Client Portal

Healthy Roots Program

AnewAmerica’s Healthy Roots
Gardening and Food Justice Program for Early Childhood Education Entrepreneurs

AnewAmerica has initiated a community food project with childcare business owners as part of our work in Social Responsibility and Food Justice. AnewAmerica is assisting daycare entrepreneurs to facilitate the launch of edible gardens, and supporting the development of gardening and nutrition curriculum within the daycares.

Healthy Roots is serving 28 daycare entrepreneurs, including 224 children, and 45 families in San Francisco, Novato, San Jose, and Richmond.

The Objectives

• Increase the awareness of the importance of organic, sustainable edible gardening, and to increase the quality of nutrition for over 200 low-income children and their families.
• Increase awareness about ecology. sustainable agriculture, nutrition, and protection of the environment.
• Educate children about the importance of balanced nutrition and the link between eating fresh, healthy, local food, and their physical well-being.

Daycare Gardening Project Training for Daycare Entrepreneurs

AnewAmerica works with organizations devoted to sustainable garden development such as the Garden for the Environment, Ecology Center, and community volunteers to train and educate our entrepreneurs in the following ways:

• Creating or enhance an edible organic garden
• Implementing organic gardening curriculum into the educational component of their services
• Educating children and parents on the benefits of edible gardens
• The food produced in these gardens will be consumed by the children that attend the daycare, and the surplus will be taken home to their families

Policy Change

Our team of AnewAmerica staff and with support from Children’s Council have collaborated to increase the quality of nutrition and the implementation of the Healthy Roots gardening project in the following ways:

• AnewAmerica has provided the entrepreneurs with support to develop a curriculum and a business policy in their daycare facility.
• AnewAmerica has provided the daycare entrepreneur with the training on how they can be advocates in their daycare and communities for childhood nutrition and sustainable gardening
• Conduct advocacy meetings with local and regional childhood agencies

For more information, contact Lisset Ramirez at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone at (510) 532-5240.