Gardening in early childhood settings supports holistic learning. It teaches math, science, prereading and more. Kids can improve physical development as well as perceptual and motor skills. There is so much sensory output in the garden that stimulates kid’s brain connections.

Through gardening, you can encourage this hands-on curiosity and discovery. What might children learn while gardening? To name just a few, children will learn about: Science and nature when exploring plants. Math skills when counting scoops of dirt. They will be exposed to reading, writing, and drawing through stories, books, and activities, such as creating a garden journal.

Farm to early care and education (farm to ECE) is a natural extension of farm to school that offers increased access to healthy, local foods, gardening opportunities and food-based activities to enhance the quality of the educational experience in all types of ECE settings (e.g., preschools, child care centers, family child care homes, Head Start/Early Head Start, programs in K-12 school districts).

In Pennsylvania, the Ready Set Grow aims to advance farm to early care and education across the Commonwealth to the benefit of kids, farmers and communities.

The Food Trust, in partnership with Pennsylvania Head Start Association, is excited to launch a new initiative, "Ready Set Grow," which aims to increase Farm to Early Learning activities on a statewide level in the early care and education area. When children go on farm field trips, plant seeds or try locally grown foods, they are participating in farm to school activities. Designed to connect them with their local food system and farming community, these activities get kids excited about healthy eating.