Last Tuesday, Lund’s Early Childhood Education Program hosted a group of our state partners who were interested in learning more about the nutrition program. LECP received a grant in the fall from the Vermont Farm to School and Early Care Program to help pay for a new dishwasher in the kitchen. The new dishwasher, which was also supported by a Community Building Grant through the Seventh Generation Toxin Free Kids program, has made a huge difference in the kitchen. The cook, Amy Pennington-Lee, can now spend more time on preparing food, sourcing cost effective local food options, and inviting children into the kitchen to help prepare meals and snacks.
On the morning of the visit a group of preschoolers made pesto with basil grown in Lund’s community garden at the Hoehl Family Building in South Burlington. So when Anson Tebbetts – Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets, Ali Zipparo – Farm to School and Early Care Program Manager, Amy Bolger – Health & Early Childhood Systems Coordinator at DCF, Rebecca Cochran – Education Child Nutrition Consultant, at the Vermont Agency of Education, and Diana Ferguson – Grants Specialist from the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, walked into the LECP kitchen it was a very local dish that they were smelling. The group had the opportunity to talk with Amy about the lunch she was preparing, her ideas to expand Farm to School work at LECP, and the benefits of local food.
When it was time to eat, the visitors joined children in the younger toddler classroom to see lunch in action. On the menu was tomato soup with that fresh homemade pesto, cheesy bread featuring local Cabot cheddar, and broccoli. Children at LECP eat family style, sitting around a table, serving themselves and working on the social and emotional aspects of meal time as well as enjoying a healthy lunch. Many families attending the program struggle with food insecurity and have limited resources when it comes to purchasing and preparing local produce. Meals and snacks at LECP are a way to introduce children to food they may not have experienced before and to give parents and caregivers inspiration and information on new dishes they can prepare at home.
The visitors were very impressed by the calm, engaged children they saw at the lunch tables and by the food program at LECP overall. “The Agency of Agriculture is delighted to see what’s happening at the Lund Center,” offered Secretary Tebbetts after the visit. “Your commitment to get young Vermonters connected to their food and land is impressive. You are teaching life long skills that will have an impact for years to come. Our Farm to School and Early Care program is possible because of collaborative partners, like Lund who are making a difference in the lives of Vermonters.”
Thank you to our partners at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markers, the Department for Children and Families, and the Agency of Education for taking the time to visit LECP and for helping make healthy meals a vibrant and much anticipated part of our program.
