We’ve long known that encouraging healthy habits and providing access to nutritious foods to children at an early age can support a lifetime of health benefits.
School food systems provide a critical pathway for achieving these goals. Our Nutrition & Healthy Lifestyles (NHL) program invests in programs that connect schools, farmers, and families to increase the availability of nutritious local foods in Michigan schools.
A while back, we reflected on ways that organizations across the state were working to support farm to early care and education (ECE) efforts in Michigan, specifically collaborative approaches taking shape through the Michigan Farm to ECE Network.
A 2020 NHL grant to the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan (NKFM) — combined with additional funding from network members — supported the network’s collaboration, strategic planning, and efforts to engage ECE providers and incorporate their voices into a comprehensive Farm to ECE five-year strategic plan. The plan’s publication in 2023 was a major milestone for Michigan’s Farm to ECE movement, serving as a launching point for several exciting new developments.
Complementary funding drives the delivery of new programs
The plan has helped the network — which includes the NKFM, MSU’s Center for Regional Food Systems, MSU Extension, the Michigan Department of Education, and Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities — create new opportunities and resources to address the challenges and barriers ECE providers face in implementing Farm to ECE.
For example, a second Health Fund grant awarded in 2024 is helping connect ECE providers with local farmers to source local foods, enhance their nutrition knowledge, and educate them on state and federal programs that can help.
“We know that many providers around the state want to do Farm to ECE, but don’t know how to get started,” said NKFM’s Maria Distler. “Through these interactions and resources we can bring through the Health Fund grant and the expertise of our network partners, we’re able help providers start small and grow their programs.”
The grant has enabled the network to leverage the expertise of a staff farmer at the NKFM, who is available to advise ECE providers one-on-one, answer their gardening-related questions, and connect them to regional resources. This farmer assists providers by sharing gardening tips, offering problem-solving support, and providing valuable resources to help them grow and sustain their gardens.
It also supports mini-grants for ECE providers who want to experiment with starting a garden in their ECE setting, delivering nutrition education, or other projects that enhance access to nutritious local foods for the children and families they serve.
At the network level, the grant aims to incorporate additional food producers and suppliers into the existing partnership, ensuring those critical perspectives are considered to make the work of the whole network more effective.
This work is complemented by a 2024 USDA Farm to School grant focused on establishing a Farm to ECE Institute serving northern Michigan. Based on a model developed by Vermont-based Shelbourne Farms, the Institute will create a regional structure that offers tailored support to help ECE providers build successful, sustainable programs centered on the three pillars of Farm to School: local food procurement, gardening, and nutrition agriculture education.
Partners say these funding sources are helping the network build momentum for an integrated, statewide approach to help more early ECE providers do this work.
“A big part of this whole movement is finding all the different supports and putting them all into place,” said Melanie Tran, Farm to Early Care and Education Specialist at Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities. “That requires collaboration across all our institutions and figuring out who can provide the technical assistance, leadership, and engagement we need.”
Leveraging 10 Cents a Meal
Tran’s work at Groundwork also includes supporting Michigan’s 10 Cents a Meal program, a state-funded initiative that provides schools, ECE centers, and other organizations participating in USDA Child Nutrition programs with grant funds to pay for Michigan-grown fruits, vegetables, and dry beans, along with related labor and transportation costs.
In the 2024-2025 school year, 251 educational institutions received 10 Cents a Meal grants to reach approximately 600,000 children in 64 Michigan counties. Through its membership in the network, Groundwork can help more interested ECE providers access 10 Cents a Meal resources to help make local food more accessible and affordable.
The 10 Cents a Meal team has made recent progress in connecting food producers and major suppliers with opportunities to partner with ECE providers, expanding the network for sourcing local foods.
Collaboration for impact
By working collaboratively to implement grants, engage ECE providers, and provide education and technical assistance, the network is taking a comprehensive approach to provide nutritious, locally sourced food to young children across the state.
With the health of Michigan’s children defined as one of our key mission priorities, the Health Fund is excited to see where the growth of this work leads in the future. Please visit our NHL program page for more information, including grant opportunities and background on previously funded nutrition projects.