Going, Doing, Gardening
School Gardens in the Underrepresented Communities of Lake Worth, Palm Springs, and Greenacres, Florida
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7721/chilyoutenvi.25.1.0119Keywords:
school gardens, transformation, nutrition, obesity, curriculum integration, FloridaAbstract
In January 2010, the School District of Palm Beach County, Florida received a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant to implement policy and environmental changes. One goal of the grant was to reduce obesity and increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables among minority communities through the installation of school/community gardens. The focus of the grant was primarily Hispanic children, families, and their teachers in a significantly underserved corridor of the countywhere obesity, poverty, and food insecurity prevail. Results of a 42-item open-and closed-ended survey measuring the gardens’ usability, curricular integration, movement/exercise capacities, and health benefits as they relate to increased access to fresh produce and obesity reduction are shared. The findings indicate that participating in garden programs positively influenced students’and teachers’ lives.