Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience included 813 participants in the online Farm and Garden to Preschool program throughout the U.S.and 369 participants of the in-person Farm and Garden to Preschool program in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Participants included family childcare providers, educators in early childcare centers, foodservice staff in early childcare centers, and others, such as parents. Other targets included early childcare program directors and agency staff as well as cooperative extension and public health nutrition program staffwho could promote the program among their participants. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Overall, 1632 people participated in the program, either in in-person workshops, online program, or as part of 10 conferences and professional development programs at which the Food Safety from Farm and Garden to Preschool program was presented. Early childcare staff can use the certificate of completion obtained after units 1-3, unit 4, and unit 5 as proof of participation for professional development hours. Eight hundred and thirteen people from26 states have participated in the online program and 369 participants from MA and NH were reached throughthe in-person workshops. The top 10 states for participation in addition to MA include Iowa (86), New Hampshire (57), Wisconsin (56), Florida (49), Maine (32), Oregon (30), Minnesota (28), California (21), North Carolina (12), and Colorado (11). The online program was designed to be sustainable after the close of the project period, and is available for continued access for professional development into the future. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Data from the program have been presented at 10 conferences and meetings including the national Experimental Biology 2013 and 2015 and the 2014 National Farm to Cafeteria Conferences as well as the regional Northeast Farm to School, Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom Fall, and Massachusetts Farm to Cafeteria Conferences. The program has been promoted through the eXtension website, the National Farm to School and Farm to Preschool websites, Massachusetts Farm to School Project, and the UMass Extension and UMass ONE websites as well as promotion through the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior, FN-Specialist, Public Health Nutrition, Mass. Partnership for Food Safety Education and other listservs. The program was also picked up and posted on websites including http://ruralmadison.org and the Association of Schools & Programs of Public Health. Postcards with information about the program and the url address for the online program were developed and distributed at conferences and through UMass Extension and UNH Extension offices, by request from organizations such as the John Stalker Institute, or through advisory committee members. Manuscripts from program results are currently under development, and will be submitted to journals with a focus on nutrition or food safety education. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Overall, this project resulted in the development of an innovative online food safety (FS) education program for educators and foodservice staff addressing FS issues related to serving fresh fruits and vegetables and using other farm and garden activities in the early childcare environment. Through this project, over 1100 early childcare educators, foodservice staff, parents and directors were reached with FS training online or in-person, and hundreds more reached with program results. Through participation in the online or in-person programs, respondents demonstrated significant increases in FS knowledge, attitudes and behaviors that are retained 8 weeks after the course was completed. Participants rated the program as useful and objectives achieved. Participants also indicated intent to share the program with over 10,000 parents, children, educators, foodservice staff and volunteers. Importantly, the online model developed enables educators and foodservice staff to continue to access the program into the future after the program period has ended, thus utilizing a sustainable model to reach early childcare staff nationally. Needs Assessment: In spring of 2012, an online survey was emailed to early childcare center (ECC) directors at 600 early childcare centers in MA & NH along with 190 Child and Adult Care Food Program providers in MA. ECC directors were requested to forward a link with the survey to one educator and one foodservice staff member. Directors were also emailed a copy of the survey that they could print and return by mail. Two weeks later, a reminder email was sent to directors. Foodservice Survey (n=46) The majority of foodservice staff reported safe personal FS practices, such always washing fresh produce before preparing and serving (92%), using separate cutting boards for fresh produce and meats/poultry/fish (87%), cleaning and sanitizing countertops prior to preparing fresh fruits and vegetables (95%), and washing hands before preparing and serving meals (100%). FS knowledge was modest, with 78% correct. Most foodservice staff members were interested in learning more about FS (74%), and wanted online resources (67%) and parent activities (63%). More foodservice staff preferred a 1-2 hour online seminar (50%). Almost all (94%) had access to a computer at work. Educator Survey (n=123) The majority of educators saw benefits to purchasing and using local produce. More than half felt that local fruits and vegetables were too expensive. The average number of farm to garden-related activities that centers participated in was 3.8; most common were field trips to farms, planting a garden, taking a field trip to a pick-your-own farm, and serving local products. Higher perceived benefits were related to an increase in adoption of farm and garden activities and the percentage of fruit and vegetables served. Perceived barriers were related to the