YFM Continues the Kids Market Program for 2nd Year

On June 28, YFM kicked off the second year of our Kids Market Program.  The program is funded by a generous grant from St. Mary Medical Center, Newtown.

The Kids Market Program is designed to provide children with authority in making food decisions for purchasing only fruits and vegetables.  This program provides $10 in “farmers’ market bucks” each week for 5 to 6 weeks to children so they can make their own produce purchases at the farmers’ market.  Research shows that when children have a role in the food selection and meal preparation process, they are more likely to consume the foods purchased and prepared.  By providing purchasing power to the child, they are buying local produce from farmers at the farmers’ market which helps to build healthy eating patterns as well as supports a healthy diet.  This program also provides additional income to local farmers, helping to support the local economy. It truly is a win-win!

YFM ran this program for the first time last summer, and program survey results were overwhelmingly positive:

·       Parents and caregivers noticed positive changes in their child(ren) since beginning the Kids Market Program

·       Children participating in the program ate more fruits and vegetables at home after participating in the Kids Market Program 

·       Children participating in the program tried new fruits and vegetables

Parents and caregivers also noted that their children loved the opportunity to choose their own produce at the market, children learned budgeting skills, and the program provided an excellent opportunity for the children to show their independence. 

In addition to the positive feedback received from parents and the children participating, our YFM vendors equally enjoyed the program!  The vendors were excited for the kids to come through the market and our farmers enjoyed explaining the produce available to them.  One of our farmers wanted the program to be extended because he felt the kids were learning so much and trying so many different foods.

We are overjoyed to run this program again and are grateful to our partners in the program. The children for the program are recruited from the River Crossing YMCA’s summer camp and the general public and St. Mary Hospital, Newtown, is again our generous program sponsor.

The program is full to capacity this year, but we encourage all parents and caregivers to run this program on their own! Consider providing some money to your child to choose and purchase their own fruits and veggies.  You might be surprised at what your child chooses to purchase.  If you do, we'd love to hear from you! Please let us know what you think about this little experiment!