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With K-12 teachers enjoying the end of a well deserved break, school food service staff running summer meal programs and preparing to nourish students when they return to school, ECE providers continuing their programming with the shifting seasons, and farmers in their peak of the growing season, we are here to help ease the transition into the school year. A new school year brings exciting opportunities to include farm to school (FTS) activities into your programming. Whether that be incorporating local food items into your meals, selling your farm produce to local schools, installing raised beds in your school garden, or inviting farmers to visit your classroom to expand your agriculture education curriculum, there are many ways to start the year off right with FTS. Below are some tips and resources to help you prepare:
Get Back in the FTS Groove:
Before doing any planning or preparation, get back in the FTS groove by visiting a local farmers market! Not only is this is a great way to get some fresh produce, but it is also an opportunity to connect and build partnerships with local producers. Here is a PA Farm Market Finder provided by PennState if you do not know where to start.
Share Your Program During Back to School Events:
The first few weeks of being back to school are busy but it is an excellent time to share your farm to school program with the school community.
- Back to School Night is a great opportunity to share what your farm to school program is all about. Share photos and anecdotes with caregivers and offer taste tests of what their students will try during the upcoming year.
- Host a Back to School Farm Stand! If you are a farmer or school personnel, get connected to share local produce to families and students school. Check out how Welsh Elementary partnered with HayDay Farms to host a farm stand during Back to School Night in this success story!
- Attend School Staff Meetings. If you are a farmer, get in contact with your local school or school food service providers to attend their meetings. This is a great way to get connected and build a relationship.
Prepare for the Upcoming Year:
- Check out the USDA’s Farm to School Planning Toolkit, which guides you through questions to consider and helpful resources to reference when starting or growing your FTS program.
- It’s not too late to start a fall garden! If your school garden didn’t have anyone to look after it this summer, do not fret!
- After doing some clean up–which is a fun activity to do with students–you can plant quick-growing fall vegetables like lettuce, kohlrabi, and kale to enjoy throughout the fall. Join Rutgers on 8/6 at 12:30 pm as they discuss tips on fall harvesting.
- The Pennsylvania Harvest of the Month (HOM) resources are an excellent starting point for new FTS programs and make a great addition to robust programs. Use the posters, fact sheets, recipes and more to promote a local agricultural product each month. The PA HOM Activity Guides can support your HOM educational activities in the classroom and cafeteria.
Prepare Your Celebrations for National Farm to School Month:
October is National Farm to School Month and a great time to celebrate and share your program’s farm to school activities.
- This year, the PA Farm to School Network (PFSN) is hosting its second Multimedia Storytelling Contest to encourage FTS practitioners to share their stories with their community using a variety of media. This could include a photo series, poetry, video, testimonials, art and more.
- Join the PFSN’s virtual Open House on September 25th from 3 – 4:30 pm to hear from FTS practitioners about how they celebrate National FTS Month!
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