Youth Education: 2023 In Review
Despite having our Youth Education Coordinator (Ellie) out on maternity leave for the spring of 2023, we kept the majority of our programs rolling right along thanks to the support of our great staff. Upon Ellie’s return in the summer, we jumped back into Summer Sprouts in our Pendleton Garden and recruiting our third cohort of Growing Our Teachers. The year brought opportunities to reflect on some of our Youth Education programs and build relationships with schools that will be receiving new gardens in 2024.
School Garden Programs
In 2023, the CGC provided programming to students at Pleasant Hill Academy, Parker Woods Montessori and Fairview German Language School. We ran a total of 14 programs for 254 students and 18 adults. We also supported North Avondale Montessori in establishing a compost-focused enrichment program facilitated by classroom teachers within the school.
With a goal of supporting the six Cincinnati Public Schools prioritized by the Green Schoolyards Action Network and the CPS District to receive new school gardens, we attended training sessions and are providing ongoing consultation and support for Bond Hill and Midway. These two schools were the only ones of the six ready in 2023; the remaining four are slated to receive gardens and trainings in 2024.
CGC Education staff also provided a training for Cincinnati Public Schools science teachers at one of their mandatory professional development days, at which 50 teachers from across the district were in attendance.
Summer Sprouts
Summer Sprouts offers a seed-to-plate experience for children who are attending summer camps near our Pendleton Children’s Garden. In 2023, CGC staff and interns facilitated programs with Peaslee Neighborhood Center and Ziegler Park summer camps. We ran a total of 42 programs which were attended by 96 participants and 15 adult chaperones each week. Both 3CDC, coordinator of the Ziegler Park Summer Camp, and a Summertime Kids Grant from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation helped support the program.
“Going to the garden was mentioned as a favorite thing of the summer by many of our campers. We love having Summer Sprouts as a part of our summer camp.”
Compost Kids Field Trips
In the spring 2023 field trip season, thanks to our Program Associate (Kayla) and volunteers, we continued to offer Compost Kids despite our Youth Education Coordinator (Ellie) being out on maternity leave. Once Ellie returned, the field trip ran once again with normal staff support in the summer and fall. We welcomed seven schools and three organizations, totaling 13 field trips for 452 students and 76 adults.
“Thank you so much for the field trip! The kids all had a fantastic time!”
Growing Our Teachers
In 2023, we wrapped up our second cohort of our Growing Our Teachers program and started the third. This year-long professional development opportunity helps educators take their school gardens to the next level and further integrate Farm to School education into their schools.
The USDA Farm to School Implementation Grant funding this program and corresponding partnerships with Green Umbrella and Gorman Heritage Farm ended in June of 2023 with the conclusion of our second cohort. At that point, we were able to secure funding through the Haile Foundation to continue running the program for a third cohort of teachers during the 2023-2024 school year. Our most recent cohort has 10 members who will continue in the training through June of 2024.
“I gained a lot of knowledge about maintaining a garden specifically in a school setting. This has allowed me to become a more active participant and gave me confidence to have my students become more involved in the gardening process.”
“This program gave me the resources and expertise to create, present, and get approval for a school garden proposal that will be implemented next school year.”
“You guys are awesome. Thank you for helping us learn more and feel more comfortable with growing and gardening with students.”
Pendleton Children’s Garden
The small and cozy Pendleton Children’s Garden gets a lot of use every summer during our Summer Sprouts program, but a greenspace needs attention and care year round. Thanks to two volunteer workdays in the fall, the native and ornamental beds got a major overhaul and an old, decommissioned compost area was removed from the garden. In the winter, the river birch and wisteria were evaluated by a pruning professional, with the work scheduled for early 2024.
In addition, the Pendleton Children’s Garden has four beds that are available for community members to rent and grow in, and the same three neighbors have been dedicated to their beds for the last few years. Three garden beds that were in disrepair were replaced ahead of the spring growing season so the gardeners could enjoy continued success.
Lil’ Sprouts
In July of 2023, we launched a free bi-monthly program for children ages 3 to 8 to facilitate exploring the natural world through play, stories and crafts: Lil’ Sprouts! In this program, we learn with the seasons and tailor our activities toward what’s happening outside. Our main goal is to get children outdoors and excited about nature in a hands-on way.
We held 12 Lil’ Sprouts sessions during the second half of the year, averaging 8-20 children per session depending on weather and school schedules. We love seeing the same families return again and again as well as welcoming new faces. Multiple sessions included nature-themed scavenger hunts and planting seeds to take home and care for. We also built bug houses, painted rocks, read stories, made gifts and more!
Partnerships & Collaborations
With limited staff capacity, working with other organizations is always key to the successes of our Youth Education program. In 2023, we worked closely with two Green Umbrella Impact Teams, Farm to School and the Green Schoolyards Action Network (formerly CPS Outside). Growing Our Teachers is the only project from the Farm to School team and the USDA Farm to School Implementation Grant to continue with very little change beyond the grant period thanks to our Executive Director’s ability to secure new funding for the program and the Youth Education Coordinator running the program on her own. The CGC is also one of few partner organizations to serve an active role in the Green Schoolyards Action Network helping to support schools receiving new gardens with training and resources. We hope to deepen these new school partnerships in 2024.
Healthy partnerships enable all participating parties to grow and further their missions. We are proud to build relationships with many local schools and organizations who share our love of community. The following partnered with Youth Education in 2023:
Children’s Academy Mason
Children’s for Children
Cincinnati Public School District
Covedale Elementary
Fairview-German Language School
Gorman Heritage Farm
Greater Cincinnati Foundation
Greater Cincinnati Regional Food Policy Council
Green Umbrella
Hamilton County R3source
John P Parker School
Madeira Branch Library
Mt. Washington School
North Avondale Montessori
North Avondale Recreation Commission
North Central Branch Library
OSU-Hamilton County Extension
Parker Woods Montessori
Peaslee Neighborhood Center Summer Camp
Pleasant Hill Academy
Riverview East Academy
Sands Montessori
School Garden Support Organization Network
Southwestern Ohio Beekeepers Association
St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry
Tower Garden
Winton Woods School
Ziegler Park Summer Camp
Looking Ahead
In 2024, we’ll continue our Compost Kids field trips and the third Growing Our Teachers cohort. We’re developing a plan for spring garden visits that will support our previous Growing Our Teachers participants with their gardens while offering enriching experiences for our Green Teens interns. We plan to offer Summer Sprouts to the Ziegler Park and Peaslee Neighborhood Center summer camps in our Pendleton Children’s Garden. We anticipate supporting at least two of the remaining four CPS schools due to receive new school gardens and will continue to work with Bond Hill and Midway to provide teacher training and student programming. And Lil’ Sprouts will keep happening every other Monday morning!