Farm to Early Care & Education Institute

The 3Cs Approach to Farm to School (adapted from Vermont FEED)

The 3Cs approach, which Vermont FEED developed in 2000, has taken root across the country as a successful model of change that connects efforts in the Cafeteria, Classroom, and Community to achieve robust and sustainable farm to school programs.

We’ve found that the more successful programs are not “add ons” to policies and curricula, but integrated throughout the site or center’s priorities and culture. This requires collaboration among administrators, school nutrition professionals, students, families, and educators. 

In the Classroom (also referred to as “curriculum” for ECE)

Farm to school education provides a real-world context for learning across all disciplines. Engaging young children in hands-on opportunities such as planting school gardens, cooking food from scratch, and visiting local farms establishes meaningful connections to the curriculum and deepens understanding. Rather than an add-on to an already crowded curriculum, food, nutrition, and agriculture can be integrated within the existing curriculum, from literacy and history to math and science.

In the Cafeteria (also referred to as “kitchen” for ECE)

The place where meals are served (cafeteria, kitchen, tables in the classroom) is a major hub of activity. It can be a powerful educational environment engaging young children in activities like taste tests and cooking lessons to introduce them to new foods and empower them to make healthy choices. Farm to school programs connect the expertise of school nutrition staff with education initiatives, resulting in increased participation in the meal program, reduced waste, and making nutritious food accessible to all students.

More than half of America’s children—nearly 30 million students—get daily nutrition from school meals, and schools spend over $6.3 billion on food costs. These numbers present enormous opportunities, and farm to school programs leverage this potential by strengthening connections between school meal programs and local food producers. When a cafeteria increases its local purchasing, it bolsters its local economy, resourcing it with funds that recirculate and build value long after the original sale.

In the Community

Making connections within the community builds partnerships outside the site or center for place-based learning and garners community support for school initiatives. Young children have opportunities to learn about how their food is produced and to develop their own agency for creating change. Farmers build relationships with early childhood programs, schools, and other local institutions that allow them to expand into other wholesale markets and boost the local economy. Community dinners and harvest festivals involve parents, families, and the whole community in building a food culture that is celebratory, honors multiple foodways, and is committed to healthy and sustainable food choices.

Farm to ECE efforts are most successful and long-lasting when teams take the time to build commitment and capacity of a diverse set of collaborators. These must include nutrition/food service staff, teachers, and administrators. They may also include garden educators, family members, farmers and other food producers, and community partners. We encourage and seek diverse teams that contain members of different racial and gender identity, experience levels, and program roles. Sites that serve at least 40% of children eligible for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) are prioritized in the 2024-2025 program.

Consider inviting people who are already farm to ECE champions as well as key decision-makers and implementers who have yet to become involved but could provide valuable insights or connections when it comes time to implement your action plan. Your site may already have a group that has been working on farm to ECE or wellness, or there might be a committee that has worked on these efforts in the past but possibly needs a “refresh” with some new planning and new team members.

• Single-site teams:
  Teams must be composed of 3-5 individuals representing various constituencies in the ECE site and community. Teams must have representation from the three following roles: administration, teachers, school nutrition/food service. Additional team members can include: staff,  farmers or other local food producers, board members, families, garden educators, community partners, etc.
• Multi-site teams:
  Teams must be composed of 3-5 individuals representing various constituencies in the ECE center and community. Teams must have representation from the three following roles: administration, teachers, school nutrition/food service. Additional team members can include: staff,  farmers or other local food producers, board members, families, garden educators, community partners, etc. Depending on the number of centers you operate, we may recommend you focus your efforts at 1-2 to get started.

The Farm to Early Care & Education Institute is developed specifically for early childhood sites that are not solely connected to a school district. If you are in an early childhood program based at a public school, we encourage you to build a broad school-based team and apply for the K-12 Farm to School Institute, which is developed with school-based programs in mind. You are also welcome to reach out to institute@ecotrust.org to discuss what you think might work best for your program. 

The application is used to gain an understanding of each applicant’s community and existing farm to ECE efforts. We aim to build a diverse cohort of teams that have both similarities and opportunities to share lessons learned with others. We are looking for ECE sites that prioritize making their farm to ECE program inclusive of diverse children, families, staff, and community members.

We use the following criteria to evaluate all applications:

• Team composition: The team has at least one member from each of the following roles: nutrition, administrator, and teacher / educator.
• Accessibility: We consider metrics such as the percentage of students participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (sites that serve at least 40% of children eligible for CACFP are prioritized), demographics of the children and staff, site location (rural/urban), and other demographic information of the geographic region.  
• Team readiness: The team demonstrates some experience in farm to ECE and is in a suitable phase to receive support and grow.  
• 3Cs mindset: The team has an understanding of the 3Cs (classroom/curriculum, cafeteria/kitchen, and community) and intends to use an integrated approach to bring the three components together.
• Equity: The team has clear goals for centering equity in their farm to ECE work, and demonstrates how the Institute will benefit their equity work.
• Staying power: The team has a clear commitment to farm to ECE, and has in-place or identified strategy and additional resources to sustain their farm to school work.
• The “why”: The team has a clear “why” for their farm to ECE work, and can explain how their goals align with the Institute’s vision.

During the in-person retreats, teams gather in-person to get inspired by and learn from leaders in farm to ECE, build relationships across the team, gain new skills, and develop a year-long action plan for farm to ECE programming. 

What: Two one-day retreats for professional learning, networking, planning, inspiration, and fun! Participation in the retreats is a requirement of each selected team. 

When: 

Fall Retreat: On the application, please select all of the dates that your team would be available to attend the fall retreat (October 18, 19, 25, and/or 26). We will use responses of selected teams to confirm a date for the fall retreat. The fall retreat will be for one full day and accommodations for traveling teams will be covered at no cost to teams. 

Winter Retreat: February or March 2025, date and Portland area location to be determined. 

Where: Portland-area locations for retreats are still to be determined.