Contact: Shironda Brown, Training Project Coordinator, NC Farm to Early Care and Education, sewilli3@ncsu.edu
Following the success of the inaugural Farm to ECE Institute and thanks to the continued support of PNC Bank, the NC Farm to Early Care and Education (ECE) Initiative will host its second Farm to ECE Institute for Farm to ECE administrators and teachers, technical assistance providers, farmers and Extension agents. The Institute will take place Oct. 21, 2023, at the Rocky Mount Event Center.
Launched in 2016 by the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, the NC Farm to ECE Initiative enhances the health and education of young children by developing systems and experiential learning opportunities that connect children and their families with local food and farms. It encompasses activities in ECE environments that incorporate local foods through meals and snacks, taste tests, lessons, farmer visits, cooking, growing food and/or community and parent involvement. The 2022 Institute (video) brought together 65 early educators from 21 different counties.
The 2023 Institute will showcase and build upon the impactful work taking place in child care communities across North Carolina to produce nutritious fruits and vegetables and contribute to children’s positive experiences with fresh, local food, while addressing food and nutrition security for our youngest N.C. residents.
“This year’s event will include a keynote address by Former U.S. Congresswoman Eva Clayton and workshops on therapeutic gardening, implicit bias in early childhood education food systems, educational classroom cooking activities and parent engagement in Farm to ECE,” said NC Farm to ECE Project Manager Caroline Hundley. Participants will have the opportunity to network with other Farm to ECE leaders in N.C. and will gain a better understanding of the importance of community outreach, collaboration and mentoring relationships in Farm to ECE programming.
“All of us at PNC are grateful for the many efforts of our region’s ag educators and leaders to help provide children and families with information and access to local, nutritious food,” said Jim Hansen, PNC regional president for Eastern Carolinas. “PNC’s support for this year’s Farm to ECE Institute in Rocky Mount reflects our ongoing commitment to support the physical and economic health of the communities we serve.”
Watch how the Cherokee Elementary Pre-K farm to ECE program impacts children in the school, their homes and the community and how sensory garden experiences facilitate learning at the Gibson Elementary Pre-K Program.
Visit this website to learn more about the 2023 Institute. For more information, please contact Shironda Brown, Farm to ECE Training Coordinator, at sewilli3@ncsu.edu.