Eat Well Play Hard Farm to Preschool

New York State Department of Health, Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Eat Well Play Hard in Child Care Settings (EWPHCCS) Initiative

Overview

The Eat Well Play Hard Farm to Preschool program is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – Education (SNAP-Ed) and is included as a comprehensive state level farm to early care and education intervention in the SNAP-Ed Library.

Farm to Preschool is a multifaceted intervention that focuses in-part on educating preschool-aged children on how their food is grown. Farm to Preschool also educates parents and caregivers about locally grown fruits and vegetables and how to prepare and serve them to their families. In addition, Farm to Preschool also helps centers implement systems, environmental, and policy changes to support the use of locally grown foods in their centers and the promotion of locally grown foods in their communities.

Interested in Eat Well Play Hard Farm to Preschool?

Child care centers and Head Starts in New York State may be eligible for Farm to Preschool programming through an Eat Well Play Hard in Child Care Settings grantee in their region. For more information or to see if your center might be eligible, contact the New York State Child and Adult Care Food Program at 1-800-942-3858 or cacfp@health.ny.gov.

See the sections below for more information and related resources.

National Websites and Resource Directories

National Farm to School Network (NFSN):

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advancing Farm to ECE
Leveraging CACFP for Farm to ECE, National CACFP Sponsors Association
Leveraging CACFP for Farm to Early Care and Education: Growing Wins Across Early Childhood and Food System Sectors, Food Research & Action Center
SNAP-Ed in the Garden, USDA

General Farm to Early Care and Education

Getting Started with Farm to Early Care and Education, NFSN
Farm to Preschool: Local Food and Learning in Early Child Care and Education Settings, USDA
A Roadmap for Farm to Early Care and Education, NFSN

Procuring Local Foods with CACFP

Farm to CACFP, USDA
Local Procurement for Child Care Centers, NFSN
Local Purchasing for Family Child Care Providers, NFSN
Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs, USDA
Local Food Directories, USDA

Farm to Preschool Curriculum

Grow It, Try It, Like It! Nutrition Education Kit Featuring MyPlate, USDA
Growing Minds Farm to Preschool Toolkit, Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project

This material was funded by USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.