%20(1).png)
Collection helps educators, foodservice staff, and advocates embed Farm to School in all aspects of school day and beyond!
Following our Regional Farm to School (F2S) Action Plan, originally created with the support of a USDA F2S Planning grant in 2020-2021, we brought together partners and Backbone Support staff to create a curriculum guide that focuses on the needs and assets of our region, specifically. And throughout the Greater Cincinnati region of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, there is an abundance of agricultural education tools, activities, and programs!
There are so many riches that it can be challenging to know where to start in orienting yourself if you want to support F2S efforts. If you're already actively working in F2S, Farm to Early Childhood Education (F2ECE), or garden education, it can be difficult to know whom to consult if you want to level up.
That's where our new Greater Cincinnati Regional Farm to School Curriculum Guide comes in!
Check it out by clicking the button above or visiting our Reports and Research page.
What is the Guide and who is it for?
The purpose of the guide is to connect educators and foodservice staff members with a variety of educational resources that will support them in providing relevant experiential learning and nutritional security to students. This guide, funded by the USDA Farm to School Implementation grant* that we received for 2021 to 2023, addresses the educational components of the Greater Cincinnati Regional F2S Action Plan. It encompasses the essential ingredients for growing, cooking, and consuming nutritious food on school grounds. The goal is to present and share resources that can be embedded into all aspects of the school day and beyond.
Who made it?
Local teachers, environmental education educators, foodservice team members, and representatives from health agencies developed this guide collaboratively under the leadership and facilitation of Cynthia Walters. Cynthia is Green Umbrella's Green Schoolyards Action Network Coordinator, and she also served as our Farm to School Curriculum Coordinator during the course of the grant project. Experts and advocates from our region, informed by and connected to state, national, and global networks of F2S leaders, came together to contribute to the collection, which stellar volunteer Shasta Bray edited.
What's inside?
Throughout the guide you will find related curricula, including workforce development connections, which are aligned with learning standards. The theme of environmental justice is integrated into activities and programs. The guide is meant to provide many opportunities to connect with local experts and champions to help you offer students real life and meaningful experiences in the area of their expertise.
What's next?
The guide will be updated annually to include more partners and resources.
If you would like to contribute by providing a resource, school case study, and/or environmental justice content, please complete this survey.
If you have feedback to share, email Cynthia at cynthia@greenumbrella.org.
Thanks to the many collaborators who have made the Farm to School Regional Curriculum Guide a reality and to those who have joined our mission to transform the educational and food system to empower generations to come!
*This project has been funded at least in part with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
🎒 If you would like to join us in working on Farm to School projects and policy, check out our Get Involved page and the Green Schoolyards Action Network page.