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!