Farm to Child Nutrition Programs

Farm to Child Nutrition Programs in Washington strengthen community connections by bringing fresh, locally produced foods into schools and child nutrition sites. These programs enhance student health and learning by supporting local food purchasing, providing hands‑on nutrition and agricultural education, and integrating activities such as school gardens and taste tests into daily learning. By partnering with regional farmers and producers, the initiative helps schools serve nutritious meals while fostering a deeper understanding of where food comes from and how it supports thriving communities. The Farm to Child Nutrition Programs Resource Guide helps sponsors easily navigate procurement, education strategies, and program implementation resources and provides information to connect with their OSPI specialist.

Farm to School

Farm to School programming supports students' academic achievement, health, and wellbeing through local food purchases, nutrition and agricultural education, and hands-on learning opportunities in school gardens.

Farm to Summer

Summer is a time of agricultural abundance. Using Washington grown foods in your summer meal program is a great way to take advantage of all the produce our state has to offer. Incorporating food education into your program also increases kids' willingness to try new foods!

Farm to Child and Adult Care Food Program

Farm to CACFP efforts focus on early care and education settings. Farm to CACFP activities, such as gardening, farm visits, and serving meals with food from local farms, teach children about healthy food by engaging all five senses.

Washington Local Food

Washington Local Foods provides unprocessed and minimally processed foods from local and regional producers to Washington Schools. The program helps both local education agencies and producers because the procurement of food is conducted centrally at OSPI and producers deliver food to three OSPI contracted warehouses for delivery to the local education agency

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.