School Gardens
Supporting our local schools with funds and resources to get their gardens growing!
School Garden Program
We provide opportunities for our students to appreciate and strive for good nutrition through the food they grow in their school gardens and the bounty available in our own community. By providing grants to Solano County schools, we enable teachers and administrators to build and sustain garden programs to keep their students engaged with hands-on activities.
Grant Application Process
The Slow Food Solano Convivium is working on reviving the School Grant program after COVID closings derailed many school garden efforts. The Convivium aims to award grants for school gardens to Solano County elementary, middle, and high schools selected from applications. We anticipate opening an application period in the Fall of 2023 to help schools fund their school garden needs for 2024. If your school is in need of school garden funding, please check back regarding the application deadline, or contact us to make sure you will be notified when our grant application process has been re-established.
QUESTIONS?
Contact Carla Elvidge at 925-708-0558 or carlaelvidge@gmail.com
Education is Key
School gardens are not just about food and environment lessons. School gardens provide new opportunities to engage students, especially those who may be unattentive or uninterested in traditional classroom lessons. Creative teachers are making the garden part of where and how they teach. By integrating garden-based learning into lesson plans, they can take their classes outside, and connect their students’ outdoor learning experience to the lessons being taught back in the classroom. Many teachers, especially in high-need schools, perceive the school garden as a key tool in teaching the academic skills and content in a way that’s often more engaging, and long lasting.
Sponsors & Community Partners
