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

c) Farming and marketing operationsInterviews with farmers can provide information on any changes in their farm operationsthat have occurred as a result of the farm to school program. Some of these mayinclude diversification of products, changes in planting patterns and marketing channels,establishment of processing facilities, as well as participation in collaborative orcooperative marketing structures.Parent Impactsa) Parental knowledge, attitudes and behaviorsExamples of tools used inassessing parent impacts (seeappendices p 189-190):›Community ImpactsExamples of tools used inassessing community impacts(see appendices p 191-196):››››Healthy City ParentSurvey - BurlingtonSchool Food Project 14Vermonter Poll - a statewidepoll conducted to assessparental knowledge andattitudes about school lunch andchildren’s eating behaviors 14Questions for food councilmembers - BurlingtonSchool Food Project 14Project Partners InterviewGuide - BurlingtonSchool Food Project 14Volunteer Interview Guide -Burlington School Food Project 14Th ese attributes regarding food and nutritionand local agriculture can be assessedbefore and after the program through surveysor focus group discussions. An increasein parental involvement in the school canalso be an indicator of parent impacts of thefarm to school program. Only a few farmto school programs have developed tools toassess program impacts on parents.Unlike other school-based educational orcafeteria programs, farm to school has thepotential to impact families and the communityat large due to its broad-based collaborativeapproach that aims to involveparents, gardeners, farmers, and communitymembers. Informal discussions andinterviews with key community membersand stakeholders such as project partners,volunteers, food council, or committeemembers can reveal useful informationabout the impacts of farm to school programsin the community. Some impactsworth monitoring include the growth offarmers’ markets in the area, campaigns ororganizing efforts around other food relatedissues facing the community, and fooddollars spent within the local economy.Resources and Tools for Measuring Farm to School Impactwww.farmtoschool.org 21