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This multistate, multi-institutional research and extension project involves university faculty, county extension educators, state and local early child care educators and local agriculture and community-based Farm to Preschool organizations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Our goal is to identify and improve fresh produce safety handling knowledge and practices of foodservice staff and educators in early child care settings that participate in Farm to Preschool programs.<P> Objectives (Research): 1a. To determine the food safety knowledge, attitudes, barriers, education needs and practices of early child care center food service staff related to handling local, fresh fruits and vegetables. 1b. To assess foodservice staff interest and methods of desired training related to fresh produce safety. 2a. To determine the food safety knowledge, attitudes, barriers, education needs and practices of early child care center educators related to using fresh fruits and vegetables in classroom meals, snacks, recipes, activities, farm visits, gardens, and other farm to preschool programs. 2b. To determine whether adoption of farm to preschool activities in the classroom is related to knowledge, attitudes, or behaviors. 2c. To assess preschool educator interest and methods of desired training related to fresh produce safety.<P> Objectives (Extension): 3. To develop, implement, and evaluate Food Safety from Farm and Garden to Preschool online and in-person workshops for early child care foodservice staff and educators. 4. To develop, implement, and evaluate a Food Safety from Farm and Garden to Preschool website and resource guide for early child care foodservice staff and educators.<P> Research outputs include documentation of fresh produce handling practices, knowledge, and attitudes of preschool foodservice staff; use of fresh produce in classroom activities, trips, gardens, and snacks; and preschool educators' food safety knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to produce.<P> Extension outputs will be developed based on research findings, and include: Foodservice and preschool educator and parent volunteer training workshops in person and online, along with a website and resource guide, and submissions to eXtension COP. Outputs also include presentations of findings at professional conferences, including those of foodservice and educator staff.
Non-Technical Summary: <BR>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. However, fresh produce can also be a source of foodborne illness. 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 foodservice staff and educators are trained to reduce the potential risks from farm visits, gardens, and minimally processed produce. Through this innovative multistate, multi-institutional partnership, university extension faculty and staff, county educators, local Farm to Preschool (F2P) programs, early child care educators and local agriculture organizations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire will collaborate to identify and improve fresh produce safety knowledge and practices of staff, educators, and parent volunteers in F2P programs. We address Priority Area (111.A): food safety education for consumers of all ages,including those at increased risk. Research objectives include determining the food safety knowledge, attitudes, training needs and practices of preschool center (including Head Start and CACFP providers) foodservice and educator staff related to handling fresh produce; determine if F2P adoption is related to educator attributes; and compare online and in-person program effectiveness. Extension objectives include the development, implementation and evaluation of Food Safety from Farm and Garden to Preschool (FGP) online and in-person workshops for 1000 foodservice staff and educators. A FGP website will be developed and promoted through eXtension and national forums. The FGP project will be developed using a participatory model conducted in four phases. All phases will be planned with the input and guidance of a FGP Advisory Committee (FGP AC), comprised of resource representatives and stakeholder communities and organizations. Phase I is the needs assessment and research phase to determine fresh produce handling practices, attitudes, and knowledge of child care center foodservice and educator staff. Phase II is the pilot testing, development and implementation of in-person workshops for foodservice staff and educators based on results from Phase I and FGP AC guidance. Phase III is the development and implementation of online workshops for foodservice staff and educators, along with a FGP website and resource guide using results from phases I and II and FGP AC. Phase IV is the dissemination of the model nationally, and teaching of the online courses nationwide. Program evaluation is not a separate phase, but will be included in each phase of the FGP project. Expected outcomes include increased food safety knowledge and practices in 1000 preschool educators and foodservice staff and parent volunteers, and increased adoption of safe and healthy farm to preschool programs Through this innovative project, we expect to reduce food safety risk for over 100,000 preschool children who participate in expanding F2P programs in New England and nationwide. <P> Approach: <BR> The FGP Advisory Committee will meet quarterly to guide the project development, implementation, evaluation and dissemination. A smaller project management team from UMass and UNH will meet monthly to track project progress and milestones. Phase I: A research and needs assessment Foodservice Survey and Educator Survey will be designed to assess food safety and fresh produce handling knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Baseline knowledge of food safety will be identified, along with attitudes towards the importance of food safety and fruits and vegetables in children's diets, the role of staff in protecting children from microbial risks, and barriers and intention to change behaviors to incorporate fresh produce in meals and classrooms. Baseline frequency of Farm to Preschool activities such as gardens, farm trips, fresh produce snacks, lessons, and level of parent volunteer involvement will be measured. Both surveys will be designed using multiple choice questions and Likert scales, and will be based on existing research and best practices. Surveys will be administered online to food service and teaching staff in six hundred child care centers chosen at random in MA and NH. Frequencies will be used to identify practices; mean scores for knowledge and attitudes will be calculated, and areas where improvement is needed will be identified. This information will be used in the next phase. Phase II: Two workshops will be developed - one for foodservice staff and one for educators and parent volunteers. Foodservice workshops will address best practices for handling fresh produce safely in schools, along with farm to school and food safety resources. Educator and parent volunteer workshops will address different models for incorporating fresh produce in classroom activities, and steps to reduce foodborne illness. Workshops will be pilot tested and provided throughout NH and MA for foodservice and teaching staff and volunteers. Phase III: Online asynchronous workshops for foodservice staff and educators will be developed and tested. Workshops will be interactive, with questions and answers to stimulate learner participation, will contain slides, short videos with demonstrations, transcripts, and links through a resource page. The website will contain resources for teachers and foodservice staff with links to curricula, materials to use with children and food safety guides from USDA and other sources. Online workshops will be promoted nationally through mailings and listservs of target groups. Online and in-person workshops will be evaluated using a pretest/posttest/delayed posttest design. It is expected that 1000 foodservice and educators will participate in workshops. Phase IV: The FGP workshops will be promoted through the Advisory Council and through participating county extension offices, as well as national listservs. We will also offer to provide training to statewide and national conferences of early childhood educator and foodservice staff. Online workshops will continue to be promoted and available for self-study through the eXtension Community of Practice.