– Including Farm to Preschool!
History: HCFS staff have been involved for well over 20 years in helping develop and support Farm to School on the national, state, and local levels. We were founding members of the National Farm to School Network, Colorado Farm to School, and the La Plata County Farm to School Program. We then extended the benefits of healthy food, as local as possible, and gardens and edible education, along with lessons learned here in K-12, to our youngest children in our Southwest Colorado Farm to Preschool project. See our Four Corners Farm to School page for information on the greater Four Corners region and visit our Digging Deeper page to learn about the true potential of Farm to School.
Current Efforts: Farm to School and Preschool have been institutionalized over the past several years on the national and state levels, which is what we hoped for in helping spearhead these efforts in the nonprofit sector. While we are not involved in Farm to School programming now, we are maintaining on this website many of the resources we developed over the years for others to use and adapt, and continue to promote and advocate for these essential programs.
HCFS FARM TO SCHOOL PUBLICATIONS:
- Looking Forward in the Wild School Garden – age-appropriate exploration of climate, biodiversity, and food
- The Why and How of Farm to School & Preschool – a quick guide with resources for digging deeper.
- Farm to Preschool report, The Promise of Farm to Preschool in Southwest Colorado (PDF)
- Farm to School Resource Tool booklet adapted from Colorado FTS Primer and now applicable to any state or tribe.
- Colorado Farm to School Primer: This 28 page publication was written by HCFS and produced by LiveWell Colorado. Contact us for PowerPoint version.
KEY WEBSITES:
- Colorado CDPHE: Farm to Child
- National Farm to School Network including Preschool/ECE
- National Farm to School Network’s National Farm to Cafeteria Conferences
