USDA and the Institute of Child Nutrition Most counties have an Extension office and these agents can help connect you with producers in your region. This document provides a list of research that indicates positive impacts associated with school gardens. by Alliance for a Healthier Generation | 22-Nov-2020. Vermont Food Education Every Day (VT FEED) A guide to sustainable agriculture-oriented educational programs and curricula that includes direct links as well as program contact information. by National Farm to School Network and Center for Agriculture and Food Systems | 13-Jun-2019. North Carolina Resources Oregon Farm to School & School Garden Network (FSSGN) actively supports farm to school initiatives and policy action and includes state agencies, food service directors, farmers, teachers, parents, school gardeners and community-based organizations. Toolkit for Institutional Purchasers Sourcing Local Food From Distributors Farm to School Kentucky Handbook. 'id': 'b78d08c40bfb4291a6c0cdf037ea2ef3', Illinois National Organization for Agriculture in the Classroom 'sitekey': '6LcGXxsUAAAAALhWpOesJevjsD2KnvmZbTZADnIJ', The Farm to School Network website has information and resources for all 50 states participating in Farm to School. Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) Child Nutrition Programs Reach out for regulations and resources related to using local food in Child Nutrition Programs. Gardening Increases Vegetable Consumption in School-aged Children: A Meta-analytical Synthesis Farm to School Resources This page has resources for integrating nutrition and agriculture education into the classroom as well as opportunities to extend learning outside of the classroom, whether it is in the school garden or on farm field trips! Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, June 2015 Field TripsMaking the Farm Connection: A Guide to Field Trips for Farmers (pdf) Plan your Farm to School program using the new Farm to Child Nutrition Programs Planning Guide. Prove you're not a robot * USDA Programs in the Local Food Supply Chain. Illinois Recommendations for reducing the risks of food borne illness and minimizing the chances for fruits and vegetables to become contaminated. They are intended to help current grantees in this stage of the farm to school program development … National Take Your Parents to Lunch. District of Columbia Indiana Bringing Farm to School to every Vermont community. National Farm to School Month Resources This is especially helpful for knowing when seasonal, cycle menus may need to change. Cornell Waste Management Institute A quick-start taste-testing guide for chefs, parents, and cafeteria and school staff. Mississippi When should I start seeds indoors so they are ready to transplant outdoors in the spring? Watch Video var tD = new Date(); Oklahoma List of simple steps and resources for getting a farm to school program started. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, December 2015 Promoting Your Farm to School Items Four additional interventions that included a garden component measured academic outcomes; of these, 2 showed improvements in science achievement and 1 measured and showed improvements in math scores. Louisiana Bearing Fruit: Farm to School Program Evaluation Resources and Recommendations We're a statewide network engaging students and school communities in a local food and farm culture that nurtures children's health, cultivates viable farms, and builds vibrant communities. Think about using this data to find out what is produced in your area. Guidance on creating exceptional cycle menus that adhere to nutrition standards, including sample menus. Connecticut Menus, Calendars, and Recipes Local Food is Good Food Poster This guide assists dining services managers in communicating with current or potential distributors about meeting demands for local products and tracking local and sustainable purchases. A blank template is also available to customize the menus to your facility. document.write(datestr); Sample cycle menus adhere to the new meal guidelines and show which foods can be procured locally in Minnesota. KidsGardening, A project of the National Gardening Association Childhood Obesity, February 2013 A sample lesson to that can be offered along with a taste test. Our nationally-recognized Farm to School and Farm to Early Care programs work daily to expand the engagement of children with local, healthy food in their cafeterias and classrooms. This VT Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets resource offers four case study examples, detailing the role that food hubs can play in the development and maintenance of successful farm to school programs. Garden Lessons; Composting Lessons Ohio A short food safety checklist for school gardens. Minneapolis Public Schools Farm to Family was pilot tested in urban Head Start programs that served as the conduit for weekly produce deliveries from a local farm to families in the form of subsidized farm shares. Farm to Family: Increasing Access to Affordable Fruits and Vegetables Among Urban Head Start Families Great resource for integrating traditional foods into school meal plans, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Traditional Foods Project Farm to Institutions: