Welcome to Farm to School Northeast, a podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. In this episode we talk about early childhood education and its connection to farm to school and childhood nutrition with Sarah Tousignant, the Executive Director of the Mountain Village School in Stowe, Vermont. The Mountain Village School is a nature-based independent school for children, birth through kindergarten, with afterschool programs for children in kindergarten through fourth grade. The school believes that early childhood is a crucial aspect of an individual's development and that nature, community harmony and discovery are the most important attributes of early childhood.

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast, a podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. Today our focus is on early childhood education and its connection to farm to school and childhood nutrition. Hear from Maggie Lynch, RDN, Director of Nutrition Services, Karley Besozzi, Director of Nutrition Education, and Lindsey Bogot, Farm to School and Food Access Coordinator from the Metro West YMCA in Framingham, Massachusetts about ways to introduce and engage our youngest learners and eaters in farm to school practices.

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast, a podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. Today we have the chance to have all of our burning questions about trout answered by grade four students as we listen to their podcast called “Trout Tales”. But before that, we will get some background from educator Julia Marchessault, fourth grade teacher at Sustainability Academy in Burlington, Vermont. The Sustainability Academy at Lawrence Barnes Elementary is a public pre-K to five magnet school in Burlington, Vermont that integrates sustainability into its curriculum. Created by the Burlington School District in partnership with Shelburne Farms, it is the first sustainability themed elementary school in the United States and focuses on real world projects like farmer's markets and community beautification. The project we are going to hear about today is called Trout Tales, a student-created podcast that celebrates the school's study of brook trout and the strong connection the schoolwide community built through this learning.

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast, a podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. Today we have a chance to talk with Jen Reese, Science and Garden Coordinator with Amherst and Pelham Public Schools and garden educator Leila Tunnell, who co-lead the Amherst Elementary School Garden Program in Amherst, Massachusetts. The program believes in the power of garden based learning to inspire joy and help build a more just and sustainable world, and provides all students in grades K-6 with year-round garden based learning in both school garden spaces as well as in classrooms.

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast, a podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. To start off season 2 we gave the microphone to a group of youth leaders at the Food Project. The Food Project is a Boston-area nonprofit that builds a sustainable food system by bringing together diverse youth and adults to work on farms in urban and suburban settings, growing food for the community and developing youth leadership skills. Participants gain hands-on experience in farming, food justice, and civic engagement. The organization also works to expand food access by donating produce to hunger relief organizations and building community connections. Their mission is to create a thoughtful and productive community of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds who work together to build a sustainable food system. You can learn more at their website: thefoodproject.org

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast, a podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. Today we have an opportunity to sit down with Ernie Koschmieder, the Food Service Director for Groton Public Schools in Groton, Connecticut to talk about the positive impacts of farm to school on students and families, and we're going to learn about an exciting shipping container Farm Grant from Connecticut Department of Agriculture and how the Container Farm will be used to increase food access for Groton Public School students.

Hear from:Ernie Koschmieder, Food Service Director, Groton Public Schools, CT.

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast, a podcast where we explore the creative ways that food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. Today we have an opportunity to sit down with publisher Philip Lee of Readers to Eaters and author Jacqueline Briggs Martin who wrote Eva's Green Garden Life to discuss food and food systems, books and stories.

Welcome to Farm to School Northeast: A Podcast where we explore the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the northeast. Today we have an opportunity to sit down with Connecticut high school student and food system activist Zane Tickoo to talk about his work and dedication to improve the local food system and support access to healthy food, local economy, and social justice through what he calls “the Power of the Plate”.

Hear from: Zane Tickoo, Food System Activist and High School Student, New Canaan, CT