Urban Sprouts 3-Year Retrospective

Growing healthier schools and communities through garden-based education September 18, 2009 Abby Jaramillo, Executive Director Adriani Leon, Nutrition Educator Lisa Chen, Advisory Board member Lessons from our work: 2006 - 2009

Presentation Overview
Who We Are
Our Program Model
Program Results
Successes, Challenges & Lessons Learned
Future Plans & Sustainability

Who We Are OUR MISSION By cultivating school gardens in San Francisco’s under-served neighborhoods, Urban Sprouts partners with youth and their families to build eco-literacy, equity, wellness, and community.

Our Programs
SUPPORTS LOW-INCOME SCHOOLS:
Over 700 students/year in 7 San Francisco middle and high schools
60% low-income students; 95% students of color.
SUPPORTS WIDER COMMUNITY:
‘ Farmers-in-Residence’ program allows parents to grow vegetables and swap cooking knowledge
‘ Summer Program’ provides youth employment and leadership training
PROVIDES RESEARCH & TOOLS:
Share our research results and program model through trainings and our website.

Our Community
61% eligible for free or reduced-price lunch
22% English Language Learners (ELL)
90% failed to reach fitness standards in all 6 categories (2006)
Of the students at our Network -funded School Sites…

Our Community
61% eligible for free or reduced-price lunch
22% English Language Learners (ELL)
90% failed to reach fitness standards in all 6 categories (2006)
Aptos MS (Ingleside) MLK MS (Portola) June Jordan HS (Excelsior) SF Community (Excelsior) International Studies Acad. (Potrero Hill) Ida B Wells Continuation HS (Alamo Sq) Of the students at our Network -funded School Sites…

Expenses FY 2009-2010 Non-Network Income Sources: 30% private foundations, 43% local government (Dept of Environment, Dept of Children, Youth and Families), 12% individual donations, 15% fees from partner schools. Expenses Income $103,801 $81,217 TOTAL $12,569 $8,690 Fiscal Sponsor Fee $880 $4,631 Evaluation $2,985 $3,021 Travel & Conferences $11,035 $2,196 Program Supplies $2,277 $1,376 Operating Expenses $5,834 $7,461 Taxes & Benefits $68,221 $53,842 Salaries Non-Network Funds Network Funds Expense

Who We Are
Our Program Model
Program Results

Model for Garden-based Education (GBE) in K-12

Curricular Learning Environment
Taste Tests
Reading Nutrition Facts Food Labels
Skits and Poster-making
24-hour Food Diaries
Urban Sprouts students present a skit on reading food labels.

Physical Learning Environment
Exploring the garden
Diverse food crops and perennials
Harvesting, preparing and eating food crops
Appealing and interactive natural environment
Garden signs reinforce learning at Life Lab Garden, Santa Cruz, CA

Social Learning Environment
Cooperation with peers
Responsibility for the garden
Sharing your cultural identity
Relationship-building with peers and adults
Safe space
Peer teaching
Meaningful work and learning
Making school a better place
Role models for healthy eating
A parent mentors a student at a family Garden Work Day, Burbank MS, San Francisco

Health Behaviors
Fruit & Vegetable Consumption
Fruit & Vegetable Preferences
Physical Activity
Students harvest, cook, and eat collards, kale and other greens from the garden at MLK MS, San Francisco.

Who We Are
Our Program Model
Program Results

Program Evaluation: Data Collection
School staff: personal interviews
Students: focus group interviews and computer pre/post-test surveys
Urban Sprouts staff: staff member assessment and program observation

Sample Question from Online Student Survey

Sample Staff Curriculum Success Log 1 Stone Soup! 1 X Harvest Potatoes, Carrots, Celery. 1 Cup o' Noodles Activity Summer Program Food Labels, 5/20 Rule 2 Make "humus" 1 Chard, Beets, Lettuce Bed Prep, Planting, Watering 2 Tai Chi Tool Safety Freeze Game, Soil Bins Summer Program Soil Health Food Rating Cooking Activities Garden Activity Rating Crops to Plant Garden Activities Curriculum Success Rating Curriculum Activity Curriculum Source Topic

Evaluation Results: Summer Program, 2007-2009
NUTRITION KNOWLEDGE: Student post-test survey, 3 years combined:
72% reported an increase in knowledge of nutrition
60% reported their knowledge of nutrition as high or somewhat high (reached 92% in 2009)
Nutrition knowledge before summer program Nutrition knowledge after summer program

Evaluation Results: Summer & School Programs, 2007-2009
ATTITUDES TOWARDS HEALTHY FOOD:
97% reported trying new foods during the program
57% said they ended up liking foods they thought they wouldn’t like
Students’ preferences & willingness to try new foods

Evaluation Results: Summer & School Programs, 2007-2009
HEALTHY EATING BEHAVIORS:
74% of students said that their eating habits improved during the program (2008, 2009)
One youth’s response to the question, “Have your eating habits changed? “ Yes, yes, yes! I don't eat so much candy, chips and soda. I try to eat more fruits. I told my mom about a lot of things I learned here and now she goes to the grocery store and buys more fruits and veggies.”

Discussion
In pairs, share your thoughts about the following question :
Think of a time in your work history when you engaged with a new community. Describe a success and a challenge you experienced in this work.

Who We Are
Our Program Model
Program Results

Successes Where have we seen the most successes in our work?
Garden curriculum tailored to schools: reinforces the learning environment
Partnerships with community members and institutions
School- and community-level outcomes
Reported healthier behaviors and attitudes
Academic and leadership development
Positive youth outcomes
In-class instruction: 742 middle/high school students
Additional after-school, summer, and family programs
Program reach and expansion

Challenges What has been the most challenging part of our work?
Inadequate food access
Other factors: socioeconomic status, home conditions
Wider food and social environment
Helping schools take responsibility for school gardens
Making school gardens a standard part of education
Program sustainability
Logistics & resources: staff turnover, inadequate funding
School culture: stressed teachers, classroom management
Challenging school environments

Lessons
What have we learned from these experiences?
Collaboration has been key to our success
Growth helps us realize our strengths and areas for improvement
Youth and family leadership are required for program success
Demand for sharing our work

How will we attract new funding & sustain our success?
Strengthen our parent program with a food access focus
Board-directed strategic planning for new funding sources
Focus on visibility and take advantage of current publicity
New training program to expand our reach

Thank you for your Participation!
(Please share your sticky notes on the white board!)
“ The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.” — Masanobu Fukuoka

References
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: a social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
Benard, B. (2004). Resiliency: What we have learned. San Francisco, CA: WestED.
Desmond, D., Grieshop, J., & Subramaniam, A. (2002) Revisiting garden based learning in basic education: Philosophical roots, historical foundations, best practices and products, impacts, outcomes, and future directions. Davis, CA: University of California, Davis.
Lytle, L., & Achterberg, C. (1995). Changing the diet of America's children: What works and why . J Nutr Educ , 27, 250-260.
Ratcliffe, M. M. (2007) Garden-based education in school settings: The effects on children’s vegetable consumption, vegetable preferences and ecoliteracy. Ph.D. Dissertation, Tufts University.

Contact Information
Urban Sprouts
451 Hayes St. 2nd Fl
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 648-4596
www. urbansprouts .org
Abby Jaramillo, Executive Director
[email_address]
Adriani Leon, Nutrition Educator
[email_address]
Lisa Chen, Board Member and former Nutrition Educator
[email_address]

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Urban Sprouts 3-Year Retrospective

by Abby Jaramillo on Oct 09, 2009

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Urban Sprouts 3-Year Retrospective — Presentation Transcript