Norm Needleman

The Connecticut Grown for Connecticut Kids grant program recently announced recipients of its grant funding to support availability of local foods in child nutrition programs, allow educators to teach students about nutrition and farm-to-school connections and help children build healthy habits from a young age. State Senator Norm Needleman (D-Essex) recently welcomed the news that $54,900 of grant funds would be invested in programs supporting agricultural education and nutrition in Clinton and East Hampton.

In East Hampton, the Kids of Chatham program received $49,900 to establish a farm-to-school program in children ages 1-12. The initiative will include the creation of an educational garden, taste test events for children with local produce and integrating agriculture into local curricula for students by enhancing their understanding of healthy eating and local farming.

In Clinton, Clinton Child Care Services received $5,000 to launch a Farm to School program, with plans to partner with the Arbor Garden Club of Clinton to build a garden and establish a relationship with a local farm to source fresh food to their Center, including the purchase of two Community Supported Agriculture shares from Bitta-Blue Farm in Killingworth.

“Local agriculture is vital to our communities, and giving children opportunities to learn about its importance firsthand with educational resources, as well as access delicious local produce, is great for our state’s future,” said Sen. Needleman. “I’m excited to see the results of these projects in future years.”

State legislators have allocated funding in recent years to support this program; in the 2023 legislative session, it received a $1 million allocation in the state budget and a $2 million allocation through the American Rescue Plan Act for shipping container gardens supporting local schools and/or food pantries.