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Early Years Programme

Incredible Edibles for Early Years

Early Years

The Incredible Edibles for Early Years accommodates the Early Years curriculum, by engaging young children in the sowing, growing and eating of fresh Irish fruit and vegetables.

In 2021, Kerry County Childcare and Kerry Children and Young Peoples Services Committee (C.Y.P.S.C.) wanted to promote the growing of vegetables as part of a health promotion, food and nutrition project within their early years childcare services. Agri Aware's Incredible Edibles aligned with this as a successful healthy eating and growing project for primary schools.

Together, the primary project was reworked to make it suitable for the Early Years curriculum and a target audience of 0-5+ years. Thus, creating a new "Early Years" project. The pilot programme ran from January to June and impacted over 2,000 children in 65 services/138 rooms across Co. Kerry.

This project was funded under round 3 of the Healthy Ireland fund - Theme 3: Nutrition, Indictive Actions: Healthy Food Initiatives and Community/School gardens and is also supported by the Obesity Policy and Action Plan 2016-2025 as an effective programme.

Aistear Curriculum Links to the Incredible Edibles Project:

Wellbeing
• Children will be healthy and fit
• Children will have positive outlooks on life.

Identity & Belonging
• Children will have a sense of group identity where links with their family and community are acknowledged.

Communicating
• Children will broaden their understanding of the world by making sense of experiences through language.

Exploring & Thinking
• Children will learn and make sense of the world around them

Communication and Engagement
The project was activated and communicated to service staff via monthly webinar meetings , a monthly newsletter and a Facebook group to network progress & ask questions/engage.