adoption of farm and garden related activities. Greater self-efficacy was related to the percentage of fruit and vegetables served at centers. FS knowledge of early childcare educators was modest and correlated to personal but not school garden-related FS behaviors. In contrast, attitudes were related to school garden but not personal FS behaviors. Online and In-Person Program Development Based on needs assessment results, an online program and in-person FS workshop was developed to improve the FS knowledge, attitudes, and practices of early childcare educator and foodservice staff. The online program included videos, an interactive sharing board, best practices training tools for goal-setting, printable resources and a personalized certificate of completion. Resources for educators, foodservice staff, and parents were also included. The free, asynchronous online program was launched in September, 2014 (http://www.umass.edu/safefoodfarm2kid/) and includes five units: Farm to Preschool Benefits, Fresh Produce and Foodborne Illness Risks, Food Safety Basics for the Classroom and Kitchen, Food Safety and Garden Activities, and Food Safety on Field Trips to Farms and Farmers' Markets. The first three are considered the core units and must be completed consecutively. Units 4 and 5 are optional. The program automatically keeps track of participant progress, and a personalized certificate of completion is presented after completion of the core and each optional unit. The in-person workshop content was developed to mirror the information in the online program but was delivered via a facilitator-led interactive presentation. Printed versions of Best Practices Planning Tools were used in the workshop and the list of resources was provided to participants. The in-person workshops ran from May 2014 through May 2015 in MA and NH. Content in the workshops covered all five units and the duration of the sessions was approximately two hours. Evaluation A pretest survey is embedded at the beginning of the online program and again after units 3, 4 and 5 to assess FS knowledge, attitudes and practices. A followup survey was sent to participants online at about 8 weeks after completing the unit 3 posttest to assess FS knowledge, attitudes and self-reported changes in practices. Each in-person workshop began with a pretest survey and concluded with a posttest survey with the same questions as in the online program. After completing the workshop, participants received a certificate of completion. Approximately 8 weeks after the conclusion of the workshop, participants were emailed a link to the online follow-up survey. Program Results As of August 18th, 2015, 813 participants had registered for the online program and 369 participants attended 29 workshops held in NH and MA. Participants included 164 family childcare providers, 578 educators, 132 foodservice staff, 19 parents and 268 other. Online pretest FS knowledge scores (n=788) averaged 6.7 out of 10 points. Posttest knowledge scores (n=532) significantly increased to 8.1 and remained significantly higher than pretest at follow-up (n=80). Similarly, posttest attitude scores were significantly higher than pretest, and remained so at followup. Pretest FS practice scores also increased significantly at followup compared to pretest. Similarly, in-person participants experienced significant increases in FS knowledge, attitude and practice scores as a result of the program. Fifty-six percent of online participants and 85% of in-person participants planned to change FS practices as a result of the training. The majority of participants (88% online and 96% in-person) planned to use concepts from the program in the future including videos, Best Practices Planning Tools, suggestions from the Sharing Board, and information from links and resources. Participants in both the online and in-person groups planned to share information from the program with others (81% and 91%, respectively), including approximately 6500 and 4000 people in the online and in-person formats, respectively. Overall, participants in the online and in-person programs considered that the program met their objectives (3.26 and 3.55, respectively, on a 4-point scale) and 99% responded that the program met their expectations in both formats. In follow-up data from 80 online and 56 in-person participants, 59% of online and 76% of in-person respondents indicated they changed FS practices. Seventy-five percent of online and 79% of in-person participants indicated they used concepts from the program. Sixty-eight percent of online and 76% of in-person respondents shared information from the program with others (1100 and 1700 people, respectively), including parents, children, educators, and foodservice staff members.
Publications
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Cohen, N.L., Wickham, C., Violette, C., and Thompson, L. Food Safety from Farm and Garden to Preschool. www.umass.edu/safefoodfarm2kid, 2014.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Wickham, C. and Cohen, N.L. Effectiveness of an online food safety education program for early childcare staff. Experimental Biology, Boston, MA, March 2015.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Wickham, C., Cohen, N., and Violette, C. Relationship between psychosocial indicators and adoption of farm and garden activities and local produce in early childcare. Am Soc. Nutrition/EB Annual Conference, Boston, MA, April 2013.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Cohen, N.L., Wickham, C., and Violette, C. Farm and garden practices and food safety interests of educators and foodservice staff in early childcare. National Farm to Cafeteria Conference, Burlington, VT, August 2012.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Cohen, N.L., Wickham, C., and Violette, C. Farm and garden practices and food safety interests of educators and foodservice staff in early childcare. USDA/NIFSI National Project Directors Meeting, Washington, DC, July 2012.
