October is Farm to Early Care and Education (Farm to ECE) Month—a perfect opportunity to help children dig, plant, taste, explore, and grow. Discover simple ways to connect young children with fresh, local foods and hands-on gardening experiences.
Farm to ECE Month is the perfect time to bring the farm right into your early childhood program. From planting a small garden and tasting locally grown fruits and vegetables to visiting a farmers market or inviting a local farmer to speak with children, Farm to ECE experiences help young children discover where their food comes from while building healthy eating habits.
Let children dig, plant, taste, explore, and grow. These hands-on experiences make nutrition fun, connect children with local agriculture, and help cultivate a lifelong appreciation for fresh, healthy foods.
How Can You Celebrate?
Grow with MO: The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ Growing with MO program offers a harvest of resources to help children—and the adults in their lives—learn about local foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables. Find activities here!
Crunch Into the Missouri Apple Crunch: On the same website, you can register for the 2026 Missouri Apple Crunch and find fun ideas to make your Apple Crunchin’ event engaging and memorable for children and families.
Start Planning Next Year’s Garden: Fall is an ideal time to begin planning next year’s garden. Go NAPSACC can provide technical assistance, resources, and ideas to help build a garden that fits your program’s space, needs, and resources. It’s not too late to join the
October group. Learn more about how Go NAPSACC can help make Farm to ECE part of your program all year long.
For questions about Go NAPSACC, contact Lauri Choate. Director of Programs, at lauri@mochildcareaware.org or 314-754-1603.
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