Healthy Works School Gardens

School Gardens

In schools and neighborhoods across the country, gardens have become a powerful tool for promoting learning, healthy living, environmental stewardship, and social connections. Research shows that students who participate in school garden programs score higher on academic tests and consume more fruits and vegetables. School gardens that are actively supported by a community are more apt to flourish and provide a dynamic classroom for students, teachers, and staff. Cities with community gardens report a boost in property values, neighborhood pride, and social connectivity. Residents in these cities have greater access to healthy, affordable foods and an opportunity to participate in city greening.

Yet even though school and community gardens offer far-reaching benefits, keeping them thriving can be challenging. Schools often rely on the support of garden "champions" to keep gardens going, but when these key supporters leave, the garden goes fallow. Neighborhood residents seeking to establish community gardens often face complicated zoning regulations and high land costs, insurmountable barriers in even the most supportive communities. Establishing community gardens on school property- so-called joint use gardens, where the school uses some plots and community residents use others - provides an innovative solution to developing and sustaining school and community gardens.

By supporting community/school partnerships to establish joint-use garden projects, Healthy Works^SM is not only enhancing garden sustainability but also ensuring that gardens endure as long-term resources for both schools and neighborhood residents. Healthy Works^SM staff are collaborating with school districts throughout San Diego County to encourage the systems and environmental changes needed for this undertaking:

• Wellness policy amendments that acknowledge the health, social, and academic benefits gardens can offer schools and community members;
• Joint-use agreements that partner community agencies with schools to help develop, manage, and maintain a school/community garden;
• Community partnerships and volunteer support that can assist schools in creating viable school garden programs;
• Integration of gardening activities and garden-grown produce into classrooms, after-school programs, and school meals.

Joint Use Resources

For further information, please contact JuliAnna Arnett, Healthy Works^SM Food Policy Manager for the San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative, a program facilitated by Community Health Improvement Partners at 858.609.7962 or email.

Made possible by funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, through the County of San Diego.