From Seeds to Success: Hands -On Gardening Training Empowers ECE Providers

In-Person Seed Starting Training - Prattville, AL

On February 15, 2025, gardening expert Bionca Lindsey and the Alabama Healthy Kids, Healthy Future (AL HKHF) team hosted an engaging and hands-on gardening training for Early Care and Education (ECE) providers in Prattville, Alabama. The event, titled In-Person Seed Starting Training, brought together early childhood educators and trainers eager to deepen their skills in garden-based learning and healthy food education. Participants received a large, comprehensive kit of gardening supplies with everything they needed to kick off their own spring gardens from seeds. The training featured a step-by-step demonstration of seed starting, where participants were able to start planting their own cucumber seeds. ECE educators and trainers learned best practices for soil preparation, watering, light requirements, and transplanting, ensuring they could confidently replicate the process with the children in their care.

The training received overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees. One trainer shared, “It was fun and informative! Love the kit and things we received to take home with us! I can’t wait to start my own garden!”

When asked what they liked best about the training, participants highlighted:

   “The presenter, Ms. Lindsey, was very knowledgeable.”

   “The hands-on activities.”

    “Hands on & easy explanations.”

    “Being able to ask questions.”

This interactive session not only equipped participants with tangible materials but also sparked ideas for incorporating gardening into their daily programs, fostering hands-on learning about healthy foods from the ground up. By the end of the training, the 17 attendees left with both the knowledge and the resources to plant the seeds, both literally and figuratively, for healthier futures in their classrooms and communities.