1. Farm to Preschool
Strategies for growing healthy children
and communities
Zoe Phillips, MPH; Rosa Romero, Master Gardener;
Kristine Smith, RD; Ryan Reddy, Lead Teacher
CACFP Roundtable conference – October 18, 2011

2. Farm to Preschool Program
• Urban & Environmental Policy Institute,
Occidental College
• Goals: Influence early childhood eating habits
and expand the Farm to School network of
programs
• Completed 2 year pilot, in expansion phase
• Piloted in Los Angeles and San Diego counties,
expanded to Hawai’i

3. Program Components
• Nutrition and garden curriculum
• Experiential learning
• Local food sourcing
• Parent outreach and workshops
• Teacher trainings
• Evaluation
• Wellness policies
• Demonstration training workshops and tours
• Linkage to national network and website

4. Evaluation
• Model: Quasi-experimental
• Surveys: students, parents, teachers
• 2009-2010 & 2010-2011 school years:
over 700 children, over 180 parents
• Barriers: time; age and cultural
appropriateness
• Best Practices: evidenced-based with
control data; outside program evaluator

5. Evaluation: Results
• Increased knowledge of fruits and vegetables
• Increased knowledge of ‘local’ and ‘fresh’
• Increased willingness to try new fruits and vegetables
• Trend towards preferring more fruits and vegetables,
less likely to prefer unhealthy foods
• Parents: Increased knowledge of farmers’ markets,
healthy eating practices, reading nutrition labels,
identifying obesity risk factors
• Qualitative results:
– students enjoyed fruit and vegetable taste tests
– asked their families to make healthier purchases
– more families shopped at farmers’ markets

6. Wellness Policies
• Not required in childcare
• Watered-down
• Potential for sustainable improvements
• Include language for farm to preschool
components
• Barriers: buy-in, not required
• Best Practices: work with school
administrators and childcare agencies

7. National Network
• Developing a national Farm to
Preschool/Farm to Childcare network
• Website: www.FarmToPreschool.org
• Farm to School model and resources
– Nationally-based Farm to Preschool
Subcommittee
• Early stages: linking programs and
resources; finding relevancy

8. Local Food Sourcing
• Facilitate relationships with farmers, farmers’
markets, and food distributors
• Source locally in meal and snack menus
• Barrier: childcare follows various sourcing
models
• Best Practices: start small,
realize budget is the bottom-
line; volume and seasonality
are key

9. Nutrition and Garden Education
• Harvest of the Month nutrition curriculum
– CA state developed program
– Developed for K-12, modified preK version
– Weekly lessons
– Monthly taste tests
– New topics:
-Seasonal and local food system
-Plant cycles through gardening

10. Harvest of the Month
Weekly Lessons Monthly Taste Tests

11. Experiential Learning
Gardening
Farmers’ Market Fieldtrip Farmer in the Classroom
Science Labs Art

12. Physical Activity
• “Tutti-Fruiti” physical activity breaks with healthy
eating themes
• PA breaks increase concentration throughout
the day
• Ideal for during group and transitional times

13. Parent Outreach & Workshops
• Workshops: nutrition, healthy food access,
cooking demos, interactive activities, gardening,
‘promotora’ visits
• Monthly parent newsletters
• Field trips
• CSA or market basket program

14. Contact Information
Zoe Phillips, Program Manager
Rosa Romero, Program Coordinator
Urban & Environmental Policy Institute
Occidental College, Los Angeles
323-341-5098/5090
phillipsz@oxy.edu or rromero@oxy.edu
http://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/

15. NHA’s Nutrition Services
• The Team
– 8 Food Service Assistants
– 1 Milk Truck Driver
– 2 Cooks
– 1 Chef
– 1 Food Service Manager
– 1 Fiscal Analyst
– 1 RD / Director of
Nutrition Services
• About 7,000 meals daily to 38 sites
• 1.2 Million meals prepared in central kitchen last year

16. Our Menu
• Unique – all foods made from scratch daily
• Chef creates delectable flavors
• RD ensures nutrient density
• Disproves myth preschoolers don’t like “healthy” or “adult” food
• 94% child approval rate last year
• Teaching tool for parents and teachers
• Coordinates with San Diego’s harvest seasons
- Farm to Preschool
- School gardens
- Farm visits
- Delicious and nutrient-dense produce

17. Our Menu

18. CACFP and Cooking from Scratch
• Cyclic and seasonal menu
- Create frequently used staples
- County Farm Bureau may have harvest schedule
- Provide annual schedule of produce needs to farmers
• Standardized recipes
- Proper ingredient nomenclature from FBG
• Training for staff
- Culinary
- Nutrition
- Food safety and sanitation

19. Sourcing Locally and Contracting
• Contact county Farm Bureau to find farmers and markets
• Build relationships with farmers
– Shop at farmers’ markets in your city
– Don’t be afraid to say, “Hi!”
– Question them about their farm
– Get their business card
– Visit their farm
• Define “local”
– Within the County
– Within “X” miles of your site

20. Talking to Farmers
• Speak common “language” and be polite
• Remember farmers may be limited with
- Admin staff
- Transportation
- Technology
• Tell them what you want/need but be flexible
• Visit the farms you choose to work with
• Invite farmers to your kitchen or classrooms

21. Contact Information
Kristine Smith, RD
Director of Nutrition Services Central Kitchen
Neighborhood House Association
kmsmith@neighborhoodhouse.org
www.neighborhoodhouse.org

33. Contact Information
Ryan Reddy
Lead Teacher
Children's Bureau of Southern California
Wallis Annenberg Child Development Center
Magnolia Place Preschool
ryanreddy@all4kids.org
www.all4kids.org

34. Activity
Taste Test!