CT DoAg Celebrates CT Grown for CT Kids Week, October 7-11

Press Releases

10/07/2024

CT DoAg Celebrates CT Grown for CT Kids Week, October 7-11

Awards Nearly $80,000 to Fund 19 CT Grown for CT Kids Microgrant Projects

(HARTFORD, CT) - Connecticut Department of Agriculture marked the start of Connecticut Grown for Connecticut Kids (CTG4CTK) Week from October 7 through October 11, with a visit to Beman Middle School in Middletown to announce nearly $80,000 to fund 19 CTG4CTK microgrant projects. Upon implementation these awards will continue developing farm to school programs throughout the state with the potential to positively impact more than 3,300 students. Beman Middle School received a CTG4CTK Grant award in fiscal year 2023 to provide a multi-faceted experiential learning opportunity for more than 900 students.

Connecticut Grown for Connecticut Kids Week is held annually during the first full week of October to celebrate and support local agriculture, public education, and a commitment to the importance of healthy, nutritious meals in schools. Farm to school programming teaches students where their food comes from, encourages healthy eating habits, creates market opportunities for farmers, and educates the next generation of potential farmers, agriculture educators, and service providers.

"Farm-to-School programming allows students to gain access to healthy, local foods, and provides so many new opportunities for producers, our state's youth and educators, and our greater Connecticut community. Thank you to all who worked on the CT Grown for CT Kids Grants program, especially our Department of Agriculture Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt, and thank you to CT school food service and educators who work tirelessly every day to feed our youth," said Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz. "The impact of this really cannot be understated. As a state, we will be able to enrich the educational experience of our students, and improve the health of children in Connecticut, all while enhancing the state's economy. It is important that we expose students to wide varieties of occupations, hobbies, interests, and ideas while they are young, so they can dream big and set out to achieve success in their futures."

CT DoAg received 33 eligible grant applications requesting more than $146,000, with up to $5,000 available for each recipient. The competitive selection process included recommendations by the statutorily authorized review panel and Commissioner Hurlburt. This is the fourth round of the program, which was funded for two years as a pilot through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Administered in collaboration with the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) and the Connecticut Farm to School Collaborative (FTSC), the CTG4CTK grant program received legislative approval in 2023 for up to $1 million annually in fiscal years 2024 and 2025.

"With today's announcement we have funded projects valued at more than $3.5 million since 2022 - an investment in our future leaders and the agriculture sector," said Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt. "Connecting children with fresh, Connecticut Grown farm products - whether on their tray or through experiential learning - nurtures a shared commitment to health and sustainability by cultivating partnerships and fostering teamwork."

The fiscal year 2025 Connecticut Grown for Connecticut Kids microgrant awardees are:

Track 1: Farm to School (K-12) Local Procurement Assistance Grant

• The CREC Foundation, Bloomfield: The River Street Autism Program and Early Learning Center Greenhouse Project

Track 2: Farm to School (K-12) Experiential Learning Grant

• End Hunger Connecticut!, Meriden: Farm to Families: Healthy Eating Workshops
• Grow Windham, Willimantic: Building Capacity for Sustainable Farm-Based Education in Windham
• Union School District, Union: Union School Outdoor Classroom Extensions

Track 3: Producer Capacity Building Grant

• Green Village Initiative, Inc., Bridgeport: Harvest Fresh: Expanding Reservoir Community Farm Cool Storage for a Healthier Bridgeport
• nOURish Bridgeport, Inc, Stratford: nOURish Local Farm to Local School
• Stonington Kelp Company, Stonington: Stonington Kelp in Stonington Schools
• Urban Fresh Gardens, Waterbury: Building Capacity

Track 4: Farm to Early Childcare and Education (ECE) Grant

• Bristol Boys & Girls Club Association, Inc., Bristol: Garden Grown Kids, Cultivating Green Thumbs and Healthy Habits
• Children's Learning Centers of Fairfield County, Inc., Stamford: Gardening and Healthy Eating at CLC William Pitt
• Darien Community Young Men's Christian Association, Inc., Darien: Holly Pond School Farm to School Curriculum and Garden Beds
• Gloria Montoya, Meriden: Sembrando y Nutriendo Con Amor
• Hope Preschool, Inc., Deep River: The Garden of Hope
• Sowing Seeds Daycare LLC, Stratford: Updating current greenhouse
• The Cozy Den Childcare, LLC, New Haven: KIDZ KOOK
• The Family Center Incorporated, Bristol: Imagine Growing Program
• Westview Child Care Center, Dayville: Installation of Raised Planters for Nature-Based Curriculum Enhancement
• Yashira Serra Family Childcare Home, East Hartford: Garden to table
• Young Women's Christian Association, New Britain: Farm Access and Understanding: YWCA Childcare

Full Grant applications for those projects requesting up to $75,000 are due on October 25 for Track 4 (Farm to Early Childcare and Education) and on November 8 for Tracks 1 (Farm to School K-12 Local Procurement Assistance) and Track 2 (Farm to School K-12 Experiential Learning Grant).

To learn more, or apply, please visit CTGrown.gov/grants.

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) mission is to foster a healthy economic, environmental, and social climate for agriculture by developing, promoting, and regulating agricultural businesses; protecting agricultural and aquacultural resources; enforcing laws pertaining to domestic animals; and promoting an understanding among the state's citizens of the diversity of Connecticut agriculture, its cultural heritage, and its contribution to the state's economy. For more information, visit www.CTGrown.gov.

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES:
Rebecca Eddy, [email protected]
860-573-0323

http://www.ctgrown.gov

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