Farm to early care and education is a promising community-based solution to ensure that every child in America has access to healthy, culturally relevant foods and is meeting nutrient-driven developmental milestones. It has the added benefit of creating markets for local farmers. Since 2015, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) has invested more than $18 million to support state coalitions and technical assistance to help seed and catalyze the movement.
To lift up learnings and spread the farm to early education model, as well as spark further investment, WKKF has worked with our partners to create a set of resources that include policy briefs, a funders’ guide and state stories. We hope these are of use during National Farm to School Month in October and beyond.
This toolkit is designed to help you share the resources and build support for farm to early care and education among funders, policymakers, community-based organizations and other partners. It includes how-to tips for sharing, sample social media and email content, and links to the resources.
Based on learnings from our grantee partners, WKKF has created a set of resources to use and share in building support for farm to early care and education.
October is National Farm to School Month and a prime time to promote the importance of farm to early care and education. Use social media to share these new resources aimed to build support and expand the farm to early care and education movement.
You can also join the National Farm to School Network for a series of virtual events throughout National Farm to School Month!
These posts are adaptable for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and can even inspire content for TikTok.
Join #FarmToSchool Month to celebrate the farm to early care and education programs and practices that are working for young children and building healthy habits for life. http://wkkf.co/farm-to-ece #F2SMonth
Join us for #F2SMonth as we highlight opportunities to support child nutrition and build equitable local food systems through #FarmToECE. http://wkkf.co/farm-to-ece #FarmToSchool
Check out new resources from the [W.K. Kellogg Foundation] to learn why #FarmToECE is a win-win for young learners, providers and local farmers and producers. http://wkkf.co/farm-to-ece
#F2SMonth #FarmToSchool
Build support for #FarmToECE in your community with resources from the [W.K. Kellogg Foundation] that share opportunities at the national, state and local levels. http://wkkf.co/farm-to-ece
#F2SMonth #FarmToSchool
Funding farm to early care and education is one of the most powerful early childhood investments we can make. Let’s fund the future. http://wkkf.co/farm-to-ece
#FarmToSchool #F2SMonth
How funders can support #FarmToECE:
1) Use a racial equity framework
2) Give unrestricted funding
3) Be open to continued learning
4) Build an exit strategy
Learn more: http://wkkf.co/farm-to-ece #F2SMonth
The [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] recognizes #FarmToECE as an approach to obesity prevention. We know the solutions that work, so let’s fund their expansion. http://wkkf.co/farm-to-ece
#FarmToSchool #F2SMonth
Children who eat homegrown fruits and vegetables are 2.3x more likely to eat the [USDA]-recommended five daily servings. #FarmToECE brings fresh produce into the classroom so that all kids have a healthy start. http://wkkf.co/farm-to-ece
#FarmToSchool #F2SMonth
To sustain and expand #FarmToECE, we need more people advocating for equitable policies and more foundations investing in equitable programs. http://wkkf.co/farm-to-ece
#FarmToSchool #F2SMonth #RacialEquity
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the inequities in food and learning systems. States can take action by investing in our youngest learners with #FarmToECE. http://wkkf.co/farm-to-ece
#FarmToSchool
Feel free to use these graphics in your posts or create your own.
It’s National Farm to School Month and this year we celebrate the 10-year anniversary of farm to early care and education. Through growing, eating and learning about nourishing, locally sourced food, farm to early care and education initiatives around the country support children’s cognitive, physical and social-emotional development. Farm to early care and education also improves community nutrition and builds sustainable local food systems – benefitting children, families, providers, farmers and communities.
To help grow the movement, we’re happy to share resource materials created by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation based on learnings from its five-year, five-state investment in farm to early care and education.These include a funders’ guide, a four-part series of policy briefs and state success stories from Georgia, Iowa, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Learn more at http://wkkf.co/farm-to-ece
We hope you’ll join us in supporting the spread of farm to early care and education to reach more children and set them on a path to healthy, thriving lives.
We hope you’ll join us in learning more about and supporting farm to early care and education, a proven community-based solution that ensures young children’s cognitive, physical and social-emotional development. Through growing, eating and learning about nourishing, farm-fresh food in early care and education settings, farm to early care and education initiatives connect young children with locally produced food and promote healthy eating. It has the added benefits of improving community nutrition and building sustainable local food systems.
Check out new resources from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to grow the farm to early care and education movement.
