Growing Minds is the farm to school program of Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), a nonprofit based in Asheville serving the Southern Appalachian region of Western North Carolina and bordering states. The vision of Growing Minds is that children of all ages learn about and have positive experiences with local food and farms in the classroom, cafeteria, and community. 

At its core, farm to school connects children to local food and farms. Farm to early care and education (ECE) - also called farm to preschool - has the same focus, but adapts materials and activities to serve children in pre-K, childcare centers, and family homes, instead of students in kindergarten through 12th grade. For consistency and ease of reading, we refer to all as “farm to school” throughout our website. 

The Growing Minds program defines farm to school as giving children opportunities to learn about and have positive experiences with local food and farms in the classroom, cafeteria, and community. It includes one or more of the following core activities: 

Edible gardens

Local Food 

Farm experiences

Children who participate in farm to school activities learn about where food comes from, foster lifelong healthy eating habits, and build connections with their community. Farm to school offers an experiential, holistic approach to engaging children in many subjects, including math, science, literacy, art, nutrition, social emotional learning, cultural awareness, and more.