Sec. 106. Farm-to-Preschool program
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The Secretary of Agriculture shall develop and carry out a grant program to make grants to community-based and nonprofit organizations to develop a Farm-to-Preschool program that fosters the connection between preschools, Head Start programs, childcare or daycare centers, kindergarten readiness programs in K–12 school districts, and in-home care facilities, with small- or medium-sized agricultural producers, for the purposes of— developing an industry-leading preschool nutrition education and meal program designed to help prevent the onset of childhood obesity and develop foundational healthy eating and lifestyle habits, creating nutritious and healthy made-from-scratch meals and menus using recipes that include mostly locally grown and produced organic foods, developing recipes and menus that will serve as a tool for parent awareness, access to healthy food, food preparation, and eating, and engagement in nutrition education, developing experiential educational curricula centered around farms, farmers’ markets, and school gardens for parents and children, replicating Farm-to-Preschool parent awareness and engagement in nutrition education, healthy eating and food preparation nationally, supporting local and regional agriculture communities, and promoting the institutionalization of preschool wellness policies.
The Secretary shall make grants under subsection (a)— to be used— to support the initial costs of implementing a new, or expanding an existing, Farm-to-Preschool program, in an amount not to exceed $250,000 to support the training and access to resources and information necessary to conduct a successful Farm-to-Preschool program, or in an amount not to exceed $50,000 to support the cost of conducting research, identifying resources, and developing partnerships to design a successful and sustainable Farm-to-Preschool program, to eligible entities that agree to provide, in cash or in kind, not less that 20 percent of the cost of the use for which the respective grants are made, and to achieve to the maximum extent practicable geographical diversity and grantee participation in urban, rural and tribal communities.
Not later than 1 year after the first fiscal year for which funds are appropriated to carry out this section, the Secretary of Agriculture shall report to Congress on the progress made in carrying out programs funded by grants under this section, including preschool nutrition education curricula centered around farms, farmers’ markets, and school gardens, and the institutionalization of preschool wellness policies. There is authorized to be appropriated for fiscal years 2014 through 2018 in the aggregate $10,000,000 to carry out this section.