WEESSN Food Systems
Wisconsin Early Education Shared Services Network has developed a wide range of programs to help child care providers grow, preserve, and eat local foods, and share this knowledge with the families they serve. Anchored by the monthly Farm to ECE Newsletter, WEESSN Food Systems Coordinators create innovative, hands-on programming.
Highlights
- Racine and Milwaukee Edible Garden Projects: 10 early care and education sites in Racine County and 10 sites in Milwaukee are participating in a yearlong opportunity to increase access to local food through gardening, food preparation and preservation resources, and technical assistance.
- Partnership for a Healthy America/City of Milwaukee: Distributed Instacart Funds to 220 families in Milwaukee with 90% successful participant engagement.
- Gardening Channel: Developed in partnership with ECE providers, Healthy Early, Wisconsin Farm to ECE, Restorative Places, WECA, and additional Healthy Early partners, this series features short how-to and inspirational story-sharing videos for ECE providers and partners interested in growing gardening and outdoor learning opportunities for young children. View the series here.
- Garden Tips Texting Program: From April to October, WEESSN’s Food System Coordinators provide brief, helpful weekly information for novice and veteran gardeners and the children in their programs, including when to plant, how to harvest, fun activities, and more.
- Farm to ECE Toolkits: Family child care programs are eligible to borrow their choice of five toolkits for eight weeks (available in selected areas): Cooking/Baking, Growing Mushrooms, Seed Starting, Gardening, and Pollinators.
Read about all the WEESSN Food Systems work
(sample newsletter shown – all issues are available for WEESSN-enrolled programs)
Resources
- Kids Eat Food They Grow or Prepare Themselves/Encouraging Children To Try New Foods
- Tips for Serving Local Foods on a Budget
- Serving Local Foods in Child Care
- WI Seasonal Availability Chart | Tabla de disponibilidad estacional de WI
- Harvest of the Month | La cosecha del mes
- Rooted Farm to Early Care and Education Resources
- Satter Division of Responsibility in Feeding
- WI Food Hub Cooperative
- FairShare CSA Coalition
- Farm Fresh Atlas
- Healthy Early