Early Care and Education (ECE) Resources

ECE Resources available from Farm to ECE Connections 

Curriculums and Related Resources

• A Guide to Using The Creative Curriculum® for Infants, Toddlers & Twos to Support Farm-to-ECE Models
  By The Policy Equity Group & Teaching Strategies, LLC
• Farm to Child Care Curriculum Package
  By Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy
• Creative Curriculum Resources 
  By The Policy Equity Group
• Reach for the Stars Curriculum
  2nd Edition
  By Farm to Preschool Network
• Preschool Lesson Plans
  Farm to Preschool Toolkit, Second Edition
  By Growing Minds
• Classroom Curriculum
  By Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS)
• Pint Size Produce Curriculum
  By Renewing the Countryside
• Grow It, Try It, Likey It! Curriculum
  By USDA
• Hay Verduras?
  By Community GroundWorks and Wisconsin Department of Health Services
• How’s it Growing?
  By Children's Country Day School
• Farm to Keiki Corner 
  By Da Bux
• Farm Lesson Plans
  Found on Teachers Pay Teachers
• Plant / Life Cycle Lesson Plans
  Found on Teachers Pay Teachers
• Free Printable Farm Resources
  Found on Education.com
• Farm to ECE Resources
  By Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS)
• Color Me Healthy
  By NC State Extension and Community and Clinical Connections for Prevention and Health

Books for the Classroom

• Farm to ECE Children’s Book List
  By Mass Audubon, Rina Zampieron
• Farm to ECE Educator’s List
  By Mass Audubon, Rina Zampieron
• Farm to School and Gardening Too! Little Book
• Fruit and Veggie ABC’s Little Book
• I Love Fruits and Veggies Little Book
• Let’s All Go to the Farmer’s Market Little Book
• Let Me Help in the Kitchen! Little Book
• What Color are You Eating Little Book
• Choose Us! Fruit and Veggie Buddies Little Book
• Fruit and Veggie 1-2-3 Little Book
• Fruit & Veggie Sticker Book
• Eating More Fruits and Vegetables Coloring Book

Toolkits

• “I Tried Local…” A Toolkit for Engaging Kids with Local Food and Farms
  By Growing Minds
• Healthy Habits Start Early Toolkit
  By Iowa Department of Education & University of Iowa College of Public Health
• Getting Started: Georgia Farm to Early Care and Education Guide
  By Georgia Organics and Georgia Dept of Early Care and Learning 
• Wake County Farm to Child Care Toolkit
  By Wake County Smart Start

Local Food Related Resources

• CACFP and Farm to ECE
• Snacking and Cooking with Warm-Season Produce from Childcare Production Gardens
  By NC State Extension
• Snacking and Cooking With Cool-Season Produce From Childcare Production Gardens
  By NC State Extension
• ECE Sourcing Solutions
  By Georgia Organics
• Local Food Directory
  By USDA
• NC Fresh Produce Purchasing and Prep Guides – Tools for Child Care Providers
  By Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS)
• Identifying, Storing and Preparing Vegetables
  By Farm Fresh: Produce 101
• Local Food Recipes
  By Growing Minds
• Farm to ECE Supply List Examples
• Because Breastmilk is the Ultimate Local Food- How to Become a NC Breastfeeding-Friendly Child Care Site
  By Community and Clinical Connections for Prevention and Health
• Flourishing with Herbs
• ASAP Growing Minds Recipes
  By ASAP: Growing Minds

ECE Garden Resources

• Gardening with Young Children | NLI (naturalearning.org)
  By Natural Learning Initiative
• Video Archive
  By Growing Minds
  Videos include virtual tours of local family farms to share with students, plus instructional videos for educators beginning to implement farm to school activities at their schools, including edible gardens, local food taste tests, and classroom cooking lessons.
• Plants Want to Grow: Garden Basics for Beginners
  By Rooted
• Free Seed Program
  By ASAP
• So You Want to Start a Garden - May 2023
  By Go NAPSACC Webinars
• Gardening in a Child Care Setting
• Seed Libraries
  Note: Information provided directly by the local libraries.

Farm Connection Resources

• How to Visit A Farm (Field Trip Planning)
  By Local Harvest
• Questions to Ask if Considering a CSA
  By Local Harvest
• Tips for Potential CSA Members
  By Local Harvest

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