All Alabama Farm to Early Care and Education Coalition programs are empowered to successfully source healthy local foods, build gardens, and offer food and agriculture activities that enrich the quality of early learning experiences for children and support the Alabama food economy.
This week, through Farm to ECE, I had the opportunity to bring Taste of the Farm to the Livingston
Early Head Start Center in Livingston, Alabama. Serving children ages birth to three, this visit was a powerful reminder that agricultural education begins earlier than many people realize.
December invites a gentle shift in the rhythm of early childhood classrooms. The air becomes cooler, the daylight fades earlier, and many outdoor gardens begin their winter rest. Yet even as the soil quiets, children’s natural curiosity remains wide awake. Farm to Early Care and Education (Farm to ECE) continues during the winter months, it simply takes on a new, more reflective form.
In our Farm-to-ECE work, we often focus on planting and harvesting, but this month I’d like to pause and celebrate thankfulness in the garden. Even with our youngest learners, infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, the lesson of gratitude can be taught through simple experiences: touching soil, watering a plant, or feeding a worm to the compost pile.
The Alabama Farm to Early Care and Education Coalition enriches early learning experiences by fostering the implementation of gardens, food education, and farm education activities. The Coalition also works to provide access to healthy foods by supporting local economies and purchasing locally.
The Coalition focuses providing opportunities that consider populations with varying socioeconomic statuses, abilities, and backgrounds.
Coalition members engage different sectors throughout the state to work together to address barriers faced by child care providers in Alabama.
The Farm to ECE Coalition seeks input and guidance from the individuals and groups directly affected by their work.
By utilizing a strengths-based approach, the Coalition keeps the needs and assets of community members a priority when making recommendations and thinking through solutions.
Members of the Coalition will strive to be transparent and communicate clearly about their work with the populations and communities they impact.
The Alabama Farm to Early Care and Education Coalition core values are a vital component of the Coalition’s work. By rooting their work in these core values, the Coalition strives to bring education and resources to every table in the child care field.
