College of Agriculture & Natural Resources

Michigan Farm to ECE Network

Helping Michigan’s children grow, choose, and eat more nutritious local food.
Michigan Farm to ECE

Farm to early care and education helps children and families eat more local foods.
Meagan Shedd

Assistant Professor, Fixed Term, Farm to Early Care and K-12 Education
mshedd@msu.edu
517-432-4525
Lindsay Mensch

Outreach and Communications Specialist
menschli@msu.edu
517-432-0264
Making Michigan Recipes Work

Published on December 19, 2016
Making Michigan Recipes Work is a collection of resources for institutional food service professionals to learn handling and culinary skills specific to fresh, Michigan produce.
What a Dime Can Do: An Evaluation of the 10 Cents a Meal Pilot

Published on September 27, 2021
How have Michigan kids, farmers, and food businesses benefited from 10 Cents a Meal? These nine topic-specific summaries present findings from 10 Cents pilot data collected between 2017 and 2020.
Growing the Next Generation: Grandfriends and Gardens

Published on June 30, 2021
Seniors in Ionia County, Michigan garden with preschoolers to grow the next generation of learners and gardeners.
Cultivating Social-Emotional Health with Farm to Early Care and Education

Published on April 16, 2020
Developing strong social-emotional skills early in life is important for lifelong emotional health. How can educators and caretakers can use farm to ECE activities to encourage children's positive social-emotional development?
Procurement Resources

How can your ECE program can source and serve more local foods? Learn how with these how to guides, information on federal regulations and food safety, and menu ideas.
How do institutional food service professionals know that food from their suppliers is safe?

Published on December 17, 2018
Results from a brief survey asking institutional food service buyers how they know that their suppliers have followed safe food production and handling practices.
Nutrition and Agriculture Education Activities

Find curricula to support learning activities on nutrition, agriculture, and local food.
Family Engagement Resources

Find resources for engaging families in farm to ECE.
Alimentos Locales para Pequeños Comensales: Una Guía de Migrant & Seasonal Head Start para la Compra de Alimentos Locales

Published on May 20, 2019
Programas de Head Start Migrante y Estacional pueden aprender a comprar y usar más alimentos cultivados localmente en sus programas que sirven niños de trabajadores agrícolas migrantes y estacionales.
Cultivate Michigan: What's in it for Schools and Early Childhood Programs?

Published on December 14, 2016
This webinar will give an overview of Cultivate Michigan and then dive deep into the benefits of participating. Learn how joining Cultivate Michigan can enhance and accelerate your local purchasing efforts and find out why others are jumping on board!
Pivoting Practice: Early Care and Education Food Procurement During a Pandemic

Published on April 8, 2021
While the pandemic presents many challenges for farm to early care and education, childcare providers are benefitting from opportunities to buy and serve local foods.
Gardening Resources

Use these resources to start and sustain a garden at your ECE site.
Michigan Farm to School: Kids in the Kitchen

Published on July 2, 2018
Chef Sean Gartland prepares three healthy recipes that include locally grown products. Each video shows how easy it is to prepare local, healthy, and affordable foods with children of different ages in the kitchen.
Special Presentation: National Farm to School Network's Racial and Social Equity Assessment Tool for Farm to School Programs and Policy

Published on June 6, 2019
Learn more about a tool to assess and advance equity in farm to school programs and policies.
Additional Farm to ECE Resources

Published on October 11, 2019
Looking for more resources on farm to ECE? Find additional information from our partners and other organizations.
Putting Michigan Produce On Your Menu: How to Buy and Use Michigan Produce in Your Institution

Published on January 1, 2010
This guide provides information to assist institutions in including Michigan products on school, preschool, hospital, and other institutions' cafeteria menus.