Farm to ECE

Bringing Fresh Local Foods to Young Children with Farm to ECE

Farm to Early Care and Education (ECE) helps to increase access to local foods, garden experiences, and food and farming education for child care programs across Alabama.

Farm to ECE is broken down into 3 main areas:

• Local Food Purchasing - includes creating connections and purchasing through local farmers and food producers for meals and snacks served at the ECE program.

• Food and Farming Education - includes providing nutrition and agriculture education in the classroom and to families attending the program.

• Gardening Experiences - includes creating an on-site garden and adding in-class gardening activities to the program.

Why Farm to ECE?

Agriculture is one of the largest industries in the state of Alabama. Farm to ECE can provide opportunities for early childhood educators to access fresh local foods and support their local farmers and businesses. Gardening activities can help children build gross and fine motor skills, as well as language and literacy skills. Gardening is also a great form of physical activity for children and adults, and can even introduce children to new fruits and vegetables! 

Farm to ECE activities are an exciting way to introduce children to new foods - when children learn about the process it takes for food to get to our plate, they may be more likely to try it.

How can individuals support early childhood educators and farmers?

Buy Local! Support your local economy by purchasing fruits, vegetables, and other products from local farmers and food producers.

Show your support for early childhood educators. These professionals play an important role in the health and development of young children!

Ask questions. If you have a child attending a child care program that serves meals or snacks during the day, ask if they serve locally-grown foods.

Start a garden! No matter how big or small, gardening can be a fun experience for children and adults.

Alabama Healthy Kids, Healthy Future is a partner of the Alabama Farm to ECE Coalition. The Alabama Farm to ECE Coalition empowers early childhood educators to successfully source healthy local foods, build gardens, and offer food and agriculture activities that enrich the quality of early learning experiences for children and support the Alabama food economy.

Learn more about the Farm to ECE Coalition on the Alabama Farm to ECE Website.