Sarah Smith Nebraska Department of Education Nutrition Services Farm to School Coordinator Introducing: Farm to School
Sarah Smith
Nebraska Department of Education
Nutrition Services
Farm to School Coordinator
Introducing: Farm to School
Why Farm to School?
Kids WIN
Farm to school provides
all kids access to
nutritious, high quality,
local food so they are
ready to learn and grow.
Farm to school activities
enhance classroom
education through hands-
on learning related to
food, health, agriculture
and nutrition
Farmers WIN
Farm to school can
serve as a significant
financial opportunity for
farmers, fishers,
ranchers, food
processors and food
manufacturers by
opening the doors to an
institutional market
worth billions of dollars.
Communities WIN
Buying from local
producers and
processors reduces the
carbon footprint of food
transportation while
stimulating the local
economy. Educational
activities such as
school gardens and
composting programs
create a healthy
environment around the
school community.
National School Lunch Program
USDAState
AgencySchool
2015/2016 Participation
222,209 meals served per day in
Nebraska
30.3 million meals served per day in US
• Cooking demonstrations
• Taste tests
• Growing or visiting school gardens
• Farm tours or visits from farmers
• Junior Iron Chef competitions
• Trips to farmers’ markets
• Gardening and Nutrition storybooks
• Cooking Clubs
• Newsletters with recipes, tips & updates on your Farm to School activities
Experiential Learning
• USDA Community Food Systems
https://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/farm-school
• NDE-Nutrition Services
www.education.ne.gov/ns/
• National Farm to School Network
www.farmtoschool.org
Resources
Team Nutrition
- FREE - Garden Resources
Schools, summer sites, and child care (centers, homes and sponsors) that participate in USDA’s Child Nutrition Programs may request free printed copies of materials.
https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/team-nutrition-garden-resources
Lessons and Activities
- Grow It, Try It, Like It! Nutrition Education Kit Featuring MyPlate (Preschool)
- Discover MyPlate, Lesson 4 Planting the Seeds for Healthier Eating
(Kindergarten)
- The Great Garden Detective Adventure (Grades 3-4)
- Dig In! Standards-Based Nutrition Education from the Ground Up (Grades 5-6)
- Plant It, Grow It, Eat It!; Healthy Habits Take Root (Grades K-8)
Posters
- Dig In! Posters
Team Nutrition
- FREE - Resource Kit
★ Activity Guides for Families
★ Posters
★ Flyers
★ Recipes
★ Additional Resources for a Healthy Summer
https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/summer-food-summer-moves
Sarah Smith
Nebraska Department of Education
Nutrition Services
Farm to School Coordinator
(402) 937-1630
Staring A Farm
To School
Program
Jessie Coffey, MS, RDN, LMNT
Lincoln Public Schools
Nutrition Services
Nutrition Specialist
Farm To School in LPS• Received a USDA Farm To School Planning
Grant for the 2016- 2017 school year
• The three core elements of Farm to School were implemented;
1. Curriculum guide (10 lessons)
2. Increased procurement of local foods
3. School Gardens/Field Trips
• Partners:– Local producers
– Extension
– Community Crops
Evaluation Results
• Educators received 2 curriculum guides with lessons and recipes for specific fruits and vegetables.
• Additional resources to implement Farm to School activities in their classrooms, including materials such as gardening seeds and tools.
• “Well, I really enjoyed it. It was fun. Some of the things, like they bought us all the books that kind of correlated with the different fresh fruits and vegetables that were a part of the curriculum. And some of those, like I said, I had never heard of. So those were fun. My kids really liked the ‘Monster Doesn't Eat Broccoli’ one and some of those other books that I just didn't even know existed. I knew some of them, but not all of them. So that was fun to have more literature to tie into it.”
Field Trips• Field trips were funded through the grant,
but logistical issues with busing caused us to re-think this.
• We provided parent socialization opportunities in the evenings at local farms that provided a pumpkin walk, apple orchard tour and Hay rack rides.
• Feedback was very positive on the family farm field trips.
• An Eastern Nebraska field trip guide is in your handouts.
