SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today attended the inaugural meeting in Sacramento of the School Garden Advisory Group. He appointed members to the Advisory Group earlier this year to provide support and guidance to schools wishing to start or expand existing instructional school gardens. The list of members is attached.

"Children are learning that you are what you eat and you can eat what you grow," said O'Connell. "This is a valuable lesson for students because they learn about agriculture in hands-on instructional settings; tend to eat the fruits and vegetables they grow; learn the link between them and the environment; and get exercise to boot."

Assembly Bill 1535 (Núñez) was signed into law last year and authorized O'Connell to establish the School Gardens Advisory Group. The Advisory Group is designed to support program efforts through technical assistance, resources, in-kind support, site visits, and other related efforts, to promote instructional school gardens in California's public schools. Strong anecdotal evidence shows that children who participate in school garden or outdoor classrooms are more excited and enthusiastic about learning. As they plant and harvest their own fruits and vegetables, they are more likely to eat them. Also, as their knowledge of nutrition increases, so does their preference for fruits and vegetables that leads to healthier eating patterns. Healthy, active, and well-nourished children are more likely to attend school and are more prepared and motivated to learn that are all factors in helping students achieve academically.

"As a strong advocate of school gardens, I specifically designed my legislation to include stakeholders that would effectively promote the school gardens and provide accountability," said California Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez. "We hope to leverage their expertise in areas such as food production, nutrition, obesity prevention, and recycling. I'm excited about the lifelong lessons that California schoolchildren will be able to take with them as they participate in the reborn School Gardens program."

AB 1535 also provides $15 million in seed money for schools to develop a school garden or to expand existing ones for academic instruction. The California Department of Education will soon award 72 percent of that amount to schools that have requested funds. The remaining money will eventually be offered to schools on a competitive basis once the criteria have been established with the help of the Advisory Group.

There are 26 members of the Advisory Group representing diverse occupations from around the state, and all have experience in instructional school gardens. For more information on California's School Gardens Program, please visit School Garden Program Overview - Healthy Eating & Nutrition Education.

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Attachment

School Garden Advisory Group