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Meet the Farm to Early Care and Education Advisory Committee
Francia has both a professional background as a chef and lifelong experience cooking for those around her. As Child Nutrition Coordinator at Adelante Mujeres, Francia develops recipes and menus that build young children’s curiosity for food. Francia is a member of the Farm to Early Care and Education Advisory Committee.
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[Kids are] very receptive. And I just love to see that curiosity and the potential of helping them grow with a mentality where food is actually healthy for them, if they get to choose the right things.
One of the things that I like the most is also how they are always thinking of their families. When we’re making an activity, for example, giving them culture-related foods, like tamales, they will quickly ask you or tell you, “My grandma likes tamales. Can I have one for them?”
What drew you to work in early childhood care and education?
A parent actually reached out, and tell us, “You know what? My daughter, which is a toddler, who was very excited to bring those ingredients to her home.” They cooked a pasta with asparagus and the onions that we provided. And she was very excited.
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Trust in children. They are a white canvas, and we have the opportunity to throw some seeds in and help them grow. And don’t overlook them. It is true when we say the children are our teachers.
Thank you to Francia Yera for sharing her time and wisdom as a member of the Farm to Early Childhood Education Advisory Committee.
All photos by Jason Hill at Wapato Island Farm