Farm to Early Care and Education

For over 10 years, the Food and Health Network has connected K-12 students and local food producers through the Farm to School program. We are excited to expand these efforts to our littlest learners in Delaware County with the Farm to Early Care and Education (Farm to ECE) initiative!

Farm to Early Care is a win for children, farmers, and communities! Our program works to increase the use of local food and integrate food and agriculture education in child care settings. 

We do this through local food procurement, working with farm and food businesses to strengthen the regional food system, taste tests, designing local food menus, school and community gardens, building capacity through direct consultation services, and fostering connections with organizations and communities in the region. 

Why Farm to ECE?

Farm to EC shares many of the same benefits as Farm to School, including:

• Increases fruit and vegetable consumption in program participants
• Provides high-quality, hands-on education opportunities
• Bolsters the local economy by providing new markets to small farms

This builds on existing benefits of early childhood programs and presents a unique opportunity for early care providers:

• Improves quality rating and improvement system scores
• Helps meet meal pattern requirements
• Supports experiential learning
• Encourages family involvement

Get Involved!

As we begin to develop this program, we want YOUR input! If you are a parent, student, early childhood educator, or farmer, reach out to us to join the Farm to EC team!

Contact: Kevin Davidson, Farm to EC Coordinator, kdavidson@rhnscny.org