Farm to Head Start

Lessons from IATP's Farm to Head Start program

For nearly a decade, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy has been engaged in Farm to Early Care and Education (ECE) initiatives, helping connect young children with locally grown foods while fostering an awareness of the importance of healthy food for children, families, farmers and communities.

[WATCH] IATP and Lower Sioux

[WATCH] IATP, Community Action and HAFA

With the help of allies like the Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA), CKC Good Foods and Bix Produce, IATP partnered with Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Counties to i

Uprooted Episode 17: MN Community Food Systems

More and more, farm and hunger advocates are acting in coalition to protect the supply of healthy food that is accessible by all people and beneficial to community development.

Farm to Institution seeds grow in 2017

2017 has been a dynamic year for the Farm to Institution program at IATP! This was the second year we engaged with multiple Head Start program partners concurrently to implement our Farm to Head Start model, with a final cohort of four partner programs.

Filling the Local Foods Gap in the Farm Bill

When we started our partnership with St. Cloud’s Reach Up Head Start program, Nutrition Services Coordinator Haley Anderson knew she wanted to source locally produced food for her kids–she just wasn’t sure how to do it. Building in nutrition education for kids and families was a straightforward process.

Farm to School Month Highlights Benefits to Farmers, Kids, and Communities

Farmers in Minnesota, and across the country, are facing another year of global prices so low they don’t cover the cost of production. Increasingly, Minnesota farmers are turning to local markets and supply chains that offer more stable income, boost the local economy, and provide healthier food to our communities.

Farm to Head Start at Reach Up in St. Cloud, Minnesota

Child care providers and early care settings often have a variety of reasons for participating in Farm to Early Care activities. For Haley Anderson, Nutrition Services Coordinator at Reach Up Head Start in St. Cloud, developing personal relationships with local fruit and vegetable growers was a primary motivator.

Minnesota Farm to School bill attracts widespread support at the Capitol

ST. PAUL – Today, advocates will launch their campaign to pass a statewide Farm to School bill in Minnesota. The Farm to School Coalition includes, farmers’ organizations, school nutrition advocates public health advocates, and businesses, who are all hoping to build on successful efforts around the state that are good for farmers, good for kids, and good for the local economy.

Farm to Head Start in Minnesota: Planting the Seeds for a Community-centered Food System

This case study looks at a marketing initiative in two counties in Minnesota (MN), USA, which connects the Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA) with the Head Start Program run by the Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Counties (CAPRW) in Minnesota.