CHILDCARE/PRESCHOOL FOOD ENVIRONMENT
ENACT STRATEGY: Gardens
Establish childcare gardens to expose children to fresh produce while teaching them about how food is grown
Gardening creates an important learning opportunity to teach children about the connection between the foods that they eat and where that food comes from. Early childhood settings present an opportunity to expose children to new food in a pleasant atmosphere, opportunities to try new foods, and modeling life-long healthful eating habits. Gardens in preschool and childcare environments provide a unique opportunity to expose children to food and the food system (the entire process food goes through from farm to plate), allowing children to participate in growing and eating fresh produce. Gardens can also become an outdoor classroom to engage young children in subjects such as nature, science, math, reading, writing, and team work.
The Child Care Center is an urban preschool that has long used gardening and nature/ecology as part of its curriculum. Children learn to prepare the soil, grow plants from seeds, transplant others, and provide care by watering and weeding and harvesting their “crops”.
This site has been created for America's K-12 school community through a partnership between the United States Botanic Garden and Chicago Botanic Garden. The School Garden Wizard includes a range of resources for planning school gardens, creating and maintaining gardens, and using gardens as an instructional tool for students.
Kids Gardening School Gardening Registry
If you are interested in connecting with other schools and programs in your area, or you would like to get a sense of school gardens across the nation the Kids Gardening School Gardening Registry is a great place to get started!
This 9-step guide provides important tips for creating and maintaining a school garden.
City of Los Angeles Child Nutrition Policy
Section three of this policy encourages gardening at program sites that work with pre-school and school-aged children.
in the ENACT Local Policy Database
National Gardening Association
NGA’s is a national non-profit agency with programs and initiatives designed to highlight the opportunities for plant-based education in schools, communities, and backyards across the country. NGA provides a range of resources specific to youth gardening.
Garden Based Learning: Research that Supports Our Work
This resource from Cornell University shares the benefits of garden based learning, referencing existing evidence based research.
Children are more likely to taste vegetables after school garden program*
First grade students who were taught about nutrition in class and grew vegetables in a school garden were more likely to taste new vegetables. Improving children’s desire to taste vegetables is thought to be the first step in developing healthier consumption patterns.
Morris JL, Neustadter A, Zidenberg-Cherr S Garden-enhanced nutrition curriculum improves fourth-grade school children's knowledge of nutrition and preferences for some vegetables. J Am Diet Assoc. 2002 Jan;102(1):91-3
* No evidence-base specific to the childcare/preschool environment can be found at this time. These research findings can serve as a resource for what the evidence suggests in other settings.
