Farm 2 School
Supporting Education, Nutrition, and Wellness
Lawrence Public Schools' Farm 2 School program encompasses a number of important wellness initiatives. The program has helped provide tons of local produce to school cafeterias and hosted thousands of students for experiential learning. Farm 2 School includes local food procurement for school meals, garden education, and school gardens.
We are proud to announce that we have a garden at every school! Lawrence Public Schools is currently home to 11 elementary school raised bed gardens and four middle school production gardens. More recent additions include gardens at both high schools, the Lawrence College & Career Center, the Community Transition Program at Pinckney, and the Juvenile Detention Center/Youth Services Program.
Thanks to numerous grants, donations, and district support, the Farm 2 School program boasts a staff of 28 educators.
We are also excited to announce our attendance, alongside the Kansas State Department of Education, at the Vermont FEED Farm 2 School Adapters Institute. Information from this institute will be brought back to Kansas to launch a tri-state Farm 2 School Institute with Nebraska and Missouri.
If you have any questions regarding Farm 2 School or would like to get involved, please contact Pantaleon Florez or Denise Johnson.
The goal of the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) Farm 2 School program is to expand the prevalence of fresh, local foods in school cafeterias and bolster agriculture and nutrition education. Lawrence Public Schools received a grant from the Kansas Health Foundation to fund and support a robust and sustainable Farm 2 School Program. This program is intended to primarily support the more than 10,000 students attending Lawrence Public Schools and directly supports the board of education’s goal to “enhance student wellness by integrating support and services across the district.”
Students will be impacted by serving meals that feature more locally produced healthy foods, advancing Farm 2 School experiential learning through school gardening initiatives and farm field trips, and facilitating curriculum integration of health and wellness in classrooms and cafeterias. The districtwide program will also impact children served by the summer nutrition program. This program provides an ideal connection from Farm 2 School. As seasonal summer produce is harvested, local farms can be integrated into these menus.