CitySprouts
 | |
| Founded | 2001 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Jane Hirschi |
| Focus | Food and nutrition education |
| Location |
|
Area served | Boston and Cambridge Public Schools, Massachusetts |
Employees | 8 (full and part-time) |
| Slogan | Public school gardens for teaching and learning |
| Website | www.CitySprouts.org |
CitySprouts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts that partners with public school teachers and other school staff to develop school gardens in public school communities in Boston and Cambridge. CitySprouts collaborates with local farmers, restaurant chefs, and food service programs in Boston and Cambridge to bring urban school children the experience of growing, preparing and eating fresh, healthy food.[1]
Since 2001, CitySprouts has expanded to serve schools in Boston as well as every elementary school in Cambridge Public Schools. During the fall and spring, CitySprouts staff supports teachers' use of the school garden as an outdoor classroom during the teaching day. CitySprouts Garden Coordinators devote ten hours per week in each partner school between April and November to oversee garden maintenance, coordinate its use, and to help teachers develop and implement garden-based extensions to their core curriculum. In CitySprouts' partner schools, 83% of teachers in Cambridge and 55% of teachers in Boston utilize the learning garden for instruction with CitySprouts support.[2]
The CitySprouts Middle School Program, established in 2007, provides an opportunity for young people to learn firsthand about the natural ecology of their local environment, beginning with the school garden. The After-School Program, currently held at all four Cambridge Upper Schools as well as the Orchard Gardens Pilot School and the Higginson-Lewis K-8 School in Boston, focuses on deepening middle school youth's interest in science, technology engineering, and math (STEM), as well as helping them make positive changes in their food choices. CitySprouts' Summer Program in Cambridge is designed as an internship in which young people tend and harvest their school gardens to make healthy lunches, apply their knowledge and science, and explore ways to contribute to their community. The Middle School Program's work is accomplished with the help of Commonwealth Corps, Cambridge Youth Programs, and CitySprouts' Summer Programs Fellows.[3]
Milestones
- In 2010, CitySprouts began consulting with schools in the Boston area.
- In 2008, CitySprouts was one of six area nonprofit organizations selected as a Social Innovator by the Cambridge-based Social Innovation Forum.[4]
- An outside evaluation of CitySprouts in 2012 found that more than 75% of teachers in CitySprouts partner schools report that the garden helps their students achieve their learning goals, particularly among English language learners. In the CitySprouts Middle School Program, more than 60% of youth reported trying at least one new vegetable for the first time; 67% reported a positive opinion change; and more than half took home a vegetable from the school garden to share with their family.[5]
Mission
The CitySprouts mission is to develop, implement, and maintain beautiful, resource-rich school gardens in collaboration with public school communities. Integrated into the curriculum, CitySprouts gardens inspire teachers, students, and families to develop a deep, hands-on connection to the food cycle, sustainable agriculture, and the natural environment.[6]
See also
References
- ↑ Gila Babich. "How does your garden grow? Garden program spreads through Cambridge Public Schools". Retrieved 2009-10-05.
- ↑ "Impact". 2015-03-11. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ↑ "Middle School Program". 2015-03-11. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ↑ "2008 Social Innovators". www.rootcause.org. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ↑ "Impact". 2015-03-11. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ↑ Annual Report.