promising strategies for lifelong health and wellnessnutrition.utk.edu › files › 2016 › 04 ›...

Growing Stronger Together

Farm to Early Care and Education: Promising Strategies for

Lifelong Health and Wellness


Lacy Stephens, MS, RDN Farm to Early Care and Education Associate

[email protected]


Presentation Overview •  Introduction to early care and education (ECE) •  Benefits of farm to ECE •  Policies related to farm to ECE •  Models of success


National Farm to School Network is a hub for:

Resources

People

Policy

Information Networking Advocacy

Connecting people to:


What is Farm to Early Care and Education (Farm to ECE)?

•  Natural extension of K-12 farm to school model •  Targets children ages 0-5 •  Adapts to all ECE settings (e.g., preschool, Head

Start/Early Head Start, center-based, programs in K-12 school districts and family childcare homes)


Farm to ECE Objectives •  Increase access to locally-grown,

healthy foods •  Provide gardening opportunities

and experiences •  Enhance the quality of the ECE

educational experience •  Promote and enhance family and

parent engagement •  Create a culture of health and

wellness in ECE settings


History of Farm to School/ECE •  Late 1990s - Farm to school practices develop •  2002 - First Nat’l Farm to Cafeteria Conference •  2007 - National Farm to School Network launches •  2010 - USDA Farm to School Grant Program and

National Farm to School Month •  2011 - NFSN convenes Farm to Preschool

Subcommittee, 1st NFSN Farm to Preschool Survey •  2014 – Farm to Preschool track at Nat’l conference •  2015 – USDA releases Local Foods in CACFP Memo,

2nd NFSN Farm to ECE Survey


Current Reach •  Results from NFSN Farm to ECE Survey

–  1,496 ECE sites responded and over half (54.4%) reported participating in farm to ECE activities.

–  Survey respondents in 48 states and Washington D.C. reported farm to ECE activities, compared to 38 states and Puerto Rico in 2012

–  Potential for growth: •  29% of survey respondents plan to start in the future •  74% of programs currently purchasing local anticipate increasing local

purchases

•  USDA Farm to School Census (2012) –  30% of school districts participating in farm to preschool


Why Farm to Early Care and Education? Same reasons as Farm to School!

Kids WIN Farmers WIN Communities WIN


BENEFITS OF FARM TO EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION


Enhanced Educational Experience

•  Alignment with ECE standards and systems –  State Early Learning Standards –  Head Start Program Performance

Standards

•  Experiential education is the norm –  Supports appropriate physical, social,

emotional development

•  Links to K-12 farm to school movement


•  Flexibility of purchasing •  Varying class and program sizes •  Year round programming

•  ECE Priority Areas •  Experiential learning opportunities •  Family style meals

•  Supporting success in CACFP •  Capitalize on K-12 successes

and infrastructure

Unique Opportunities for Local Food


•  Emphasis on parental engagement –  Most successful parent engagement actively engages with

experience and feedback1 –  Food and gardening experiences encompass multiple

learning objectives

•  Children as agents of change •  Impact on caregivers

–  Prioritize healthy eating –  Expand acceptance of new foods –  Encourage positive attitudes and modeling

Parent and Community Engagement


•  Family dinners •  Family taste tests •  Cooking classes •  Community supported

agriculture •  Pop up farmers

markets •  Story time

•  Garden days •  Field trips

Family Engagement Opportunities


•  Early obesity prevention –  Influence development of eating

patterns and preferences –  Increase knowledge and

improve food choices of parents and caregivers

–  Rely on parents/caregivers to create food/activity environments

–  Increase availability of healthier foods

Health and Wellness

Credit: Willamette Farm & Food Coalition


CDC Spectrum of Opportunities for Obesity Prevention in the ECE Setting2

•  Alignment with Farm to ECE –  Facility Level Interventions –  CACFP –  Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) –  Access to Healthy Environments –  Early Learning Standards –  Family Engagement


•  Introduced to a wide variety of flavors, textures, and foods

•  Fruit and vegetable consumption •  Mindful eating is fostered

(awareness of hunger and satiety) •  High fiber and nutrient rich diet

Early Childhood Obesity: Evidenced Based Protective Factors


•  Early childhood is a critical time for development of taste preferences3

•  Repeated exposure to fruits and vegetables increases preference, a predictor of future consumption4-8

Supporting Healthy Habits


Farm to ECE and F&V •  Farm to ECE activities contribute to increased

willingness to try and reported liking of target fruits and vegetables9,10

•  Farm to ECE participation contributes to increased fruit and/or vegetable intake11,12,13


Farm to School and Student Health14

•  Farm to school participation contributes to: –  Choosing healthier options at school meals –  Consuming more fruits and vegetables at school

meals and at home (+0.99 to +1.3 servings/day) –  Consuming less unhealthy foods and sodas –  Reducing screen time –  Increasing physical activity


•  Federal •  State •  Programmatic Policy

Farm to Early Care and Education Policy


Federal Policies and Programs

•  Child Nutrition Reauthorization –  Farm to School Act –  Child and Adult Care Food

Program •  Child Care Development Block

Grants (CCDBG) •  Every Student Succeeds Act

(ESSA)


•  Coordinator Position •  Appropriations •  Grant programs •  Reimbursement programs •  Statewide programs •  Farm to preschool/ECE •  School gardens •  Local preference laws •  State database or directory

•  Pilot programs •  Task force/council/working

group •  Food hubs •  Wellness or food security

policy •  Economic inequality •  Promotional events •  Resolution or proclamation

Types of State Farm to School Policy


•  DC Healthy Tots Act –  CACFP expansion –  Increased meal

reimbursements •  Local 5: Additional 5

cents per lunch or supper with at least one local food component

–  Wellness Grants

•  Strategies for Success –  Model on existing

legislation –  Leverage federal

programs –  Stakeholder

collaboration –  Public support

Farm to ECE State Policy


ECE Wellness Policies

Language to support farm to ECE activities: •  Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Policy15

–  “Meals and snacks will be purchased using locally produced fruits, vegetables, and other whole food items directly from farmers to the maximum extent feasible.”

