Farm to Early Care and Education Provides Children in Boulder County with Farm-Fresh Foods
Many of our childhood memories are connected to the food we grew up with. Well into our adulthood, these foods (or even just the thought of them) can provide us with feelings of comfort that are otherwise hard to come by in adulthood. It’s not uncommon for these meals to be extra cheese-y, sometimes gooey, or credited to a recipe on a can. While we are always eager to hear about a treasured family recipe, we believe that it’s equally important to introduce young children to seasonal fruits and veggies grown on local farms that can, hopefully, become a new food memory that they tell their children about.
October is National Farm to School Month, a time when schools and agricultural producers celebrate the partnerships that help create flourishing school gardens, nutrition education programs, and healthy school meals. Across the country, public health departments, farms, and agriculture hubs work with childcare centers and schools to allow children to try new produce, experiment with cooking, and learn how their food is grown.
Farm to Early Care and Education brings local food to children in Boulder County
In 2015, Boulder County Public Health began piloting a local farm to school program called Farm to Early Care and Education (Farm to ECE). It began with four childcare centers in Boulder and Longmont has since grown to support 82 schools and centers in the county. Since its inception, Boulder County Farmers Markets has supported this program by providing bags filled with seasonal produce, along with suggested activities and recipes, that get delivered to participating schools and childcare centers. This effort reaches about 3,690 children, 5,535 parents, and 820 staff, bringing hands-on nutrition education and farm-fresh produce into classrooms and offering children early exposure to healthy eating habits.
Farm to School programs like Farm to ECE are not only vital for our community’s children, but they also can be instrumental in supporting local food producers. Through the Health Equity Fund (HEF), Boulder County Public Health and Boulder County Farmers Markets can purchase locally-grown produce from our local farmers to support Boulder County kids. Participants in Farm to ECE range from large childcare centers serving hundreds of children to small, informal setups with just a handful of kids. The program recognizes the importance of health equity, prioritizing childcare programs that support families with lower incomes and Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FNN) childcare centers.
From the Farm to the Classroom
Heather Pias teaches preschool at Columbine Elementary in Longmont. For her, the best part of participating in the Farm to ECE program is seeing the excitement on the children’s faces when the produce bags come out. They’ve made watermelon popsicles, applesauce, and stone soup, and have held taste-tests where they get to try a lot of new produce at once (apparently, radishes aren’t a hit with little ones). While some may be picky eaters, Heather says that helping to make the recipes helps encourage the kids to try new things. When she has extra produce, she sends it home with her students to share with their families – perhaps spurring new family recipes to be enjoyed for years to come.
