Sustainability Via Active Garden Education

SAGE will be delivered over a four month period using a cluster randomized controlled trial adapted crossover design, along with testing a sustainability action plan (SAP) at the organizational level. In this study, the investigators will determine the efficacy of the SAGE intervention on health in 3-4 year-old children. This study will pair match and randomize 20 ECEC from neighborhoods with high proportions of Hispanic or Latino residents. ECEC will receive either the SAGE intervention or the safety attention comparison. Then, ECEC will cross over and receive the treatment that they did not receive to ensure that all ECEC receive both curricula. The investigators will determine improvement in accelerometry measured PA and sedentary behaviors, fruit and vegetable consumption and explore eating in the absence of hunger compared to those in a child safety attention comparison. The investigators will explore secondary impacts on parenting practices that promote PA and fruit and vegetable consumption, home fruit and vegetable availability and improved household food security. This study will explore the process of delivery of the SAGE intervention on dimensions of reach, adoption, and implementation. This study will also develop, implement, and evaluate a SAP in the SAGE arm to determine replicability and institutionalization (sustainability) of the SAGE intervention and explore the relationship between of sustainability to child outcomes at follow-up. The development and success of the community Partnership and SAGE Community Advisory Board will also be evaluated using indicators of participation, representativeness, and collaboration. This study will rely on CBPR strategies and an established theoretical model to implement an engaging and translational multilevel intervention linking policy and practice. This work will test strategies for implementing IOM guidelines at the ECE level and will guide future efforts aimed at scaling up efficacious interventions for broad dissemination in vulnerable populations to reduce health disparities.

ECEC Inclusion Criteria:

• Census tracts with >30% Hispanic-Latino population
• ECEC must be licensed and enroll at least 35 children aged 3-4 years old
• Space for garden install

Exclusion criteria

• Not participating in CACFP
• No space for a garden
• Less than 35 children aged 3-5 years old enrolled