Kitchen garden play for children in Victoria gets a boost

Early years educators and service providers in Victoria have just received a tremendous boost to starting, running and growing their kitchen garden programs.

In 2017 the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation and The Ian Potter Foundation have come together to inspire and support pleasurable food education for the babies, tots and toddlers in childcare services and kindergarten programs in Victoria.

The Kitchen Garden Early Years Program, a project funded by The Ian Potter Foundation’s Alec Prentice Sewell Gift, will develop over the next three years, helping the Kitchen Garden Foundation to cultivate even more expertise and strategies for bringing fun, hands-on cooking and gardening to very young children.

“This program will adapt the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation’s already successful kitchen garden schools program by creating customised resources, training and support for early childhood centres,” said Craig Connelly, Chief Executive Officer of The Ian Potter Foundation.

“By teaching children at an earlier age the importance of growing fresh produce in an outdoor setting, the program will improve children’s health outcomes later in life,” he said.

The pilot program will initially focus on disadvantaged regions in Victoria to satisfy the Alec Prentice Sewell Gift funding objective that it be used to ‘improve opportunities for disadvantaged children’.

Subsequently, the program aims to deliver a tailored package of training, resources and support to early childhood service providers state-wide, with an aim to scale up to national delivery in the future.

Ange Barry, Chief Executive Officer of the Kitchen Garden Foundation, welcomed the support and looked forward to building on, and expanding, its current relationship with early childhood educators and service providers.  

“Since the Foundation launched our Kitchen Garden Classroom membership in early 2015, we have seen an influx in membership from early years learning centres, with over 170 committing to implementing pleasurable food education already.

“We know from experience that the earlier you normalise positive food relationships with children, the more likely they are to appreciate and enjoy fresh, seasonal, delicious food from an early age and into adulthood,” she said.

The Kitchen Garden Foundation has recruited a dedicated Early Childhood Educator who will work with a group of early childhood services stakeholders to develop, pilot and review a learning package for early years educators, within the three-year period.

As well, the Foundation will build on the success of its first-ever publication devoted entirely to early years activities and recipes, the popular Seasonal Food & Gardening for the Early Years: Book 1, with Book 2 in development, among other resources.

• Interested in being part of the stakeholder group exploring how best to bring pleasurable food education to young children? Or want to know more about the Kitchen Garden Early Years Program? Email Melanie at melanie@kitchengardenfoundation.org.au
• To find out how your school or centre can dig into pleasurable food education right now head to our Kitchen Garden Classroom membership page.

Any questions? Call our friendly Support Team on 13000 SAKGF (13000 72543).