Colleges, Hospitals, Prisons, etc. The State Farm to School Policy Handbook: 2002-2018 summarizes and analyzes farm to school bills and resolutions introduced between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2018, from the 50 states, DC, and the U.S. territories. Online Grant-Writing Training Courses Montana The Effects of School Garden Experiences on Middle School–Aged Students’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors Associated With Vegetable Consumption School Food FOCUS summarizes state and federal law and provides guidance on implementing a geographic preference policy. Collards year-round; green peas mostly in May?! Shows MyPlate food group items available in North Carolina (or any state). Michigan Farm to School. Food Safety Publications and Resources A collection of survey instruments and other evaluation tools aimed at assessing several different farm to school-related outcomes. by Choose my Plate, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) | 13-Jan-2021. Choose a state An example of Native American communities implementing the Farm to cafeteria and food sovereignty movements, Indigenous Farm to School Programs: A Guide for Creating a Farm to School Program in an Indigenous Community Our Golden Radish Awards program is designed to recognize school districts for the meals they serve, gardens they … Articles, lesson and activity ideas, classroom projects, and how-to-guides. The state of South Carolina (SC) piloted a farm to school program with 4 program components including a partnership with local producers, SC-grown foods in the cafeteria, promotion of SC-grown foods, and a school garden. Wyoming. New York Great Trays™ partnership in Minnesota – Part of the Great Trays™ Toolkit Farm to School connects farmers to schools to provide healthy, farm fresh food and revolutionize the learning environment. Choose a filtering mechanism above to get started. Farm-to-Cafeteria Initiatives: Connections with the Tribal Food Sovereignty Movement USDA's Farm to School Grants are an important way to help state, regional, and local organizations as they initiate, expand, and institutionalize farm to school efforts. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, May 2011 Use the quick guide to search through our resource database. Results indicate that school gardening may affect children’s vegetable consumption, including improved recognition of, attitudes toward, preferences for, and willingness to taste vegetables. function reCaptchaV2OnLoad() { reCaptchaV2Manager.onLoadHandler(); } The Sitka Conservation Society developed a “how-to” guide to serving fish in schools. Information on locations, products available, payments accepted, winter markets, etc. These resources have helpful information for farms and schools interested in developing a Farm to School Every year, USDA awards up to $5 million in grants to help schools connect with local producers and teach kids where their food comes from. It also applies to a variety of activities in Michigan, including: school garden programs,; fundraisers using local agricultural products,; farmer visits to school classrooms and cafeterias; and field trips to nearby farms. This fact sheet offers a research-based overview of the benefits of farm to school and a list of sources. Resources for Schools and Feeding Sites 4. Search your area by zip code and distance for farmers markets, on-farm markets, CSA's and food hubs. South Carolina Food Hubs: Building Stronger Infrastructure for Small and Mid-Size Producers A guide to planning and conducting farm visits for school groups, for farmers. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is leading the USDA-wide office, including representatives from several other USDA agencies such as Farm Service Agency and the Agricultural Marketing Service. This thorough guide presents lots of ideas for healthy, junk food-free fundraisers such as family dinner events, flea markets, fitness-based fundraisers, plant sales, and more! Arizona A comprehensive, step-by-step guide to starting a school garden, from selecting and preparing a site, to raising funds, to involving a diverse set of stakeholders. Cooking with Kids, Inc. Free handouts, videos, and other resources, including great information on planning, designing, prepping, seeding, and maintaining a garden. Missouri Procurement Geographic Preference Q&As Part I FoodCorps Healthy School Toolkit: English and Spanish. The purpose of this guide is to cover the most important components of farm to early care and education and give you a few tips to get started. Florida Evaluate Your Work Case Study: Helping Public Schools Combat Food Access Challenges During COVID-19, Local Foods: Child Care Center Fruit & Vegetable Gardening Series, What's In Season? |  National Farm to School Network is fiscally sponsored by Tides Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. A Working History of Farm to School Legislation in Oregon Resources and Tools Database Mississippi Every year, schools across the county celebrate National Farm to School Month in October. Evaluation for Transformation defines the outcomes that farm to school has the potential to achieve and offers common language, guidelines and metrics to understand those outcomes for the first time. Kansas