Nebraska Farm to Early Care & Education

NEW Harvest of the Month Early Care and Education Lessons

Nebraska Harvest of the Month is a statewide farm to school program that features different Nebraska local food products each month of the year. The program promotes local fruits and vegetables and provides resources to support sampling and serving local foods to students. All material is FREE and available to download for use in schools, early care and education facilities, afterschool programs, and homes!

Nebraska Harvest of the Month is proud to announce the addition of 12 brand new lessons aligned with the Nebraska Early Learning Guidelines featuring twelve local products that are grown and raised in our great state.

Harvest of the Month Early Care and Education Pilot Infographic

Listen in as one of our Farm to School Specialists, Sarah Meyer, joins the Nebraska Step up to Quality podcast to discuss the Farm to Early Care and Education program.

Farm to Early Care and Education

Farm to Early Care & Education (ECE) is an extension of the national Farm to School movement that started with school gardening and connecting farms/farming to schools. Farm to Early Care & Education includes early childhood programs encompassing preschools, Head Starts, child care centers, and day care homes serving garden or local foods, and providing hands-on nutrition educational activities such as field trips, taste-testing, cooking and gardening with children.

There are many benefits for children when they are involved in the gardening process. They learn about gardening, agriculture, and life skills. Children can be included with planning, planting, watering, weeding, and harvesting the garden. Fresh garden produce tastes better and data supports increased fruit and vegetable consumption in children who participate in gardening activities. Gardening also supports social and emotional growth.

Why Farm to Early Care & Education?

It helps young children to develop healthy food patterns which can lead to better overall health as they age. Daily fruits and vegetables are essential for good nutrition, healthy growth, and proper brain development. Research shows children who consume fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables, harvested when fully ripe, eat more of them. It also supports early obesity prevention. Children in early care rely on care givers to provide healthy food and an active environment. Farm to Early Care and Education helps children and families eat healthier, supports local farmers, and keeps more dollars in local economies.

Nebraska Farm to Early Care and Education Toolkit

Check out the Farm to Early Care and Education (ECE) Toolkit below. Simply click on the icons below for resources to assist in ECE planning for your program. For grant funding availability, click on “Getting Started” or visit KidsGardening Grant Opportunities. If you are new to Farm to ECE, consider making small steps to get started. For example, include a locally sourced food item once per month, participate in the Crunch Off in October, or introduce a local food educational activity through taste testing or “Try a Bite” with local produce.