Hi Megan,
Thanks so much for sharing the work of VT FEED. It sounds like you have a great model and I'd love to hear more about what you're doing to help replicate your successes in the region and even nationally.
Thanks!
Alexis
This is an excellent question. We are constantly thinking and asking ourselves how best to scale-up VT FEED programs to ensure that students in every elementary school are eating fresh, local food in their school cafeterias; so all K-12 students have visited farms in their communities and know farmers who grow their food; so all school children have the opportunity to plant, harvest and prepare food in school gardens, at local farms and in their school cafeteria.
At the same time that we’re focusing on our Vermont programming, we work regionally and nationally. Dana Hudson, a VT FEED staff person, is Coordinator for the National Farm to School’s Northeast Regional Lead Agency. Dana is instrumental in linking our on-the-ground work in Vermont with regional and national priorities and policies of the Farm to School movement that is gaining momentum nationally. Dana and other VT FEED staff share findings from our work through presentations and workshops at conferences around the country. Our plans for regional and national replication start with the strong foundation of our 10+ years of work here in Vermont and rigorous evaluation, and they draw on the many relationships and partnerships that we have established through Dana’s work and through our dialogues and partnerships with peer groups and key stakeholders around the country.
We believe collaboration is the key to successful scaling up of farm to school. VT FEED has invested considerable resources in convening regional partners and key stakeholders in a community of learning, inquiry and practice (CLIP), through which we share ideas, identify promising practices and support the extended replication of farm to school in Vermont. VT FEED also believes in building the capacity of local schools and communities to sustain and support the long-term on-going farm to school activities. We provide technical assistance and professional development to foster the long-term sustainability of farm to school programming at the local level. Our resource materials are constantly updated and made available (often free of charge) to a national audience on-line and we provide consultation locally, regionally and national to enhance replication of successful farm to school programming.
This year, Shelburne Farms and VT FEED are working with the University of Vermont and PEER Associates (an independent education evaluation firm) to evaluate farm to school practices and learn which activities most effectively influence student food choice. Specifically, we are trying to identify those activities that get students to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. This data will enable us to focus efforts to gain maximum program impact.
On May 27, 2010 the judges reviewed the entries for the Changemakers Revelation to Action: Your Place. Your Idea. Your Change. competition and would like to pass on the following feedback (listed below) for your entry. Thank you for applying and for your hard work in the field. We are excited to archive your entry to serve as a leading solution for the worldwide community of innovators. We wish you continued luck with your innovative, sustainable, and socially impactful initiatives.
All the best, The Changemakers Team
“I loved this initiative - the people implementing these ideas are amazing. I like how it has been able to take local foods into schools, and has been able to turn the individuals working in educational systems into advocates of health within the community. Their plan of scaling is very well thought out and useful. It is really nice to see how this initiative addresses a topic that many people talk about, but are never able to implement. This is a very strong organization.”
“I thought this was really impressive and it was clearly a very well organized idea. It focused on capacity building within the community. The school lunch menu focus was very compelling as well.”
- Changemakers Revelation to Action: Your Place. Your Idea. Your Change. Judges
Comments
Hi Megan,
Thanks so much for sharing the work of VT FEED. It sounds like you have a great model and I'd love to hear more about what you're doing to help replicate your successes in the region and even nationally.
Thanks!
Alexis
This is an excellent question. We are constantly thinking and asking ourselves how best to scale-up VT FEED programs to ensure that students in every elementary school are eating fresh, local food in their school cafeterias; so all K-12 students have visited farms in their communities and know farmers who grow their food; so all school children have the opportunity to plant, harvest and prepare food in school gardens, at local farms and in their school cafeteria.
At the same time that we’re focusing on our Vermont programming, we work regionally and nationally. Dana Hudson, a VT FEED staff person, is Coordinator for the National Farm to School’s Northeast Regional Lead Agency. Dana is instrumental in linking our on-the-ground work in Vermont with regional and national priorities and policies of the Farm to School movement that is gaining momentum nationally. Dana and other VT FEED staff share findings from our work through presentations and workshops at conferences around the country. Our plans for regional and national replication start with the strong foundation of our 10+ years of work here in Vermont and rigorous evaluation, and they draw on the many relationships and partnerships that we have established through Dana’s work and through our dialogues and partnerships with peer groups and key stakeholders around the country.
We believe collaboration is the key to successful scaling up of farm to school. VT FEED has invested considerable resources in convening regional partners and key stakeholders in a community of learning, inquiry and practice (CLIP), through which we share ideas, identify promising practices and support the extended replication of farm to school in Vermont. VT FEED also believes in building the capacity of local schools and communities to sustain and support the long-term on-going farm to school activities. We provide technical assistance and professional development to foster the long-term sustainability of farm to school programming at the local level. Our resource materials are constantly updated and made available (often free of charge) to a national audience on-line and we provide consultation locally, regionally and national to enhance replication of successful farm to school programming.
This year, Shelburne Farms and VT FEED are working with the University of Vermont and PEER Associates (an independent education evaluation firm) to evaluate farm to school practices and learn which activities most effectively influence student food choice. Specifically, we are trying to identify those activities that get students to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. This data will enable us to focus efforts to gain maximum program impact.
On May 27, 2010 the judges reviewed the entries for the Changemakers Revelation to Action: Your Place. Your Idea. Your Change. competition and would like to pass on the following feedback (listed below) for your entry. Thank you for applying and for your hard work in the field. We are excited to archive your entry to serve as a leading solution for the worldwide community of innovators. We wish you continued luck with your innovative, sustainable, and socially impactful initiatives.
All the best, The Changemakers Team
“I loved this initiative - the people implementing these ideas are amazing. I like how it has been able to take local foods into schools, and has been able to turn the individuals working in educational systems into advocates of health within the community. Their plan of scaling is very well thought out and useful. It is really nice to see how this initiative addresses a topic that many people talk about, but are never able to implement. This is a very strong organization.”
“I thought this was really impressive and it was clearly a very well organized idea. It focused on capacity building within the community. The school lunch menu focus was very compelling as well.”
- Changemakers Revelation to Action: Your Place. Your Idea. Your Change. Judges
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