XCD505.FARM2ECE - Farm to Early Care and Education

Course Description

Farm to Early Care and Education (Farm to ECE) is a teachers’ professional development (PD) program, including two central components: Monthly online training and curriculum implementation. The goal of this PD is to strengthen teachers’ and children’s food and agriculture knowledge and teachers’ science teaching practices via an experiential curriculum based on research about metacognition. Place-based learning materials (e.g., lesson plans; local fruits/vegetables/grains; plant-themed children’s books) will be delivered to your class monthly. Farm to ECE is also part of a research program; your participation will inform effective teaching practices in early childhood science education. This curriculum is developmentally appropriate for preschool and kindergarten children. This supplementary curriculum is meant to be implemented in addition to your existing curriculum/lesson plans.

Learner Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students will:

• Gain a better understanding of essential plant, agriculture, and nutrition science knowledge.
• Learn and practice evidence-based science teaching strategies.
• Build a professional development community with teachers from other preschools/kindergarten/childcare settings.