomato 

Charlie feeds Lola, the picky eater, while making up

fun words for vegetables. 

Apple Farmer Annie

Simple text and bright pictures make this an

easy read-aloud book.

 

After books, start exploring the main tenets of Farm to Early Care! Check out the specific webpages above, and a handout highlighting some of our favorite resources