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

BTV-VT: BURLINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT, VERMONTConclusions Farm to School and RecommendationsProgram ProfilesThe Burlington School Food Project, acitywide collaborative, has addressed theintegration of local foods in school mealsand food insecurity among school-aged childrenin Burlington, Vermont.Th e goals of the project included:►►►Increased awareness and engagementin the local food system and increasedawareness about and consumption ofhealthy foods in school.Implementation of a citywide food actionplan that increased access to anduse of healthy foods and foods from localproducers.Building capacity of Burlington food,health and education-oriented organizationsto better meet the food needsof the low-income Burlington schooldistrict population.Burlington School District, VTFree / reduced meal eligibility: 42%Total schools: 11Enrollment: 3577Demographics:83% White, 2% Hispanic, 7% AfricanAmerican, 6% Asian Pacific IslanderLocal product used in:School breakfast and lunch, taste testsOther program components:Food, Farm and Nutrition Educationcurriculum, farm tours, recipedevelopment using local products,local food council, School Food ActionPlan, School Food committees, foodservice workshops, parent trainingsTh e Center for Rural Studies (CRS) served as the evaluator for the three-year project fundedby the USDA Community Food Projects Grants. CRS used both qualitative and quantitativetools to gather information about project impacts from stakeholders, including students,teachers, parents, local farmers, food service professionals, community members and partners.Evaluation tools included written surveys, in-depth interviews, focus groups, observationsof events, and analysis of project related data and records. The evaluation providedfeedback to the project partners including suggestions for improvement of future activities.Evaluation reports from this project are available from Vermont FEED.Croom E, Nasrana R and Kolodinsky J. Growing Farms, Growing Minds: Th e Burlington School Food Project,Year One Evaluation 2003-04, Center for Rural Studies.Schmidt M.C. and Kolodinsky J, The Burlington School Food Project, Final Evaluation Report, December 2006,Center for Rural Studies.64 Bearing Fruit: Farm to School Evaluation Resources and Recommendations