Farm to Preschool

• Farm to PreSchool is a critical program in that these younger children need the best food possible since their overall health and attitudes about food established at this age tend to carry on throughout their lives.
• Improve children’s health now and throughout their lives by establishing healthy eating habits and a positive relationship with food at an early age: Farm to School Benefits Fact Sheet
• Incorporating both local food and garden education is encouraged by and reimbursable through CACFP: Local food in CACFP resources

• Learn how to choose healthy, sustainable, local food: Choosing Good Food & Sustainable Food Choices tool
• Guidance for the CO CACFP Healthier Meals Initiative

• Go to the farmers market, join a CSA, or work with a local farmer.
• Ask your local grocery store.
• Ask your local K-12 about their local food sources.
• Check out our list of La Plata County local food sources.
• Grow your own in a preschool garden & reap the full benefits of Farm to Preschool!
• Learn more: Finding Local Food

• Don’t assume good food is more expensive, especially if you shop in bulk, avoid costly ultra-processed foods, and save shipping costs with local producers.
• CACFP funds can be used for both local food and edible garden supplies & grant opportunities exist (see more).
• Cheap food typically ignores the true cost of food:
  • Medical costs from poor foods, social costs of low-paid workers, environmental costs of unsustainable foods, even ethical costs of inhumane treatment of animals and unfair employment practices.  Pay now or pay later.
• When considering price, make sure you’re comparing apples to apples:
  • Local vs distant with shipping
  • Fast-food vs good whole food
  • Ultraprocessed vs scratch
  • Direct purchase vs grocery chain.
• Realize that good food shouldn’t be cheap!
  • “…things can be affordable, but they can never be cheap, because, if they’re cheap, somebody’s missing out.” Alice Waters, NPR 

• Ideas for Small Spaces and Small Gardeners
• Grow carrots in containers – you can grow more than you might expect.
• Visit a nearby community or school garden.
• More about preschool gardens.

• Many local foods can be stored in a cool room, cooler, or freezer: Extending the Local Food Season tool & online resources
• Learn about the food seasons beyond the typical growing season – passive season-extension, preservation, and cold storage: Year-Round Local Food Calendar & online resources

• Download free guides on specific vegetables (recipes, curriculum, activities, & parent education) – Harvest for Health Kids
• Colorado ranks 6th in the nation for production of dry beans. Learn how to cook them:

• Read them a book about that specific food or new foods in general: Farm to Preschool Books at the Durango Public Library, available as PDF or searchable Excel spreadsheet.
• Engage them in edible education: Edible Education Curriculum, Farmer Daniel Day, & Farm Field Trips
• Get them growing and cooking the foods themselves:

https://vimeo.com/75768835

https://vimeo.com/75747117

• When kids are willing to try new foods or are positively exposed to them at school, parents can more easily implement changes for a healthier family diet. Additionally, children involved in Farm to School increasingly ask families to make healthier purchases: Farm to School Benefits Fact Sheet
• Reach out to them: Parent Newsletters, Healthy Snack Sheet (also available in Spanish), Lunch From Home
• Find ways to involve parents in the preschool setting.

• View pathways to get started
• Guidance for the CO CACFP Healthier Meals Initiative
• Our Sample Local Food Menu
• Harvest of the Month
  • Gunnison Watershed School District (Colorado) example menu & newsletter
  • California Harvest of the Month

• Sign up for the SW Colorado Farm to Preschool eNewsletter
• For example, at Durango CO schools: Giving Thanks with Local Food at Durango 9-R Schools
• Check with your National Farm to School Network State Lead for information on preschool programs occurring in your state.

• Send them this list of how they can help you
• Ask them for help in finding local producers and products.
• Ask them for help in publicizing your work and successes in conventional and social media – it helps!
• Attend local food meetings to learn more and share your needs.
• If they are supporting a K-12 Farm to School project, ask them to include preschools also.
• If not, show them how Farm to Preschool can be a central part of their local food efforts – The Promise of Farm to Preschool in SW Colorado.