–  “Preschool gardens, including container gardens, are strongly encouraged and every child will be given the opportunity to garden where feasible.”

–  “I will provide nutrition education that highlights local foods and may include hands on activities such as taste tests of local fruits and vegetables, gardening, and visits to farms or farmers’ markets or visits by local farmers.”


MODELS OF SUCCESS


•  Project of CACFP Sponsor, Our Daily Bread

•  Garden installation and education for ECE sites

•  Provider trainings •  Capitalize on

network built by CACFP

Taking Root Tennessee – Knoxville, TN


•  Community Impacts –  Contributes to success

for CACFP programs –  Providers change

eating habits and become role models

–  Increased demand for local produce, new markets for small farmers

Taking Root Tennessee


•  Nations first community development corporation •  Farm to ECE Components:

–  Coordination with food hub to provide produce boxes for families

–  Modify type of food served in child care – increase access to local F&V

–  Gardens and garden education –  Provider training and support –  Parent engagement

Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation – Brooklyn, NY


Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation

•  Aims and scope: –  ECE sites as models of health –  Influence parent food choices

and increasing engagement to promote healthy lifestyles

–  Farm to ECE as a catalyst for change in community food systems


Renewing the Countryside – Minneapolis, MN

•  Adapted to rural communities

•  Focus on small centers and home providers

•  “Train the trainer” model to create network of trainers

•  Peer learning groups for ongoing support


•  Keys to Success –  Training integrated into

existing professional development system

–  Utilize existing curricula and activity resources

–  Close community partnerships to leverage shared goals

Renewing the Countryside


Questions?

Contact: Lacy Stephens, MS, RDN

[email protected]


References 1.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Spectrum of Opportunities for Obesity Prevention in the Early Care

and Education Setting (ECE) CDC Technical Assistance Briefing Document. 2015. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/downloads/spectrum-of-opportunities-obesity-prevention.pdf.

2.  Grindal T, Bowne J, Yoshikawa H, Duncan GJ, Magnuson KA, Schindler H. The added impact of parenting education in early childhood education programs: A meta-analysis. Manuscript in revise and resubmit. 2013.

3.  Institute of Medicine. Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Policies. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2011.

4.  Birch LL, Marlin DW. I don't like it; I never tried it: effects of exposure on two-year-old children's food preferences. Appetite. 1982;3(4):353-360.

5.  Birch LL, McPhee L, Shoba BC, Pirok E, Steinberg L. What kind of exposure reduces children's food neophobia? Looking vs. tasting. Appetite. 1987;9(3):171-178.

6.  Wardle J, Cooke LJ, Gibson EL, Sapochnik M, Sheiham A, Lawson M. Increasing children's acceptance of vegetables; a randomized trial of parent-led exposure. Appetite. 2003;40(2):155-162.

7.  Nicklas TA, Baranowski T, et al. Family and child-care provider influences on preschool children's fruit, juice, and vegetable consumption. Nutr Rev. 2001; 59(7), 224-235.

8.  Blanchette L, & Brug J. Determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption among 6-12-year-old children and effective interventions to increase consumption. J Hum Nutr & Diet. 2005;18(6), 431-443.


References 9.  Sharma SV, Hedberg A, Skala KA, Chuang R, Lewis T. Feasibility and acceptability of a gardening-based nutrition

education program in preschoolers from low-income, minority populations. J Early Child Res. 2015;13(1):93-110. 10. Izumi BT, Eckhardt CL, Hallman JA, Herro K, Barberis DA. Harvest for healthy kids pilot study: Associations

between exposure to a farm-preschool intervention and willingness to try and liking of target fruits and vegetables among low-income children in Head Start. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2015;115(12):2003-2013.

11. Carroll JD, Demment MM, Stiles SB, et al. Overcoming barriers to vegetable consumption by preschool children: A childcare center buying club. J Hunger Environ Nutr. 2011;6(2):154-165.

12. Meinen A, Friese B, Wright W, Carrel A. Youth gardens increase healthy behaviors in young children. J Hunger Environ Nutr.. 2012;7(2-3):192-204.

13. Williams PA, Cates SC, Blitstein JL, et al. Nutrition-education program improves preschoolers' at-home diet: a group randomized trial. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2014;114(7):1001-1008.

14. National Farm to School Network. Benefits of Farm to School Fact Sheet. 2014. Available at http://www.farmtoschool.org/Resources/BenefitsFactSheet.pdf.

15.  YMCA Childcare Resource of San Diego County, San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative, Farm to Preschool program of the Urban and Environmental Policy Institute, Occidental College. Healthy Eating and Physical Activity: A Policy For Childcare. Available at http://www.farmtopreschool.org/preschoolwellness.html.


Save the Date! Promoting Healthy Weight 2.0

Friday, September 30, 2016 12:30pm – 5:00pm EDST (onsite) 12:45pm – 5:00pm EDST (online)

This Project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number T79MC09805, Leadership Education in Maternal and Child Health Nutrition, $176,795, 50% funded by the University of Tennessee, Department of Nutrition. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

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