Our latest award in funding is a $750 GroMoreGood Grassroots grant, funded by a collaboration between The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation and KidsGardening.
These funds will be used to purchase two raised 6 ft by 2.5 ft garden planters for our Hope Child Care Center, which currently has the space and need for expansion of their current gardening area.
These raised beds are ideal for this site because the child care center is in an urban area where there are no plots of grass available for gardening. The outdoor blacktop area is where both playground equipment and outdoor activities (like gardening and planters) are currently set up.
These additions will allow for all enrolled children to experience hands-on gardening learning concurrently.
Our hands-on gardening program is implemented across all of our preschool sites and aims to:
- Teach young children ages 3-5 (preschool aged children) the importance/experiential learning/skills necessary to grow their own food
- Instill a love of fresh fruits and vegetables in preschool aged children. Children are more likely to try new fruits and vegetables/develop a love for fresh foods when they’re involved in the process of growing and preparing their own food
- The Grow It, Try It, Like It! (GITILI) curriculum used by our health educators includes activities that extend this experience to children’s homes where they can learn at home with fun parent/child activities and family-sized recipes that incorporate kids into the cooking culture at home. CFHL educators also conduct nutrition lessons with our child care centers’ parents to provide a holistic approach to wellness for our families.
To see all of the 2026 GroMoreGood Grassroots winners, check out KidsGardening’s announcement page!
