+ Farm to Head Start in North Carolina and Oregon Emily Jackson, Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, North Carolina Stacey S. Williams, Ecotrust, Oregon
Jan 14, 2015
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Farm to Head Start in North Carolina and OregonEmily Jackson, Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, North Carolina
Stacey S. Williams, Ecotrust, Oregon
+Agenda
1:45-2:00 Introductions and Icebreaker
2:00-2:35 Introduction to Farm to Childcare, Our Projects, Others
2:35-2:50 Group Exercise: Differences Between Pre-K and K-12
2:50-3:05 Practical Skills for Cultivating Farm to Childcare
3:05-3:15 Questions
+Farm to Childcare:An Introduction
+What is Farm to Childcare?
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
Ages 0-5
Childcare centers, preschool, Head Start, daycare centers, in-home care
+Why Farm to Childcare?
Rely on parents/caregivers to create food/activity environments
Consume as much as 80% of daily nutrients in childcare
Early patterns are a determinant of later eating/physical activity habits
Dramatic increases in obesity among preschoolers
Low consumption of fruits and vegetables
+Why Farm to Childcare? Continued…
K-12 farm to school movement strong
Prepare preschoolers for farm to school programs as they enter K-12
+Why Head Start?
Vulnerable population
Industry leader
Parental involvement
Curriculum is experiential = a good fit
Connections with K-12
+Farm to Head Start in North CarolinaThe Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project
Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) Mission - Our mission is to collaboratively create and expand regional community-based and integrated food systems that are locally owned and controlled, environmentally sound, economically viable, and health promoting.
ASAP Vision -Our vision is a future food system throughout the mountains of North Carolina and the Southern Appalachians that provides a safe and nutritious food supply for all segments of society; that is produced, marketed and distributed in a manner that enhances human and environmental health; and that adds economic and social value to rural and urban communities.
APPALACHIAN GROWN certification program
Roof Top Garden at Battery Park Apts. – Farm to Seniors: Partnership with Council
on Aging
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School gardens
Farm field trips
Experiential nutrition education
Local food in schools
www.growing-minds.org
Growing Minds Farm to School Program
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Teaching local chefs to cook with
children in culturally and
developmentally appropriate ways
that are also linked to the
Standard Course of Study
CHEF FEST
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Kick Off Event
Everyone had a meal together. Then families cooked with a chef, planted
the garden, and participated in
other educational activities.
Farm to Head Start
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SUPPLIES PROVIDED TO HEAD START CENTER
+TEACHER WORKSHOPLessons learned from our experience shared with Head Start instructors from the surrounding area
FARM FIELD TRIPS WERE A BIG HIT –
THIS FARMER PROVIDED
SOME OF THE FOOD FOR
THE CENTER
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Head Start garden provided endless opportunities for
“teachable moments”
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Cooking demos and classes highlighting locally grown food (great way to build
excitement for veggies from the school garden!)
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Assistance to the child
nutrition director:
Helped with sourcing
and provided a cooking kit
+ Food and Children
School gardens - children WILL eat what they grow
Cooking classes and demonstrations – children WILL eat what they cook
And children, as adults, appreciate food that is
pleasing to look at and is well-prepared with fresh
ingredients.
+Farm to Head Start in OregonEcotrust Food & Farms
+EcotrustFood & Farms Program
+Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Network
+Harvest of the Month and Local Lunches
+Farm to Head Start in Oregon
Oregon Child Development Coalition
3 pilot sites
Goals and activities: Connections with local farmers and food processors Increase local purchasing Promote food- and garden-based education
Outcomes: Create a replicable model Stimulate new markets for regional farmers
and food processors
+Farm to Childcare Literature
By age 3, many children develop dislike for vegetables and are reluctant to eat or taste them (Niklas et al., 2001)
Preference for vegetables in preschool children is a strong predictor of vegetable consumption (Birch, 1979; Harvey-Berino, et al. 1997; Morris & Zidenberg-Cherr, 2002).
