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School Gardens

We believe that all students deserve access to healthy food, and that real-life connections to growing food enrich our school communities. School gardens are a powerful tool to stimulate student curiosity about the natural world and engage broader school communities in environmental stewardship.

We recognize the benefits of gardens on the Whole Child, a core value in CPS' vision. School gardens are a part of Healthy CPS, an initiative that provides schools with guidance and support to adhere to state and district health and wellness policies. Gardens have a myriad of wellness benefits:

  • Social Emotional Learning (SEL): Gardening can help students gain self confidence and self efficacy, learn strategies for emotion regulation, and develop empathy via teamwork and collaboration.
  • Nutrition education: Gardens deepen students’ connection to the source of their food, which can challenge their perception of vegetables and encourage them to build healthy consumption habits.
  • Stress reduction: Gardening has been shown to mitigate stress and help students feel more calm. Outdoor growing spaces can be utilized as an alternative classroom, offering students the opportunity to connect with nature and observe their environment.

School Gardens Video

 

CPS School Garden Team

The CPS Garden Team works within the Office of Student Health and Wellness to support schools across the district in creating long-lasting garden programming and infrastructure that suits the individual needs of each school. In collaboration with our school garden partner organizations, the Garden Team offers workshops and a variety of resources in order to support garden programming district-wide. 

Schools can request seeds via the main run by filling out the CPS School Garden Seed Request Form. If you have any questions about starting or expanding garden and agriculture-based education programs at your school, contact gardenteam@cps.edu.

Farm to School 

The Farm to School program connects Chicago Public Schools with fresh, healthy food and local producers. Our goal is to enrich children’s bodies and minds while supporting local farmers and food producers by bringing local food into the dining center. The program influences food purchasing to allow students to gain access to healthy, local foods. The program also creates hands-on learning activities through school gardens, farm visits, cooking lessons, and integration of food related education into the classroom.

Aramark Farm 2 School

OKI Farm 2 School

Farm to School 

The Farm to School program connects Chicago Public Schools with fresh, healthy food and local producers. Our goal is to enrich children’s bodies and minds while supporting local farmers and food producers by bringing local food into the dining center. The program influences food purchasing to allow students to gain access to healthy, local foods. The program also creates hands-on learning activities through school gardens, farm visits, cooking lessons, and integration of food related education into the classroom.

Aramark Farm 2 School

OKI Farm 2 School

Eat What You Grow! 

The Eat What You Grow! (EWYG) certification program equips school staff with the skills and knowledge to safely grow, harvest, and serve vegetables grown on school grounds in the cafeteria and classroom. The EWYG certification is required for all schools engaging students in growing activities, whether the current plants being grown are edible or ornamental.

To become EWYG certified, one or more staff members from each school must complete the training located on SafeSchools™ and submit the required documentation. Once certified, schools must renew their certificate each year through a simple recertification training on SafeSchools. ISBE credit is provided.

For more information on the CPS Eat What You Grow! program, see the CPS Eat What You Grow Manual.

CPS School Garden Toolkit 

The CPS School Garden Toolkit provides guidelines and resources to support the creation, maintenance, and academic integration of school growing spaces. The aim of this toolkit is to advance our district in sustaining robust garden-based and environmental education for a more sustainable future. The toolkit features a variety of instructions on various gardening topics, including detailed garden planning models in the Garden Planting Guides.

CPS School Garden Resources

Local Agriculture and Gardening Organizations