Grow More MI

Happiness is homegrown.

Dig into a world of local, nutrient-dense foods at your early child care site with Grow More.

Fresh food is a fresh start. And for the little ones in your care, it can make an impact to last a lifetime. Whether it’s a morning playing in the garden or enjoying an afternoon snack, food brings people together for fun engaging activities in any early childhood education setting.

That’s why, at the Michigan Farm to Early Care and Education (ECE) Network, we’re bringing you tips for growing and serving local foods with Grow More: an initiative to show little minds the power of Michigan-grown foods from seed to crop, and to help connect you to the farm to ECE movement. We’re sharing simple resources to make your life easier, show your people that you put kids’ nutrition first, and help your little ones grow together.

Let’s get growing!

DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES

ACTIVITY PAGES

Download and print these handouts to give your little ones educational, hands-on learning.
Activity page: Colors
Activity page: Matching
Activity page: Cutting with scissors

THE BADGE

Show that you’re a part of the farm to ECE movement by displaying this badge on your center’s website, social media channels, email signatures, newsletters, printouts and more. This will get the word out that you’re helping little ones eat and grow more local, nutrient-dense foods.

SHAREABLE SOCIAL POST

Get the word out by sharing a post on your social media channels. You can download the image (left) and copy the caption below.

🌱 Let’s grow, kiddos! 🌱 We’re proud to announce our participation in Michigan Farm to ECE's Grow More Initiative! 🌟We’re working with this group to help our little ones dig into a world of delicious adventures and learning — from some hands-on gardening to education around Michigan-grown foods. 🥕🍅 We’re excited to grow together and explore nourishing foods that power imagination and play. You can learn more about the Grow More initiative at GrowMoreMI.org. #GrowMoreMI

MORE TOOLS & TIPS

Food Maps

Taste the Local Difference Food Maps: Find local grocery stores, farmers markets and distributors with Michigan-grown foods.

Michigan Market Maker: An easy tool to find farms and farmers markets in your area.

Shopping Local

Local Food for Little Eaters – A Migrant & Seasonal Head Start Guide to Local Food Purchasing: Step-by-step instructions and interactive tools to help you begin buying and using more local, affordable foods. (Esto también está disponible en español.)

Local Purchasing and Local Procurement for Child Care Centers: Tips for finding local food and connecting with farmers from the National Farm to School Network.

How Much Should I Buy?: A handy guide for serving sizes of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Recipes & Food Storage

Food preservation tips: Download and print this easy how-to guide for safely freezing and preserving produce.

Everything in Good Season Guide: Includes kid-friendly seasonal recipes, gardening tips, a guide for finding in-season produce and engaging activities for children.

Michigan Harvest of the Month: A collection of easy recipes highlighting Michigan-grown fruits and veggies – all with 10 ingredients or less.

CACFP Recipes for Child Care Homes: Hundreds of quick, kid-friendly recipes, from snacks to sandwiches. (Esto también está disponible en español.)