Tasting new foods several times helps children to accept them (Birch & Marlin, 1982; Sullivan & Birch, 1994; Niklas et al., 2001);
5 to 10 exposures to become comfortable and familiar with a new food (Sullivan & Birch, 1994; Niklas et al., 2001)
+Farm to Childcare Literature Continued…
Childcare providers influence eating practices of children in varied and complex ways (Niklas et al., 2002)
At some childcare centers, quality of meals is poor, and menus inadequate in key vitamins and minerals (Niklas et al., 2002)
Preschool children may accept a novel vegetable after exposure to positive messages (Byrne and Nitzke, 2002)
+Farm to Childcare:Current Programs
+Early Sproutswww.earlysprouts.org
+Farm to Preschool Pilot Program: Center for Food & Justice (UEPI)Key components:
Nutrition education for preschoolers and parents
Fresh food access from local farmers and farmers’ markets
Rigorous program evaluation Multimodal outreach to communities,
preschools, and parents in Los Angeles and throughout the country
+Farm to Preschool Pilot Program: Center for Food & Justice (UEPI) Project goals:
Facilitate a network exploring farm to preschool initiatives at the regional, state, and national level
Expand and evaluate new farm to institution models Facilitate a demonstration site for hosting training
workshops to interested preschools Enable continued healthy fresh food access to
preschool families after project end Create a usable wellness policy for preschools Ultimately reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity
through early intervention
+From Our Farmshttp://gloucester.rcre.rutgers.edu/fchs/fromourfarms.html
+Growing a Green Generationhttp://horticulture.unh.edu/ggg.html
+Portland, Oregon: Harvest of the Month and Local Lunch
+Group Exercise:Differences between Farm to School in Pre-K and K-12Discuss some the aspects that differentiate farm to school programs in pre-K vs. K-12 (challenges AND opportunities )
+Pre-K and K-12 Differences: Classroom
More parental involvement in Head Start than K-12 Head Start instructors may have limited educational
background compared to K-12 Instructors are often required to do home visits, thereby
strengthening the home to school connection Services are provided to Head Start parents (health and
nutrition, parenting, etc.) Some Head Start centers are home-based rather than
centralized K-12 Head Start classes usually smaller and have higher teacher to
student ratio Experiential instruction more widely used and accepted in
Head Start
+Pre-K and K-12 Differences:Food Procurement
More regulations on what can be grown in children’s garden (Head Start)
Head Starts are a smaller market than K-12 for potential farmers
Ability for farmers and Head Start centers to establish closer relationship
May not have centralized distribution
No a la carte or choices
+Practical Skills for Cultivating Farm to Childcare Programs
+Farm to Childcare: Practical Skills
Finding a partner
Goal setting and program design
Steps to make connections with local farmers and food processors
+Farm to Childcare: Practical SkillsContinued…
Challenges:
More restrictions on what can be grown (night shades particularly not allowed – tomatoes, peppers, potatoes)
Physical outdoor environment more restricted
Establishing Head Start Gardens
+Farm to Childcare: Practical SkillsContinued…Establishing Head Start Gardens
Opportunities:
Of course, grow edibles!
Include a sand or soil box nearby (for kids that might not be tuned into the garden that day)
Plant with the senses in mind
Use lots of color
Consider planting fruit trees/bushes
Cook with what you grow or at least taste it
+Farm to Childcare: Practical SkillsContinued…
Be a good role model – eat your veggies!
Invite the parents
Buy one of these
Experiential Nutrition Education
+Farm to Childcare: Practical SkillsContinued…Farm Field Trips:
Try to go to the farm that supplies the food to the Head Start center (if applicable)
Make sure you have access to bathrooms
Dress appropriately and come prepared (water, name tags, sunscreen)
Provide authentic experiences – let the children do something real, like plant or weed or harvest
Make an inclement weather plan
+Farm to Childcare: Practical SkillsContinued…Promoting complementary food- and
garden-based education
Documenting and evaluating the project (Robinson-O’Brien et al., 2009; Joshi et al., 2008)
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Thank you! Questions?
Contact Information:
Emily Jackson: [email protected]
Stacey S. Williams: [email protected]