Reminiscent of baseball cards, these farmer trading cards provide the stats on the local producers who provide food for school meal programs. This guide uses the same concepts below to create a robust farm to school program for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO), and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Denver Public Schools Food and Nutrition Services An inspiring video documenting one of Minnesota’s largest school garden projects, which spans 3.5 acres. Southside Community Land Trust. Farm to School and Nutrition Education: Positively Affecting Elementary School-Aged Children's Nutrition Knowledge and Consumption Behavior Washington This toolkit contains videos, activities and recipes suitable to use at home or with virtual and remote learning. USDA’s Team Nutrition A video geared towards food service directors that addresses promoting farm to school menu items. Journal of School Health, July 2015 Resources National Farm to School Network is compiling resources related to COVID-19 that will be relevant to the farm to school and farm to early care and education community. Wyoming. return to top of page. Each year our IFSN calendar is filled with training events, meetings, tabling at conferences and events, and online communications that share new ways to build a farm to school programs, innovative tools and opportunities to raise awareness, and build excitement and interest in farm to school activities and programming. District of Columbia Foundation Center Colorado Farm to School Evaluation Toolkit The Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Farm to School Grant Program Request for Applications (RFA) has closed. An organization dedicated to building and sharing edible education curricula supporting an online network and resource center, and offering professional development opportunities. The date listed on a resource indicates when it was published if that date is known; otherwise the date indicates when the resource was added to this website. New Mexico Although we are often working towards the same goals, it can be difficult for food systems and early care and education to communicate because there is not a shared language. Vermont Farm to School Resources: Vermont's Farm to School Network is comprised of both statewide and regional organizations, including Hunger Free Vermont—along with farmers, farm to school coordinators, teachers, parents, community gardeners, and more. This resource and accompanying website offer reasons why farm to ECE can be helpful during the challenges and uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic and provides tips for putting farm to ECE into action. This study describes the effects of garden-based education on children’s vegetable consumption. by Growing Minds Program -- Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Program (ASAP) | 13-Jan-2021. Puerto Rico Garden as Classroom Manual School Garden Food Safety Program Farm to school programs provide a variety of benefits to students, parents, schools, communities and farmers. A searchable database of all registered farmers’ markets in the country. Great Trays™ partnership in Minnesota The toolkit includes a primer on general network models and development, a deep dive into state farm to school network best practices, case studies highlighting successful tools and tactics, and an analysis on challenges for and the future of state farm to school networks. Farm to School: Assemble a Team Using DoD Fresh to Purchase Local Produce Each webinar focuses on a specific topic, and most highlight districts across the country that are buying local foods in accordance with regulations. Over 8,000 markets are included. Verifying On-Farm Food Safety Fact Sheet Georgia Growing Minds Georgia Organics Please check back for more information on the FY2022 Farm to School RFA later this year. National Farm to School Network and the University of North Carolina Schools can use this data to find out what districts nearby are sourcing locally. New York City Healthy High Schools Initiative Rhode Island How ND Does Farm to School color pdf file. National Farm to School Network hosted a virtual Movement Meeting on Wednesday, Oct.14, 2020, featuring Karen Washington, food justice activist, for deep conversation and action-oriented reflection on racial justice in the farm to school movement and wider food system. View Resource, by National Farm to School Network | 19-May-2020. The Farm-to-School program has provided grant funding of up to $100,000 per project to eligible applicants, such as kindergarten through grade 12 school food authorities, public schools, charter schools, not-for-profit schools, Indian tribal organizations, and other entities participating in the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, or the Summer Food Service Program. This FNS fact sheet presents several options for including your desire for local foods in the procurement process. USDA and the Institute of Child Nutrition * Estimated based on data from the USDA Farm to School Census for the 2013-2014 school year. Kansas West Virginia A checklist of questions for school food purchasers to ask local farmers before they buy their products. Sitka Conservation Society Urban and Environmental Policy Institute