Farm to Early Care and Education
Farm to early care and education offers increased access to the same three core elements of local food sourcing, gardens and food education to enhance the quality of the educational experience in all types of early care settings (e.g., Statewide Voluntary Preschool, preschools, child care centers, family child care homes, Head Start/Early Head Start, programs in K-12 school districts). Farm to early care and education offers benefits that parallel the goals and priorities of the early care and education community including emphasis on experiential learning opportunities, family and community engagement and life-long health and wellness for children, families and caregivers.
Resources and Trainings for Early Care and Education Professionals
The Iowa FFI Early Childhood Curriculum features ready-to-use resources for families, children and teachers. Resources are organized by month and align with the featured food calendar cycle. The three-year curriculum includes a calendar, activity guide for the food of the month, parent pages and kid pages.
Source: Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative
Go NAPSACC
Go NAPSACC: The Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC) is a trusted online tool that helps early care and education (ECE) programs support children’s healthy eating and physical activity. Go NAPSACC can help ECE programs improve their menus, add more play into their daily schedules, and educate families about healthy eating and active play.
Participating Iowa ECE programs can receive:
Access to Go NAPSACC’s easy-to-use online tools and an online library of helpful videos, activities, and parent handouts.
One-on-one coaching and technical assistance from a CCR&R Consultant.
Resources to help reach your goals.
i-PoWeR
i-PoWeR: Iowa's Early Childhood and School Age Professional Workforce Registry (i-PoWeR) is a comprehensive registry where you can find and enroll in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) approved professional development opportunities related to early childhood and school-age professionals. Find trainings connected to Farm to Early Care topics and resources here.
Questions: Contact a local CCR&R Consultant
