Farm to Early Care and Education (ECE), also known as Farm to ECE, is a national movement to bring more local, nutritious food to child care programs and to encourage healthy habits, such as healthy eating and outdoor play, among children in early care settings. Early care settings serve children ages 0 to 5 and can include preschools, child care centers, family child care homes, Head Start or Early Head Start programs, and school-based child care programs. Farm to ECE efforts include serving and sourcing more locally produced foods, providing hands-on learning experiences through school gardens or farm visits, and incorporating food and nutrition education into child care program curriculum.

Farm to ECE efforts support local food systems and can provide affordable means to accessing healthy food, particularly in communities where families struggle to access fresh and affordable food otherwise. You can learn more about the Farm to ECE movement from the National Farm to School Network (NFSN) at the link below.