Senator Gaston Welcomes Funding to Childhood Program in Stratford

Today, state Senator Herron Keyon Gaston (D-Bridgeport) is welcoming over $19,000 to an early childhood program in Stratford. The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) has selected 15 projects total valued at more than $750,000 to receive funding through the Connecticut Grown for Connecticut Kids Grant (CTG4CTK Grant).

The CT DoAg is awarding $19,800 to Little Growers: Growing with Nature program at LR Legacy Trading LLC dba Lindsey’s House. Their Little Growers program is designed to bring hands-on gardening into their early childhood program, allowing children to grow herbs, perennials, and annual fruits to supply fresh produce for classroom meals and snacks throughout the year.

“I am happy to see such an incredible program receive funding in Stratford,” said Sen. Gaston. “This will help to provide children with the opportunity to explore, learn, and connect with the environment. This support ensures that the next generation can experience the wonders of nature, fostering curiosity, creativity, and a lifelong love for the world around them.”

The CT Grown for CT Kids grant focuses on increasing the availability of local foods in child nutrition programs, allowing educators to use hands-on educational techniques to teach students about nutrition and farm-to-school connections, sustaining relationships with local farmers and producers, enriching the educational experience of students, improving the health of children in the state, and enhancing the state’s economy.

This highly competitive grant program received nearly 80 applications for the full grant award categories with funding requests exceeding $2 million.