1. Growing Farm to Preschool Bringing the Farmto Preschool SettingsStacey Sobell, EcotrustRosa Romero, UEPI, Occidental College Zoe Phillips, UEPI, Occidental College15th Annual CFSC Conference November 6, 2011

2. 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 afarmer or food producer? Are you from the west coast? The east coast?From out of the country? 3. Key Concepts K-12 farm to school movement is strongand growing Farm to preschool movement is emerging Farm to preschool is a systems approach National Farm to School Network andwww.farmtopreschool.org website provideresources and support 4. 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 5. Farm to Preschool: What and Why? 6. What is Farm to Preschool? Farm to School: Connects local food producers andprocessors with the school cafeteria orkitchen Food- and garden-based education in theclassroom, lunchroom, and community Farm to Preschool: Ages 0-5 Childcare centers, preschool, daycarecenters, in-home care, Head Start Cafeteria Classroom - Community 7. National Farm to School Networkhttp://www.farmtoschool.org/Operating in 50 statesMore than 2,352 programs in K-12 8. Why Farm to Preschool? Addresses increases in obesity amongpreschoolers Encourages preference and consumptionof fruits and vegetables Increases access to fresh fruits andvegetables 9. Why Farm to Preschool? Teaches food and environmental literacyto students, teachers and food serviceworkers Benefits local economy and environment Improves opportunities for small farmers 10. Why Preschool? Children consume as much as 80% ofdaily nutrients in childcare Early patterns are a determinant of latereating habits Children and schools can be agents ofchange in their family and community K-12 Farm to School movement strong Prepares preschoolers for later activities 11. Farm to Preschool:Systems Approach 12. Farm to Preschool Partners/ StakeholdersStudentsFamilies Educators Farm- to- Farmers & Community FoodSchool Members Producers Preschool FoodService/ Staff Cooks 13. Case Study: Los Angeles 14. 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 15. Nutrition and GardenEducatorsEducationHarvest of the Month nutrition curriculumStudents 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 16. Experiential Learning Educators StudentsInteractive Books Monthly Taste TestGardening Language and Arts Science Labs 17. Physical ActivityEducators Tutti-Fruitti physical activity breaks withStudentshealthy eating themes Studies show that PA breaks increaseconcentration throughout the day Ideal for during group and transitional times 18. Parent Outreach &Preschool FamiliesWorkshopsStaff Workshop Themes:Students Farmers &- Healthy Eating on a Budget Food Producers- Reading Nutritional Labels- Understanding Diabetes/Cholesterol- Home Gardening Monthly family newsletters Field trips & CSA 19. FoodLocal Food Sourcing Service/ CooksFarmers &Food Facilitate relationships with farmers,Producersfarmers markets, and food distributors Source locally in meal and snack menus Best Practices: start small,realize budget is the bottom-line; volume and seasonalityare key Models are emerging:-Cooperative Buying (Springfield, Mass)-Scratch cooking by large distributors (San Diego, Ca)-Farmers Markets, Farm direct, CSAs, Farm Cooperatives 20. PreschoolWellness PoliciesStaffFamilies Not required in childcareEducators Watered-down Potential for sustainable improvements inschool environment Include language for farm to preschool components Barriers: buy-in, not required Best Practices: involve administrators, staff,teachers and parents in development 21. Farmers & CommunityCommunity LinksFood ProducersMembersFarmers Market FieldtripStudents EducatorsCooperative Extension Farmer in the Classroom 22. Evaluation EducatorsFamiliesSurveys from students and parents Preschool over two school years showed: Community StaffMembers 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, lesslikely to prefer unhealthy foods Parents: Increased knowledge of farmers markets,healthy eating practices, reading nutrition labels,identifying obesity risk factors 23. Farm to PreschoolNationally 24. A Growing Movement Handful of pilot programs a few years ago National Farm to School Network: one-yearfarm to preschool planning initiative Farm to Preschool Subcommittee 2012 Activities: National survey of programs Convening key stakeholders Farm to Cafeteria Conference Report Website 25. Coming Soon!www.FarmToPreschool.org 26. Farm to Preschool:Interactive Activities 27. Sample Farm to Preschool ActivitiesStudents: Science Discovery Lab Taste test Gardening Tutti Fruitti stretch 28. Community MappingFamiliesStudentsEducatorsActivity:Farmers & Food Producers Farm- to- School Community MembersCreating a Farm to Preschool Preschool StaffFood Service/CooksCommunity Action Plan 29. Questions? 30. Contact Information/ResourcesRosa RomeroStacey Sobellrromero@oxy.edussobell@ecotrust.orgwww.farmtopreschool.orgwww.farmtoschool.org