Farm to CACFP works to connect CACFP settings to local food producers with the objectives of serving locally-grown, healthy foods to children and adults, providing related nutrition education, and improving child nutrition.
Farm to CACFP activities can increase children’s willingness to try new foods and help them become familiar with local foods they will see in school. Farm to CACFP can increase connectedness and support a sense of purpose and activity in adults. Farm to CACFP creates a reliable outlet for producers and the smaller purchasing volumes for child and adult care settings are a good fit for local farmers.
For more information on local procurement, please refer to our blog posts on Geographic Preference Expansion Related to the Final Rule and Geographic Preference Option Q&A. To find local vendors in your area, visit the Local Food Directories.
Below you can find resources that can encourage excitement about gardening fruits and vegetables.
Grow It, Try It, Like It! Fun with Fruits and Vegetables at Family Child Care is designed to help Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) operators provide garden-based nutrition education for children ages 3 through 5 years old in family child care settings.
Through the activities in Grow It, Try It, Like It!, children touch, smell, feel, and taste new fruits and vegetables. Children also learn how fruits and vegetables grow. Planting activities help children connect the delicious food choices at the table with the farm, orchard, or garden.
Grow It, Try It, Like It! Nutrition Education Kits featuring MyPlate are garden-themed nutrition education kits for child care center staff that introduces children to: three fruits - peaches, strawberries, and cantaloupe, and three vegetables - spinach, sweet potatoes, and crookneck squash.
The Great Garden Detective
Discover what fruits and vegetables are sweetest, crunchiest, and juiciest through a series of investigations and fun experiences connecting the school garden to the classroom, school cafeteria, and home. This eleven-lesson curriculum is designed for 3rd and 4th graders.
Dig In! Standards-Based Nutrition Education from the Ground Up
Explore a world of possibilities in the garden and on your plate using ten inquiry-based lessons that engage 5th and 6th graders in growing, harvesting, tasting, and learning about fruits and vegetables.
