More Victorian children will be digging in and learning healthy habits for life with kitchen garden programs in schools set to grow through the Playground to Plate grants scheme.
The Victorian Government is offering 100 one-off $5000 grants to help Victorian government primary schools in 24 local government areas establish or enhance infrastructure to support the delivery of kitchen garden programs underpinned by the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation’s pleasurable food education philosophy. Eligible schools have been contacted directly about the opportunity to help students learn how to grow, harvest, prepare and share fresh, seasonal, delicious food.
In addition to the hands-on, practical, real-life experiences provided in kitchen garden programs, they also create rich and meaningful opportunities for community engagement – involving learners and their families, educators, local businesses and organisations – and invite the whole community to blossom.
‘They say food brings people together. What we’ve found is that this program has brought our community together. We can now clearly see that at our school this program helps both children and their parents to make good choices about their food.’ – Ken Ryan, Principal, Sunshine North Primary School.
The Playground to Plate grants will enable schools to purchase garden and/or kitchen materials, such as garden beds, garden tools, cupboards, benches, appliances, pots and pans – whatever the school needs. Successful schools will receive a grant and a Kitchen Garden Classroom membership that provides access to hundreds of resources, a vibrant online community of kitchen garden educators, discounted professional development and support from the Foundation’s professional team.
Underpinning the Playground to Plate scheme is a partnership approach. The Victorian Government, the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation, the Achievement Program and the Healthy Eating Advisory Service are working together to facilitate a whole-school approach to health and wellbeing. Collectively, the group will support schools to sustain efforts to achieve healthy outcomes in the long term.
In our next issue hear more about how the partnership is working together to help grow healthy schools.
Learn more about the grants scheme here.
Submit your story!