Early Care & Education (ECE)

ECE is focusing on two strategies for the 2024-2025 REACH funding year:

• Increasing local level ECE policies and activities that improve whole child wellness, including nutrition and physical activity, through the Early Ages Healthy Stages (EAHS) coalition. This will be achieved through the continued recruitment and designation of ECEs as Ohio Healthy Programs, a statewide recognition that focuses on creating healthy eating and activity environments for children. This work will be support by CCBH and the development of the EAHS Steering Committee, a diverse body of community leaders dedicated to advancing childhood health in ECE environments.
• Increasing local level ECE policies and activities that advance Farm to Early Care and Education (F2ECE). This will be achieved by collaborating with Feed Our Future, which supports the Farm to Early Care and Education initiative by providing resources and partnerships to help ECE programs introduce young children to fresh, healthy, and local foods. Through collaboration with Early Ages Healthy Stages, Feed Our Future offers materials like Harvest of the Month posters, flashcards, and activity sheets for coloring, tracing, and matching, and will be advancing activities like indoor gardening through the creation of a Growing in the Classroom Guide.