A new collaboration between WANDA (Women Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics & Agriculture) and the National Farm to School Network (NFSN) was introduced at the 10th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, marking a joint effort to advance culturally rooted food education through creative, classroom ready experiences. This announcement, made on December 1, 2025, aligns with the conference theme, “Rooted in Culture, Forward into the Future,” and highlights both organizations’ commitment to strengthening food learning environments for young children.
Cultural Edutainment Takes Center Stage
At the core of this collaboration is WANDA’s growing edutainment universe, WANDA’s World, which blends music, storytelling, and cultural discovery to encourage children to become healthy eaters, joyful readers, and confident leaders. Central to this experience is Little WANDA, a character designed to help children connect with food through curiosity and cultural identity. The immersive environment presented at the conference allowed attendees to see how veggies gain personalities, how rhythm supports recall, and how character-driven content fosters familiarity with heritage foods.
Conference participants engaged with classroom demonstrations showcasing how music enhances memory, storytelling deepens interest in food origins, and culturally rooted narratives strengthen children’s sense of belonging. Through this approach, children are encouraged to shift from hesitation around new foods to enthusiastic exploration.
Responding to Funding Pressures
The announcement arrives against the backdrop of reductions in SNAP-Ed and Farm to School funding detailed in the “Make America Healthy Again (MAHA)” report. These cuts raise concerns for the more than 25 million children in the United States who rely on school meals and nutrition education. The collaboration seeks to advance food literacy and reinforce culturally relevant teaching tools at a time when program continuity requires resilient solutions.
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Tambra Raye Stevenson, MPH, MA, Founder of WANDA, stated that the partnership aims to restore dignity, joy, and justice in the way children learn about food. She emphasised that children should understand where their food comes from, appreciate those involved in producing it, and see themselves in the stories and traditions that shape their meals. She underscored the shared objective of ensuring that every child has access to a culturally rooted food education.
The National Farm to School Network is thrilled to partner with WANDA and bring Little WANDA’s dynamic storytelling to the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference. Together, we’re expanding what it means to nourish children connecting culture, community, and healthy food with the local farmers, food producers, and values driven practices that ground our movement. This partnership lifts up the stories that inspire learning, leadership, and a deeper understanding of where our food comes from and why that matters.
Extending the Experience Beyond the Conference
The partnership aims to extend WANDA’s World into schools and early care settings using NFSN’s national reach. By integrating Little WANDA content with gardens, local procurement efforts, and other farm to school activities, both organizations seek to broaden farm to health literacy. The exhibit at the conference provided a preview of how this content can support social emotional learning while deepening children’s understanding of food systems.
By introducing culturally grounded edutainment into farm to school programming, WANDA and NFSN are aligning their missions to enhance how children experience and understand food. This collaboration, unveiled during a period of national funding uncertainty, outlines a forward focused approach designed to strengthen food education, reinforce cultural connections, and support a more informed generation of young learners.