Bib lettuce from Ord NE
Celebrating School Lunch Week
& Farm to School Month
OCTOBER 13 OCTOBER 14 OCTOBER 15 OCTOBER 16 OCTOBER 17
No School- CELEBRATE
NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH WEEK
OCTOBER 13-17
HAMBURGER PIZZA ON WHOLE WHEAT CRUST
BREADED CHICKEN SANDWICH ON WHOLE GRAIN BUN
Savory CarrotsSpinach & Lettuce SaladFresh PearDiced PeachesLow-Fat Milk
WHOLE GRAIN CHICKEN NUGGETS WITH WHOLE WHEAT GARLIC BREAD
WHOLE GRAIN LASAGNA WITH WHOLE WHEAT GARLIC BREAD
Broccoli & Cauliflower with Dip
Spinach & Lettuce SaladCantaloupe CubesDiced PearsLow-Fat Milk
WHOLE GRAIN CORN PUPPIES
SLOPPY JOE ON WHOLE GRAIN BUN
CornSpinach & Lettuce Salad100% Juice SorbetApplesauceLow-Fat Milk
OCTOBER 20 OCTOBER 21 OCTOBER 22 OCTOBER 23 OCTOBER 24ORANGE POPCORN CHICKEN ON WHOLE GRAIN BROWN RICE
COUNTRY BEEF SANDWICH ON WHOLE GRAIN BUN
Sweet PeasSpinach & Lettuce SaladSweet CherriesPineapple TidbitsLow-Fat Milk
SOFT SHELL TACO ON WHOLE GRAINTORTILLA
SAUSAGE PIZZA+ ON WHOLE WHEATCRUST
Refried BeansShredded Lettuce & TomatoFresh GrapesMixed FruitLow-Fat Milk
WHOLE GRAIN GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH
SAVORY ROASTED CHICKEN NUGGETS WITH WHOLE GRAIN BISCUIT
Tomato SoupSpinach & Lettuce SaladFresh PearDiced PeachesChocolate Chip CookieLow-Fat Milk
WHOLE GRAIN SPAGHETTI & MEAT SAUCE WITH WHOLE WHEAT GARLIC BREAD
BREADED PORK+ SANDWICH ON WHOLE GRAIN BUN
Baby Carrots with DipSpinach & Lettuce SaladOrange WedgesDiced PearsLow-Fat Milk
L O C A L F O O D D A YBBQ SMART CHICKEN WITH WHOLE WHEAT ROLL
SALISBURY STEAK WITH WHOLE WHEAT ROLL
Whipped Potatoes & GravySpinach & Bibb Lettuce Salad
FruitCinnamon Apple SlicesLow-Fat Milk
Lunch Line Promotion
Evaluation Results
• Participating in the Farm to School pilot gave educators the opportunity to provide local, fresh products in their classrooms including tomatoes, watermelon, zucchini, peppers, broccoli, and cheese curds.
• “I would try to show them on a map where Brainerd was (jisa cheese), that it wasn't the Super Saver down the street, that it was – it came from this farm. And then we found the website for it and we pulled that up and they could see, ‘Oh, that’s a cow, and that’s the kind of cheese that they have there.’”
Getting the Beds Ready
School Gardens-
Evaluation Results
• Educators perceived their on-site community gardens as the most valuable resource during the pilot project.
• “Yeah, for me that's my favorite part (the garden) because kids can see that, and I just feel like you can read a book, but they're not quite going to understand what that looks like without that exposure.”
• “Well, I pulled some of your ideas from the curriculum notebook that you provided us with, and then I just added it in. Like we were doing nature walks around here, and I would talk to them about, ‘Well, this is what a tomato plant looks like,’ because we happen to have a little community garden right down here.”
Gardening Success!
• One educator shared that a child in
her classroom learned about the
produce on a walk through the school
garden and applying it during
dramatic play time.• “... we have a ton of fruits and vegetables in there that look pretty
realistic, and a little boy one day pretending that he was planting
carrots because he had seen it in the garden. We had gone earlier
(to the garden) that day, and we had read a book about it, which
was part of this whole program, and he ended up like holding the
carrots up like how they would actually be in the dirt.”
Pilot project educators (n, (%)) in agreement with statements regarding benefits of
Farm to School programming (n=12)
Survey item
Farm to School programming... Spring 2016 Fall 2016
... creates a greater demand for locally
produced food.0 (0.0) 11 (91.7)
... is good for the local economy. 10 (83.3) 12 (100)
... increases access to healthy foods. 9 (75.0) 12 (100)
... increases access to local foods. 9 (75.0) 12 (100)
... increases students’ knowledge about
healthy eating.10 (83.3) 12 (100)
... increases students’ knowledge about
growing produce.10 (83.3) 12 (100)
... increases students’ knowledge about
the local economy.7 (58.3) 9 (75.0)