Helping Michigan’s children grow, choose, and eat more nutritious local food.

 

Michigan Farm to ECE Network

The Michigan Farm to ECE Network collaborates so children ages birth to 5 can grow, choose, and eat nutritious local food in early care and education (ECE) settings.

Farm to ECE in Michigan includes local food sourcing, nutrition education, and gardening. Children, families, ECE providers, and farmers all benefit from farm to ECE.

The Michigan Farm to ECE Network exists to:

  • improve access to healthy food,
  • increase nutritional awareness and health outcomes, and
  • support ECE providers as they work to improve children’s learning environments.

We do this by sharing resources and making connections between community and state partners, farmers, ECE providers, and families.

Equity is central to guide strategies, outputs, and outcomes for this work. Intentional thinking about the complexity and collaboration of multiple systems is necessary to address positive change at multiple levels.

By growing farm to ECE statewide, we support state-and community-level goals related to food procurement and child nutrition, including Michigan’s Great Start to Quality, Hope Starts Here, and the Michigan Good Food Charter.

To work towards their vision,  the Michigan Farm to Early Care and Education (ECE) Network team developed the Strategic Plan for 2023-2028 by consulting nearly 200 farm to ECE providers, farmers, families, state agencies and partner organizations. Find the goals, along with short, middle, and long-term strategies in the Strategic Plan here. 

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Sign up for the Michigan Farm to ECE Network listserv to receive updates on network meetings and learn about farm to ECE work happening across the state.

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Michigan Farm to ECE Network Partners

Michigan Farm to Institution/School

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