100 preschools receive $1K grants to start vegetable gardens

January 16, 2012: The Irvine-based Western Growers Foundation (WGF) said Monday it will give $1,000 each to 100 California preschools and day-care centers to help them start gardens for growing food, reports the LA Times.

The project is intended to let young children see firsthand where their food comes from and teach them healthy eating habits that could help curb increasing rates of childhood obesity.

The grants, to be administered with the help of the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the California Department of Education, can be used to pay for plants, seeds and gardening equipment.

The 16-year old foundation is the charitable arm of the Western Growers, an industry group representing farmers, food packers and shippers.  In 2003, the Foundation set the goal of raising funds for a garden in every interested school in Arizona and California and created the School Garden Program.  Since then, WGF has committed nearly $700,000 to more than 500 schools to assist in establishing and sustaining garden-based nutrition education programs. 

Where the money comes from: California Department of Agriculture
CDE has awarded Western Growers Foundation with more than $240,000 in USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant funding.  These funds have been used in multiple projects- all which provide California's youngest students with the opportunity to learn in a garden setting. Monsanto Fund
The Monsanto Fund has provided Western Growers Foundation with $30,000 this year  to support California and Arizona school gardens. Arizona Department of Agriculture
This year, the ADA has granted WGF close to $100,000 to create an edible school garden at the Phoenix Zoo and to distribute a Gardens for Learning book to Arizona schools.

Below, the list of the recipients of the 2011 Child Preschool and Garden Grants:

1. 4C Council (San Jose)
2. A Joyful Noise Learning Center (Hayward)
3. AlphabetRanch, Inc. (Sacramento)
4. Anne Sullivan Nursery School (Wildomar)
5. Associated Students Child Development Lab, CSU Chico
6. Associated Students CSU Sonoma Children’s School
7. Associated Students/CSU Northridge Children’s Center
8. Beginnings, Inc. (Redway)
9. Benicia Unified School District Child Development Unit
10. Bethel Children’s Center of Santa Rosa
11. Blossom Trails Preschool and Child Care (Sanger)
12. Catholic Charities CYO (San Francisco)
13. Chico Community Children Center (Elm St.)
14. Chico Community Children Center  (Eaton Rd.)
15. Child Development Associates (Spring Valley)
16. Child Development Associates (National City)
17. Child Development Inc. (Davis)
18. Child Start, Inc. (Fairfield)
19. Child Start, Inc. (American Canyon)
20. Child, Family and Community Services, Inc. (San Leandro)
21. Child, Family and Community Services, Inc. (Hayward)
22. Children of the Rainbow (San Diego)
23. Children’s Bureau of Southern California (Los Angeles)
24. Children’s Paradise, Inc. (Vista – Melrose Dr.)
25. Children’s Paradise, Inc. (Vista – Redondo Beach Road)
26. Coast Side Child Development Center (Half Moon Bay)
27. Community Association for Preschool Education – CAPE, Inc (Livermore)
28. Community Bridges (Santa Cruz)
29. Creative Child Care, Inc (Stockton)
30. Dayspring Christian Learning Center (El Cajon)
31. El Proyecto del Barrio (Panorama City)
32. Escondido Community Child Development Center
33. Family Matters Child Care Center (Sacramento)
34. Family Service Association (Moreno Valley)
35. First Church of God (Atwater)
36. Glenn Co. Office of Ed. (Orland)
37. Golden State YMCA (Visalia – Mooney Blvd.)
38. Golden State YMCA (Visalia – Tulare Ave.)
39. Grossmont Cuyamaca Community College District (El Cajon)
40. Hansel and Gretel Inc. (Fresno – Wishon)
41. Hansel and Gretel Inc. (Fresno – Alamos)
42. Happy Kids Childcare and Preschool Center (Shingle Springs)
43. Happy Kids Preschool & Child Care (Cameron Park)
44. I-5 Social Services Corporation (Mendota)
45. Intermountain Community Center Children’s Program (Burney)
46. Kaweah Kids Center (Visalia)
47. Kinderland Child Development Center (Los Angeles)
48. KYCC Children’s Center (Los Angeles)
49. La Casa Preschool (San Gabriel)
50. La Petite Academy (Lodi)
51. LBUSD Head Start Program (Signal Hill)
52. Learning Care Group (Palmdale)
53. Merced County Office of Education Head Start (Merced)
54. Mothers’ Club Family Learning Center (Pasadena)
55. Mountain Valley Child Development (Crescent Mills)
56. Mountain Valley Child Development (Chester)
57. Mihonmachi Little Friends (San Francisco)
58. North Bay Children’s Center (Novato)
59. Novato Youth Center
60. Oak Park Preschool, Inc (Sacramento)
61. Orange Children & Parents Together (Orange)
62. Orange County Head Start, Inc. (Huntington Beach)
63. Orange County Head Start, Inc. (Buena Park)
64. PACE Early Childhood Education (Los Angeles)
65. Page Learning Academy, Inc. (Inglewood)
66. Palomar College Child Development Center (San Marcos)
67. Pasadena Day Nursery
68. Pathways LA
69. Pomona Unified School District
70. Redwood Community Action Agency (Eureka)
71. Richgrove Child Development Program
72. Rincon Community Child Development Center
73. Saint Vincent’s Day Home, Inc. (Oakland)
74. San Gorgonio Child Care Consortium (Banning)
75. San Joaquin Delta College (Stockton)
76. San Juan Unified School District (Carmichael)
77. San Mateo County Community College District (San Bruno)
78. Santa Clarita Community Counseling Center/Child and Family (Santa Cruz)
79. Santa Cruz Community Counseling Center/Child and Family
80. SCCCC Child and Family Development Programs (Santa Cruz)
81. Scott Valley Unified School District (Etna)
82. Shining Star Learning Center (Pomona)
83. SJB Child Development Center (San Jose)
84. Solano College Children’s Programs (Fairfield)
85. South Bay Universal Child Development Center (Hawthorne)
86. South of Market Child Care (San Francisco)
87. St. Elizabeth’s Day Home (San Jose)
88. The Children’s Center at Cal State University San Bernardino
89. The Janice Mirikitani Family, Youth and Childcare Center (San Francisco)
90. The Learning House (Clearlake)
91. The Phoenix Preschool (Sacramento)
92. The Salvation Army (Long Beach)
93. The Salvation Army Harbor House Childcare (San Francisco)
94. The Salvation Army Monterey Childcare Center (Seaside)
95. The San Luis Obispo Child Development Center (San Luis Obispo)
96. United States Air Force (Beale AFB)
97. Wonder Years (Glendale)
98. YMCA of San Diego County (Chula Vista)
99. Young Horizons (Long Beach)
100. YWCA (San Pedro)