With generous support from individuals, businesses, and organizations in the community, the Family Focus Early Learning Center in Brunswick recently completed the successful installation of raised garden beds.

The raised beds are located in a dedicated garden space on the playground where the children will have frequent contact with them, leading to many opportunities to grow, explore, and learn.

The goals of the project are to enhance the garden space in a way that is appropriate to the children’s size and that supports and encourages learning, enhance existing food curricula, emphasize the importance of outdoor play, and teach healthy eating habits by allowing the kids to see their own food grown from seed to fruit and ultimately reaching their tables.

This spring children from the Pre- School and Pre-Kindergarten classes helped to build and plant the raised beds. Center families have volunteered for a rotation of weekly watering and weeding. Classroom teachers utilize the growing plants in demonstrating where food comes from, composting, and eating fresh veggies and herbs that the classrooms have nutured and grown.

The project was made possible by generous support from the following: First Parish Church, Brunswick; Mark Ponziani, Topsham; Jon Kibler, Topsham; Hancock Lumber, Brunswick; Cosmic Stone and Garden Supply, Topsham; and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.