A Garden In Every School

A Garden in Every School (from the California Department of Education website)

Recognizing the educational and health benefits of school gardens, the California Department of Education launched the Garden in Every School Initiative in 1995. Subsequently, the Governor and Legislature, acknowledging the value of school garden projects, enacted several bills that promote instructional school gardens:

• Assembly Bill 1014, Instructional School Gardens (1999) – establishes the instructional school garden program.
• Senate Bill 19, The Pupil Health, Nutrition, and Achievement Act (2001) – identifies school gardens as one way to increase student preferences for fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Assembly Bill 1634, Nutrition Education (2002) – further supports school gardens through identifying best practices and supporting a grant program.
• Assembly Bill 1535, California Instructional School Garden Program (2006) – authorizes the CDE to award $15 million for grants to promote, develop, and sustain instructional school gardens.

The Nutrition Services Division leads the Garden in Every School program and collaborates with individuals and organizations that support school gardens, including public and private agricultural agencies, waste management agencies, health agencies, and others. With 3000 school gardens, the Garden in Every School program reaches throughout the state to enhance education and health.

The mission of the garden program has expanded to include links with surrounding agricultural areas through school cafeterias, while maintaining the natural connection with cooking in the classroom and school recycling. This concept of linking schools with local farmers to provide fresher, tastier, healthier school meals is known as Farm to School and is considered a part of a healthy school environment. When fresh, farm-direct, seasonal food is included in school lunch programs, both children and farmers benefit. Combining healthy school lunch choices with nutrition education, farm visits, school gardens, and cooking projects in the classroom gives children a better opportunity to develop healthy eating habits that last a lifetime.

For more information about the Garden in Every School program, please contact the Nutrition Services Division, California Department of Education, at 800-952-5609 or 916-445-0850.