Fund It, Grow It:
Leveraging State Grants for Farm to School in Head Start Communities
With Abby Getman Skillicorn, MBA of Massachusetts Farm to School, Rina Zampieron of Mass Audubon, and Heidi Fogg of Amherst Head Start
What does it look like when early learners taste fresh local vegetables, adopt a dairy cow, and celebrate the harvest all within a Head Start classroom? It starts with the right funding and a community ready to grow.
Since 2023, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Office of Food and Nutrition Programs has awarded MA FRESH Grants to early education programs across the state, helping bring farm to school programming to some of our youngest learners. These grants are proving that meaningful, lasting connections to local food don't have to be overwhelming - they can be built incrementally, joyfully, and with real impact for both children and families.
In this session, hear directly from Holyoke, Chicopee & Springfield Head Start about how they used the MA FRESH Grant to launch a farm to school transformation in their communities. Through teacher professional development with Mass Audubon and participation in the Mass Farm to School Institute, staff gained the knowledge and confidence to bring local food experiences into everyday learning. Their programs now feature taste tests, Harvest of the Month celebrations, and even a cow adoption through New England Dairy - engaging children and families in new and memorable ways. Whether you're just curious about farm to school or ready to apply for your first grant, this session will leave you with practical insights, real-world examples, and the inspiration to bring fresh, local food experiences to the young learners in your community.
Who is Abby Getman Skillicorn?
Abby has been working on food access, justice, and systems work for close to 20 years and is motivated by the work to bring nourishing, local foods to everyone-- especially kids. Prior to joining Mass. Farm to School, she worked with Springfield Public Schools food service department for five years bringing about student learning opportunities and student choice to the breakfast and lunch programs, supported the Healthy Incentives Program's state-wide launch at the Department of Transitional Assistance, and has worked on organic farms and community-based non-profits focusing on food access and food security throughout the Northeast. Abby holds an MBA from Fitchburg State University.
Who is Rina Zampieron?
Rina spent 14 years teaching at and developing nature curriculum for Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Community preschool. In her current role as the State-Wide Early Education Program Manager, she works with early educators across the state offering professional trainings in early nature- and farm-based education. Rina provides other resources and support services with the goal of making nature and farm-based learning an integrated part of all early education work in MA. She has presented at early education, science, nature- and farm-based conferences across the country and is working with national and regional organizations to increase accessibility to nature-based learning through early education programs. Her book, Taking Learning Outside: How to Overcome Barriers and Embrace Nature-Based Early Childhood Education is coming out this October from Teachers College Press.
Who is Heidi Fogg?
Heidi Fogg is Site Director for Amherst Head Start, Community Action (formerly Site Director with Holyoke, Springfield, Chicopee Head Start). Heidi has been supporting the youngest learners at Head Start programs for most of her career. In 2024, as a site director at Holyoke, Chicopee, Springfield Head Start, she was inspired to apply for a farm to school grant which brought hands-on professional development and school gardens to life at the learning center. Heidi is thrilled to share how farm to school programming connects and inspires educators, students and families in Head Start Programs.
