Kindergarten

At IDEA Public Schools, our goal is to get 100% of our students on the road to and through college. Our rigorous academics and “whatever it takes” mindset, have helped us make tremendous strides in this work. But we recognized that the roots of academic success for our students run far deeper than classroom learning alone. In order for our students to get to and through college, and beyond, they also need a foundation of skills necessary to maintain their health. So, in 2014 we launched our Healthy Kids Here Initiative to become the Healthiest School District in America.

Sarasota County Schools Food and Nutrition Services established one of the first comprehensive Farm to School programs in the state of Florida in 2006. Our program follows the motto of "We Feed the Future" and provides food services and nutrition education to 42,000 students in 54 schools. In order to best feed our students and support our community, we prioritize purchasing from local farms and growing our school based gardens.

The following description is a summary of our farm to school plan funded by a 2014 USDA Farm to School Program grant: The Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District’s “F.R.E.S.H. Schools Project” is located in Michigan’s rural and isolated Upper Peninsula, an area with high rates of unemployment and low incomes. We are applying as a consortium of seven districts, with 55% of the students receiving free or reduced price lunch.

The Center for Rural Affairs spearheads a statewide Farm to School in Nebraska by providing support and training to small and medium size family farms, schools and food service directors, and by providing opportunities to come together and learn at our Farm to School statewide summits and regional conferences.