2020-2021 learning collaborative sites join with mentor sites, education leaders, and partner organizations to chart a healthy course forward.
By Nichole Fields, Georgia Organics Farm to School Assistant
In January, the second cohort of the Georgia Farm to Early Care and Education Learning Collaborative came together in Macon for a weekend of learning and action planning. The 2020-2021 Learning Collaborative consists of 12 early child education providers participating for the first time, as well as three providers from the inaugural cohort returning as mentor sites. All of these sites will receive mini grants, educational materials, and technical assistance to help them incorporate more healthy food into meals and activities at their sites.
The Learning Collaborative was created in 2017 with support from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. The multi-year initiative was created collaboratively by the following partner organizations: Georgia Organics, Little Ones Learning Center, Quality Care for Children (QCC), The Common Market, and Voices for Georgia’s Children . The goal of the Learning Collaborative is to provide a proof of concept for Farm to Early Care and Education (Farm to ECE) models featuring hands-on education in nutrition, cooking, gardening and promotion of local foods. The 2017 Learning Collaborative included 18 early care sites from metro Atlanta and south Georgia.
With renewed funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the above partners selected the 12 new providers to participate in the Learning Collaborative from 276 total applicants.
“We had so many deserving early learning programs apply for the Learning Collaborative,” Abbie Chaddick, the Farm to ECE Partnership Coordinator, shared. “Ultimately, we selected sites that serve high need populations, utilize the federally funded Child and Adult Care Food Program, and were passionate about improving access to healthy, local foods for the families they serve.”
The new Learning Collaborative participants represent the diverse ways that childcare is provided in Georgia with a mix of Family Child Care Learning Homes, Child Care Learning Centers, Head Start, and programs offering Georgia pre-k. The group is also geographically diverse with sites located in northeast Georgia, metro Atlanta, middle Georgia, and south Georgia, including Macon, Waycross, Valdosta, and Colquitt. The three returning sites from the inaugural cohort were selected to serve as mentors to the new Learning Collaborative participants while continuing to receive support from the partners to grow their farm to ECE programs.
The Learning Collaborative kick-off weekend included two full days of training and networking. Staff from the partner organizations facilitated discussions and Farm to ECE demonstrations, advised planning sessions, and equipped participants with resources to grow and sustain their respective Farm to ECE programs. Learning session topics included menu planning, procurement, gardening with young children, and family and community engagement, providing attendees with a plethora of actionable ideas to inform their Farm to ECE planning.
Lamonika Jones, Procurement Specialist At The Department Of Early Care And Learning providing an introduction to procuring local produce.
The weekend began with an interactive and thought-provoking presentation by Danny Shoy, President & CEO of the East Lake Foundation. Shoy spoke to attendees about the importance of approaching their work in a way that strives towards equity for the children and families they serve. Attendees participated in an ongoing dialogue around racial equity, highlighting that equity does not simply mean treating everyone the same, but understanding that in order to best serve Georgia’s children we must acknowledge what barriers they face individually and what support they need to be successful. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s ongoing commitment to racial equity is a driving force for their support of Farm to ECE work. Throughout the 2020-2021 program year, Learning Collaborative partner organizations will continue to encourage cohort members to approach their work through the lens of racial equity.
Amber Bell, Program Director at the Southwest Georgia Project, stopped by to speak about why Georgia family farms matter – for the economy, for the community, and for our health. Bell encouraged providers to consider their role in furthering equity work beyond the children and families they serve. Even small early care providers have the opportunity to make a difference by being conscious of who they are purchasing from and making the effort to support small farms and family business that help their communities thrive.
Attendees were able to actively participate in different examples of what Farm to ECE work looks like. Shannon Holbrook from QCC helped attendees craft mini greenhouses that teach children about germination. Kimberly Koogler of Georgia Organics covered sowing seeds and other gardening basics. William Wood of QCC utilized a mystery box to demonstrate hands on exploration and related curriculum from USDA’s Grow It, Like It, Try It Nutrition Education Kit. Attendees learned how to incorporate the arts in Farm to ECE from Gina Cook of QCC and got to take their carrot hands home to hang on the fridge.
Many attendees’ favorite part of the weekend was learning from Chef Asata Reid about cooking with kids. Reid demonstrated fun and safe ways to involve kids in the cooking process while making a simple salsa and shared other hands-on meal and snack activities that provide for a healthy meal pattern substitution. She also presented an unboxing of a Taste Test Box from Small Bites Adventure Club, all Learning Collaborative participants received four boxes to use at their sites.
Chef Asata Reid serving participants examples of easy and healthy snack alternatives.
During the weekend, Kim Jackson from Tee Tee’s Learning Center in Valdosta shared their site’s learning journey into Farm to ECE. Jackson had never gardened before receiving their mini grant two years ago. Now, they have large raised beds housed in bathtubs donated by Habitat for Humanity, fruit trees, and indoor garden containers. “To grow a love for gardening and see the kids fall in love with gardening became a passion in me,” Jackson explained. “And the more you get into it the more they will too.” Toyin Okunoren, owner of Little Ones Learning Center in Forest Park, also encouraged new Learning Collaborative sites to have faith in the power of Farm to ECE to generate incremental change in the lives of the children and families they serve.
The real work of the kick-off event involved sites completing an assessment of how they are currently incorporating nutrition best practices at their centers and creating an action plan for how they will grow their programs over the next 15 months. Learning Collaborative participants will continue to receive technical assistance and peer-to-peer mentorship to help them work towards their respective goals.
To learn more about Farm to Early Care and Education in Georgia and resources for your program, visit Georgia Organics’ Farm to ECE info here or email abbie@georgiaorganics.org.
2020-2021 Learning Collaborative Participants
A Kid's World, Loganville
Action Pact Ware County Head Start, Waycross
Childcare Network School #12, Valdosta
Cinthya' s Angels Group Day Care, Lawrenceville
Kimberly Spivey, Kathleen
Lina Lane's Learning Center, Ellenwood
Mrs. Dayana's Home Daycare, Alpharetta
My Little Geniuses, Marietta*
New Life Learning Center, Colquitt
Pre-K Preparatory Learning Academy Inc., Gainesville
Sandy's Sandbox, Macon
Teach "O" Rea Preparatory Preschool Incorporated, Stone Mountain
Tee Tee's Learning Center, Valdosta*
The Learning Tree Academy, Toccoa
The Roane School, Jonesboro*
*mentor sites