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Progress 09/01/12 to 08/31/13
Outputs
Target Audience: Target audiences include teachers and foodservice staff in early child care centers, family day cares, parents, and preschool children. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? This project has enabled the training of one Graduate Research Assistant and several county extension staff. When completed, we estimate that approximately 1000 foodservice and educators will participate in online or in-person workshops. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The results will be disseminated to the communities of interest through presentations to national and regional conferences. Two presentations to early child care and farm-to-school professionals have been scheduled thus far for the 2013-14 year. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? We plan to complete the online and in-person workshop models and promote the courses widely among early child care educator and foodservice staff, extension staff, e-extension, farm to school staff, and other communities of interest. We plan to implement the courses and collect data on behavior change, attitudes, knowledge, and other outcomes.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Many preschools introduce farm and garden activities to bring local fresh produce into the classroom. While these programs offer numerous benefits for children, it is important to minimize risks for foodborne illness that can occur with fresh produce. In 2012-13, research and extension staff from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and University of New Hampshire developed the Food Safety from Farm and Garden to Preschool program. Based on program results from Phase I, this is an online program for early care educators, foodservice staff, and parents of young children. The five units address farm-to-preschool benefits, food safety basics, and safety in the garden and during trips to farms and markets. The online program is interactive, with participants building a personalized best practices inventory during each module. Each module includes video instruction, activities, resources, interviews with professionals, links, and discussion board. A pretest, posttest and followup survey will also be included. An in-person format with similar information and resources is also being developed to enable workshops conducted in-person as well. Program development and pilot testing will be completed in early 2014, when course promotion and implementation will begin.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Wickham, C., Cohen, N., and Violette, C. Relationship between psychosocial indicators and adoption of farm and garden activities and local produce in early childcare. Am Soc. Nutrition/EB Annual Conference, Boston, MA, April 2013. FASEB J April 9, 2013 27:367.4
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Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The Farm to School (F2S) program links farmers with K-12 schools to increase fresh fruits and vegetables in children. This growing movement supports local agriculture and youth and promotes Dietary Guidelines and Healthy People 2020 goals. As F2S expands to preschools, training is needed to ensure that risk from fresh produce is minimized in this vulnerable group. It is critical that food service staff and educators are trained to reduce the potential risk from farm visits, gardens, and minimally processed produce. The purpose of this project is to determine the food safety knowledge, attitudes, training needs and practices of early child care (ECC) foodservice and educator staff related to handling fresh produce and to develop, implement, and evaluate Food Safety from Farm and Garden to Preschool online and in-person workshops for ECC foodservice staff & educators. In 2012, a survey was developed to assess fresh fruit and vegetable food safety knowledge, behaviors and practices of educators and foodservice staff in ECCs. The survey was emailed to a random sample of 600 childcare directors in MA and NH who were requested to forward the surveymonkey link or attached survey to one educator and one foodservice staff member, and reminders emailed after 2 weeks. A second emailing was sent to 163 ECCs in the Child and Adult Care Food Program in MA. A total of 115 educator and 40 foodservice surveys were completed. PARTICIPANTS: This project is conducted in cooperation with faculty and staff from UMass Department of Nutrition and Extension and UNH Extension, along with collaborators from state early education and care agencies, local preschools, local nutrition policy organization, and local agriculture organization. The Project Directors and staff have met regularly in working groups to develop, implement and analyze the needs assessment survey, meet with advisory council members to interpret program results and identify priorities for educational program development, and outline curriculum and website content. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences include teachers and foodservice staff in early child care centers, family day cares, parents, and preschool children. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
ECCs use a variety of farm and garden activities, with 30-50% of respondent ECCs that use farm visits, plant gardens, serve local produce, hold taste tests, and conduct nutrition education. While reported handwashing frequency in staff and children is high, only 63% of ECCs report that children always wash hands after picking garden foods, and only 50% use clean containers to harvest fruits & vegetables. Most gardens are organic, but only 1/3 are tested for lead. Most ECC staff are interested in food safety education, including activities for staff, parents and children, along with online resources. These results are being used to develop and implement a food safety curriculum for ECC educators and foodservice staff, including an online course, website and resource guide.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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