Who We Are
Who We Are
Embedded Files
The Heartland Farm to School & Early Care and Education (ECE) Institute is offered in collaboration with Farm to School and Early Care and Education partners from Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. This initiative is formally led by the Kansas Department of Education, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Nebraska Department of Education.
What is the Institute?
What is the Institute?
The Heartland Farm to School and Early Care and Education (ECE) Institute is a collaboration between the states of Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska to expand and strengthen Farm to School and Farm to Early Care and Education work in all three states. The 2024 Institute is a unique year-long opportunity focused on growing Farm to Early Care and Education efforts at selected sites while also providing professional development and networking with peers.
The Heartland Institute will help Farm to School and Early Care and Education programs grow in the three core elements of Farm to School: Procurement, School Gardens, and Education. Teams will work with an appointed coach on an action plan to elevate Farm to School and ECE programming in the Classroom, the Cafeteria, and the Community using the Vermont FEED 3 C Model of Change as a guide. This model catalyzes change through the Cafeteria, Classroom, and Community to improve knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors toward healthy eating, local purchasing, and our food system. Evidence shows that participation in the Institute empowers teams to make significant strides towards achieving their Farm to School and ECE goals.
Teams chosen to participate in the Institute will kickoff their year-long journey with an in-person retreat. Here, teams will participate in action planning, peer networking, and hands-on learning. Each team chosen commits to participating in Institute activities as a team and completing their Farm to School and ECE action plans in the next calendar year with the support of a provided coach.
Farm to School enriches the connection communities have with fresh, healthy food and local food producers by changing food purchasing and education practices at schools and early care and education sites.
Students gain access to healthy, local foods as well as education opportunities such as school gardens, cooking lessons, and farm field trips. Farm to school empowers children and their families to make informed food choices while strengthening the local economy and contributing to vibrant communities.
Farm to School implementation differs by location but always includes one or more of the following:
Procurement: Local foods are purchased, promoted and served in the cafeteria or as a snack or taste-test;
School gardens: Students engage in hands-on learning through gardening; and
Education: Students participate in education activities related to agriculture, food, health or nutrition.
A Recipe for Success
A Recipe for Success
Vermont FEED created the Farm to School Institute model to help schools and communities make Farm to School programs successful and sustainable. The model is designed to help teams build the relationships, skills, and connections necessary to implement Farm to School and meet the needs and priorities of your program. The Institute provides the opportunity to:
Build a whole-school/whole-site team to support Farm to School and Farm to ECE efforts.
Create an action plan to guide your progress.
Work with a coach from your state to help you implement and adapt your plan.
Grow your skills through workshops and technical assistance.
Network with peers who can provide support, resources, and inspiration.
Vermont FEED - Farm to School: Stories of Promise and Impact
Previous Work:
Nebraska Farm to School Institute
The Nebraska Farm to School Institute was established for school year 2021-2022 to strengthen local food purchasing and education practices within Nebraska school-community teams. Eight school teams were competitively selected to participate in the Institute to engage in training, and to receive technical assistance and coaching support. The Nebraska F2S Institute is modeled after the “3 C’s” Approach, pioneered by Vermont FEED, which integrates the Classroom, Cafeteria, and Community into the development of goals and farm to school action plans.
The inaugural Nebraska Farm to School Institute was hosted by the Nebraska Department of Education and Nebraska Extension and was supported by USDA Farm to School grant funds.
Over the course of the 2021-2022 school year, Banner County students had opportunities to visit a bison ranch, harvest apples and prepare them for apple crisp, shuck corn, make popcorn, visit a sugar beet processing facility, and build their own aquaponics system from scratch. Banner County’s focus on the classroom component of the Farm to School Institute has paid dividends in terms of student interest and involvement in Farm to School, as well as teacher buy-in to their program.
Follow the link above to learn more about the Farm to School Institute as Nebraska News Service featured a story on the work being done at Pius X.
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