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Farm to School
Farm to School is a federal program that enriches the connection schools have with fresh, healthy food and local food producers by changing food purchasing and emphasizing healthy eating in everyday classroom curricula. S
tudents gain access to healthy, local foods as well as education opportunities such as school gardens, taste tests, cooking lessons and farm field trips.
Farm to School
empowers children and their families to make informed food choices while strengthening the local economy and contributing to vibrant communities.
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Grant Connects Food, Farms, Schools and Communities
Twenty school districts
[1] in greater Stark County participated in a
Farm to School grant for the 2018-19 school year. Prior research on
Farm to School programs in Wisconsin revealed a
positive impact on the amount of fruits and vegetables eaten by children who had low intake of fruits and vegetables at the baseline.
[2] S
tudents who normally did not eat a lot of fruit and vegetables showed an improvement.
To evaluate the effectiveness of our local Stark County Educational Service Center's Farm to School grant, feedback was collected throughout the year from food service staff, students and the community. Three main areas were addressed: cafeteria, classroom (curriculum) and community/family engagement.
Cafeteria: Eighty food service staff from participating districts provided data on comfort level, successful experiences and challenges to increasing the use of locally sourced ingredients in cafeteria meals.
Most staff respondents (76%) said they have used more fresh fruit and vegetables in school lunches since learning about the Stark County Farm to School program in 2016. After squash was
highlighted during Harvest of the Month, p
ositive feedback included: "Loved the muffins for breakfast"; "Some of the kids thought it was good and were glad they tried it"; and "They hope we serve it again!"
Classroom/Curriculum: As part of the Farm to School curriculum, more than 1,400 participating district 5th graders visited a dairy farm.
Pre/post survey responses by students revealed a significant increase in students' understanding of what cows eat, how cows are milked and where milk is stored on the farm.
Community/Family Engagement: Parents of students from several school districts gave survey feedback on things like fruit/vegetable choices, home meal preparation and trying new foods. A large majority (86%) responded that they believe when people eat fresh, local fruits and vegetables, it helps them to be healthy.
[1] Participating d
istricts: Alliance, Canton City, Canton Local, Dalton, Fairless, Jackson, Lake, Louisville, Marlington, Massillon, Minerva, Northwest, North Canton, Osnaburg, Perry, Plain, RG Drage, Sandy Valley, Strasburg-Franklin and Tuslaw.
[2]
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2014.
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