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

VEN-CA: VENTURA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT FARM TOSCHOOL “HEALTHY SCHOOLS PROJECT,” CALIFORNIAConclusions Farm to School and RecommendationsProgram ProfilesThe Healthy Schools Project at Ventura Unifie d School District was designed to promotehealthy nutritional behaviors and to teach studentshow to make healthy choices now and throughouttheir lives. Th e program consisted of sequentialnutrition education, garden-enhanced nutritioneducation, and a school salad bar lunch program. Th eevaluation of the Ventura program was led by HeidiChristensen in the 2001-02 school year and focusedon Juanamaria Elementary School, the first to implementthe farm to school program in the district. Keyobjectives of the evaluation plan were to:1. Monitor implementation of program components(sequential nutrition education, garden-enhancednutrition education, farm-fresh school salad barlunch program).2. Determine the effectiveness of program components on children’s, parents’, and schoolstaff’s knowledge, attitudes, and behavior, particularly in terms of the following:►►►►Salad bar usage by students and staffChanges in dietary habits of participating childrenChanges in nutritional knowledge of participating childrenVentura UnifiedSchool District, CAFree / reduced mealeligibility: 37.4%Total schools: 29Enrollment: 17,545Demographics:49% White, 38.6% Hispanic, 2.5%Asian, 1.1% American IndianLocal product used in:Salad barsOther program components:In-class nutrition education,school gardens, farm tours,farmer in the classroomChanges in student awareness of issues regarding the production, consumption,and disposal of food waste.3. Examine the practical and financial viability of the salad bar program, especially as relatedto sustainability and generalizability to other schools. Information on financial issuesof the farm-fresh salad bar component was collected.Because components of the project had been implemented prior to the evaluation, it wasnot possible to administer pre-test surveys to the Juanamaria students. In order to providecomparative data, students at two elementary schools with planned but not yet completedimplementation of the Healthy Schools components were also surveyed. Th ese studentsserved as a control group for the Juanamaria students. It is important to note that there weredemographic differences between the control group students and the Juanamaria students.Qualitative data was collected through a series of interviews and focus groups by the evaluator.Interviews were conducted with the Juanamaria principal, Juanamaria teachers, andfood service staff (district and school-level). Focus groups were held with twenty randomlyselected fourth and fifth grade students. Only upper grade students were chosen for thefocus groups because of their increased capacity for reflection, insight, and verbal expression.Unfortunately, access to randomly selected parents for interview or survey purposescould not be attained but is expected to be accomplished in the future. Also missing is themeasurement of students’ awareness of waste issues related to food.Christensen, Heidi. Juanamaria Healthy Schools Project Final Evaluation Report. Ventura County Superintendent’sOffice. 2003.82 Bearing Fruit: Farm to School Evaluation Resources and Recommendations