Farm to School Institute:
K-12

The 3Cs Approach to Farm to School (adapted from Vermont FEED)

The 3Cs approach, which Vermont FEED developed in 2000, has taken root across the country as a successful model of change that connects efforts in the Cafeteria, Classroom, and Community to achieve robust and sustainable farm to school programs.

We’ve found that the more successful programs are not “add-ons” to school policies and curricula, but integrated throughout the school priorities and culture. This requires collaboration among administrators, school nutrition professionals, students, families, and educators.

In the Classroom

Farm to school education provides a real-world context for learning across all disciplines. Engaging youth in hands-on opportunities such as planting school gardens, cooking food from scratch, and visiting local farms establishes meaningful connections to the curriculum and deepens understanding. Rather than an add-on to an already crowded curriculum, food, nutrition, and agriculture can be integrated within the existing curriculum, from literacy and history to math and science.

In the Cafeteria

The school cafeteria is a major hub of activity. It can be a powerful educational environment, engaging youth in activities like taste tests and cooking lessons to introduce them to new foods and empower them to make healthy choices. Farm to school programs connect the expertise of school nutrition staff with education initiatives, resulting in increased participation in the meal program, reduced waste, and making nutritious food accessible to all students.

More than half of America’s children—nearly 30 million students—get daily nutrition from school meals, and schools spend over $6.3 billion on food costs. These numbers present enormous opportunities, and farm to school programs leverage this potential by strengthening connections between school meal programs and local food producers. When a cafeteria increases its local purchasing, it bolsters its local economy, resourcing it with funds that recirculate and build value long after the original sale.

In the Community

Making connections within the community builds partnerships outside the school for place-based learning and garners community support for school initiatives. Youth have opportunities to learn about how their food is produced and to develop their own agency for creating change. Farmers build relationships with schools, early childhood programs, and other local institutions that allow them to expand into other wholesale markets and boost the local economy. Community dinners, service learning projects, and harvest festivals involve parents, families, and the whole community in building a food culture that is celebratory, honors multiple foodways, and is committed to healthy and sustainable food choices.

Farm to school efforts are most successful and long-lasting when teams take the time to build commitment and capacity of a diverse set of collaborators. These must include school nutrition/food service staff, teachers, and administrators. They may also include school garden educators or managers, family members, students (middle and high school), school nurses, farmers and other food producers, and community partners. We encourage and seek diverse teams that contain members of different racial and gender identity, experience levels, and program roles. Teams for the Institute’s summer retreat are expected to be about 4-5 members, but a full team or farm to school committee can be larger during the school year.
Consider inviting people who are already farm to school champions, as well as key decision-makers and implementers who have yet to become involved but could provide valuable insights or connections when it comes time to implement your action plan. Your school may already have a group that has been working on farm to school or wellness, or there might be a committee that has worked on these efforts in the past but possibly needs a “refresh” with some new planning and new team members.

If your school has a preschool program such as Head Start, ECAP, Preschool Promise, transitional kindergarten, or other pre-k program on-site, we encourage a representative of that program to be part of your team.

FOR SCHOOL-BASED TEAMS: Teams must be composed of at least 4 individuals representing various constituencies in the school and community. Teams must have representation from the 3 following roles: administration, teachers, school nutrition/food service. Additional team members can include: school garden educators or managers, district-level staff, school nurse and other staff, farmers or other local food producers, school board, community partners, family members, etc.

FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT-WIDE TEAMS: Currently, we are only accepting district-level applications from districts with 5 or fewer schools. Teams must be composed of at least 5 individuals representing various constituencies in the school and community. Teams must have representation from the 3 following roles: district-level administration, teachers, district-level school nutrition/food service. Additional team members can include: school garden educators or managers, school-based administration, school nurse and/or other staff, farmers or other local food producers, school board, family members, community partners, etc. In your application, please identify 1 or 2 particular schools in your district in which you will focus efforts on implementing a Farm to School action plan that can serve as an example for other schools within the district. This has been found to be the most successful way to guide district teams through the planning process.

A note about team composition and the Summer Retreat: While there is no max number for team members, there is only space for 5 team members to attend the Summer Retreat. At least 3 team members attending the retreat must include one representative from the cafeteria (child nutrition), administration and education (teacher or garden educator). These three roles must be represented at the Summer Retreat.

During the summer retreat, teams gather in-person to get inspired by and learn from leaders in farm to school, build relationships across the team, gain new skills, and develop a year-long action plan for farm to school programming. A network of farm to school partners provide support via workshops and learning experiences during the retreat. During the school year, as the team implements their action plan, they work with their coach to assess and adapt to successes and challenges.

When: Kickoff retreat June 24-26, 2025; program continues through spring 2026.

Where: The retreat takes place at Oregon Garden Resort in Silverton, OR.  The rest of the year action plans are implemented at your site with virtual learning and connections continuing until the virtual program celebration and reflection in May 2026.

What: Three days of professional learning, networking, planning, and fun! Participation in the summer retreat is a requirement of 4-5 members of each selected team.