Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Early Childhood Nutrition topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Early‑childhood centers and agriculture agencies urge $500K for farm‑to‑school and local food incentive grants
Summary
Providers and the Agency of Agriculture told the committee that farm‑to‑school and early‑childhood grants support nutrition, child development and local farmers; an early‑childhood director described gardens, cooking activities and harvest events that increased children’s willingness to try new foods.
Commissioner Mark Levine and Agency of Agriculture staff briefed the committee on farm‑to‑school and early‑childhood programs that bring local food and nutrition education into child care and school settings.
Levine emphasized the connection between early nutrition and brain development and said that child care programs are increasingly important sites for healthy meals because many children receive most of their daily calories in childcare. “These programs support high‑quality childcare, nutrition security and access to educational opportunities for children,” he told the committee.
Gina Clithero of the Agency of Agriculture described a state grant program that uses Rosen/McLaughlin Act funds and other appropriations to provide competitive grants to schools and early‑childhood programs; the agency currently awards roughly $500,000 per year to support farm‑to‑school and early‑childhood initiatives, she said. The grants can be used for school and center gardens, educator training, food preservation equipment and to buy local products such as meat, honey and maple syrup.
Beth Traver Adolphus, executive director of Oak Hill Children’s Center in Pownal, told senators how a grant allowed her center to build raised beds, involve children and families in planting and harvesting, offer hands‑on cooking activities (hummus, smoothies, pesto pizza), and buy local meat and syrup. She described children who refused certain foods until they helped grow or prepare them and an instance where a preschool group consumed a head of broccoli they had dissected and sampled after a garden lesson.
Traver Adolphus asked the committee to support a base appropriation of $500,000 for the Farm to School and Early Childhood grant program and level funding of $500,000 for the Local Food Incentive Program for schools. She told senators those modest investments support long‑term nutrition education, strengthen community ties to local farms and help child care providers supply nutritious meals to families that are food‑insecure.
Agency staff said they can supply details about grant application processes and eligibility directly to legislators and that the grants are intended to be broadly accessible, including to small rural programs with limited operating margins.
Senators thanked witnesses and indicated they would consider the funding request as part of budget discussions.
