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Sustaining Farm to School Workshop with Molly Nicholie of ASAP. Growing Minds' Farm to School Institute, November 10th 2012, UNC Asheville's Sherrill Center
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SUSTAINING FARM TO SCHOOL
Molly Nicholie, Program CoordinatorAppalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project
Program Sustainability
Local food in schools
Farm field trips
School gardens
Local food cooking
www.growing-minds.org
A face, a connection, and a story
Local food in school
Farm Field Trips
Authentic experiences
Cooking with Local Food
Hands-on positive experiences
School Gardens
Inspiring inquiry
WHY IS FARM TO SCHOOL IMPORTANT? “What people do not understand, they do not value; what they do not value,
they will not protect, and what they do not protect, they will lose.” - Charles Jordan
Creating Buy In and Connection
Why People Get Involved in Farm to School
How you frame Farm to School is VERY IMPORTANT.
Farm to School integration that supports the state mandated curriculum is the message that resonates
most with schools! Not that we are going to make our children healthier or that we are trying to grow the next
generation of farmers.
Teachers need to hear how it will benefit their students EDUCATIONALLY.
Third, fourth, and fifth grade students who participated in school gardening activities scored significantly higher on science achievement tests compared to students that did not experience any garden-based learning activities.
Klemmeret al. (2005)
How Students learn
Evidence that supports your work
Top 5 Reasons Why Outdoor Classrooms Succeed
Community support Student involvement Funding Teacher training Administrative support
Source: GWF survey, 2004
#1 Community Support
Who can help?
Potential Resources
Cooperative Extension / Master Gardeners
Local church groups Health Departments Boys and Girls Club YMCA/YWCA University
personnel/students Parents Area experts
(beekeepers, farmers, garden clubs, etc.)
Non-profit groups
Why Farm to School?
Promotes hands-on, interdisciplinary learning
Builds sense of community Motivates children to learn Obesity prevention Great way to integrate parent
participation Promotes local farms Provide children with access to fresh,
nutritious foods. Creates connection with our rural
communities. Children are more willing to try new
foods Keeps food dollars in the community
Why Bother with partners?
Changing mindsets, attitudes, and behaviors is slow and challenging work that requires a number of strategies and approaches.
People and organizations need to hear from a trusted source before they will try something new
Accomplish tasks that you don’t have the expertise for
Gain different perspectives Expand the reach – each partner
has their own constituencies Access resources – different
partner have different resources
Partners come in all shapes and sizes – local,
state, regional, national.
#2 Student Involvement
#3 Funding
How much does it cost?
For a class tasting of 20 students:
Cherry tomato: $4Cucumber: $3Cabbage: $3-4Sweet potato: $2Apple (Two months): $4-6Lettuce : $3Strawberry: $3-4Total: $20-25
Fundraising Create a simple brochure and
standard solicitation letter on school letterhead that can be used by anyone to easily explain your project and ask for donations.
Check with local construction companies to see if they have extra building materials they can donate.
Buy seeds in bulk, repackage them and sell them at a farmers market or flea market
Run a regularly updated wish list for your program in your school newsletter, website or community paper.
Promote Your Program
Tell Your Story
#4 Teacher Training
But does it relate to the test?
It’s Not Just About Science : The Common Core
English Language Arts: Integrated model of
Literacy
ReadingWritingSpeaking and ListeningLanguage
Making sense of problems Abstract and quantitative
reasoning Constructing viable
arguments and critiques Modeling with math Strategically using tools Focusing on precision Identifying/using structure
and repeated reasoning.
Practice = Goals for how students engage
Connecting Mathematical Practice and Content
Students need real life context, exposure, practice, and curiosity.
Expectations with that begin with the word “understand” are often good opportunities to connect practices and content.
When Students who don’t understand a topic they tend to rely on procedures and have difficultly applying concepts. This prevents them from engaging in process.
Connecting Mathematical Practice and Content
Content = Balanced combination of procedure and understanding.
#5 Administrative Support
Connecting the Cafeteria to the Classroom and Community
Providing positive experiences with
locally grown food – for adults too!
Making Connections
Wellness Policy
Purchasing Policy
Creating an Action Plan
Where do you go from here?
Best Practices
Parent engagement and empowerment are critical
Teacher training Experientially
based nutrition education
Work within existing systems
Best Practices
Start small – “low hanging fruit”
School-wide buy-in Personal
experiences and positive connections for staff
Explore common goals
Making Connections
Lots of great resources available
AREAS OF WORK•Policy
•Networking
•Media and Marketing
•Training and Technical Assistance
•Information Services
WHO WE ARE•Eight Regional Lead Agencies•Four National Staff
National Farm to School NetworkASAP is the SE Regional Lead Agency
FIND YOUR REGIONAL LEAD AGENCYwww.farmtoschool.org
Top 5 Reasons Why Outdoor Classrooms Succeed
Community support Student involvement Funding Teacher training Administrative support
Source: GWF survey, 2004
Farm to School Partners
Connect To Curriculum
Use = Sustainability
Keep It Simple
Questions?