Sowing lifelong habits: Shasta County initiative delivers farm-fresh produce and lessons to toddlers

Give a preschooler some locally grown broccoli and there's no guarantee they'll eat it.

But a Shasta County pilot program found that when young children got a chance to explore new fruits and vegetables before tasting them, most were willing to try.

Of 132 children who participated in the first two rounds of the Farm to Family Childcare Project, 92% tried the featured produce, including locally grown spinach, broccoli and sweet potatoes.

The project brings fresh produce directly to licensed family child care homes, along with hands-on nutrition lessons for children up to age 5.

Janessa Hartmann, community nutrition and health adviser for the University of California Cooperative Extension, said the idea is to make trying unfamiliar foods a positive experience.

"Rather than saying, 'Hey, you need to eat this,' we're trying create a positive opportunity to explore food, touch it, smell it, learn about it, grow it, and taste it," Hartmann said.

The project is funded by the California Department of Food and Agriculture and works with local farmers and child care providers.

Early results suggest some of the effect may carry over into children's homes. Among parents surveyed, 83% said their children were more willing to try new produce at home. Another 71% said their families had made or planned to make lasting changes to how they shop, cook and eat.

Courtesy of Janessa Hartmann

Hartmann said reaching children early matters because eating habits begin developing well before adulthood. The project also tries to involve the adults who influence what children eat.

"We know that healthy eating doesn't happen when we become adults," Hartmann said. "So if we can start with the environment, we know that we can have success that we can bring together the childcare providers, their family, their kiddos, education, and farmers."

Hartmann and her partners are now looking at whether the project could expand to more family child care providers in the region.

Guest

• Janessa Hartmann, community nutrition and health adviser, University of California Cooperative Extension