eval report cover.indd - New Jersey Farm to School Network Wiki

Resources and Tools for Measuring Farm to School Impactcally tailored to outcomes of interest. None of the programs studied for this report haveused surveys to assess this indicator; though some have used informal discussions andinterviews with the teachers and school administration. For example, the BurlingtonFarm to School project has conducted focus group discussions with teachers participatingin the farm to school program.Policy ImpactsImpacts on policies are important measures of whether a farm to school program hasfacilitated systemic changes in the school food environment and school food policies.a) School food policiesMonitoring of school food policies at thedistrict level doesn’t necessarily requirespecific survey tools. A copy of the food/wellness policy is usually posted on thedistrict’s website and may also be availablethrough the district office.b) City, county, state and federal level policiesPublic policies that are supportive of farm to school and other community-based foodsystems work.Food Service ImpactsSchool food service plays a crucial role in implementing change at the cafeteria levelin most farm to school programs. Th e program has more chances of being sustainedwithout external support if it has successfully impacted food service operations, workingtowards making the farm to school purchasing approach fi n ancially viable for thedistrict. An assessment of the processes and factors influencing changes to food servicepractices is a significant gap in farm to school literature.a) Financial viability of food service programs►►Examples of tools used inassessing policy impacts (seeappendices p 166-172):Cost per farm to school meal: To calculate the real cost of serving a farm toschool meal, data on cost of food, labor, equipment, and other costs from theschool food service will be needed. Often, this data is presented in comparisonwith cost per non-farm to school meal option.An in-depth analysis of income generation and expenditures for the farm toschool portion of food service or nutrition education programs can be carriedout. Financial data may not be readily available with the school district in a››Sample School Wellness Policy –Berkeley Unifi e d School District 29Sample State Policy–Oklahoma HB2655 3018 Bearing Fruit: Farm to School Evaluation Resources and Recommendations