Oklahoma Farm-to-School:
Growing Healthy Kids and a Healthy Rural Economy

What Parents and Teachers can do to Support
Farm-to-School

• Get a copy of The Oklahoma Farm-To-School Report and The Oklahoma Food Connection 2005: A Directory of Agricultural Producers, Crops and Institutional Buyers from the Oklahoma Food Policy Council:

Oklahoma Food Policy Council
c/o Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture,
PO Box 588, Poteau, OK 74953.
(918)647-9123.
Farm-To-School Report, www.kerrcenter.com/ofpc/farmtoschool.htm
The Food Connection, www.kerrcenter.com/ofpc/foodconnection.htm

• Check the Food Connection to see if your school district has indicated interest in making local produce purchases. Even if not listed, it is still possible that your district may be receptive to a farm-to-school approach.-Learn more about the many great farm-to-school programs taking place around the country by checking out these organizations and publications:

• ATTRA – National. Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
  PO Box 3657, Fayetteville, AR 72702. 1 (800) 346-9140
  Bringing Local Food to Local Institutions: A Resource Guide for Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution Programs. www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/farmtoschool.html
  
• Community Food Security Coalition
  PO Box 209, Venice, CA 90294. (310)822-5410. www.foodsecurity.org/farm_to_school.html
  
• The National Farm-to-School Program
  Center for Food and Justice, Occidental College,1600 Campus Road, Mail Stop M1, Los Angeles, CA 90041.
  (323)341-5095. www.farmtoschool.org/index.htm

• Tell your school administrators how you feel. If you believe that farm-to-school activities should be implemented, let your school officials know.

Some key players include: teachers, principal, school cafeteria manager, district food service director, district superintendent and school board members
Most school district phone numbers can be found in the “community pages” of your local phone book.

• Assist with planning and coordinating a hands-on nutrition education activity with your child’s class. If you enjoy working with food, conduct a healthy food tasting or cooking activity using fresh locally grown fruits or veggies; or arrange for a local culinary professional to visit your school. Resources include:

Cooking with Kids
3508 Camino Jalisco. Santa Fe, NM 87507. www.freenewmexican.com/news/13629.html

Feeding Young Minds: Hands-on Farm-to-School Education Programs.
Community Food Security Coalition, http://www.foodsecurity.org/pubs.html#feeding

Slow Food USA
Slow Food in Schools, 20 Jay Street - Suite 313, Brooklyn, NY 11201. (718)260-8000. http://www.slowfoodusa.org/education/

• Invite a local farmer to come visit your school and talk about the tasty and nutritious food they grow.

For a list of farmers interested in visiting nearby schools, check the Kerr Center’s website: www.kerrcenter.com/farm_to_school/index.htm

• Organize a visit to a nearby farm or farmers’ market. To find the market nearest you, call city hall or check out the directory of Oklahoma farmers’ markets:

www.madeinoklahoma.net/Okgrown/farmmkt.asp

For tips on organizing a visit:

Farm-to-School Farm Visit Manual
Community Alliance with Family Farmers, PO Box 363, Davis, CA 95617
(530) 756-8518
www.caff.org/programs/f2sManual.shtml

• Help establish a school garden so children can see where food comes from and be empowered to make healthy choices.

Children’s Gardens in Which to Learn and Grow: A Guide to Planning, Designing, and Building an Outdoor Garden Classroom.
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, OSU,
139 Ag Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078
(405) 744-5398
www.pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-1075/F-6402web.pdf

Children’s Gardens, kinderGARDEN Program
Texas A&M University,
202 Horticulture/Forest Science Building, College Station, TX 77843
(979) 845-5341
www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/kindergarden/Child/school/sgintro.htm

National Gardening Association,
1100 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT 05403 (800) 538-7476
www.kidsgardening.com

• Become involved with or help establish a School Health Advisory Committee.

As of 2004, each public school in Oklahoma is required by state law to establish a “Healthy and Fit School Advisory Committee,” composed of teachers, administrators, parents, healthcare professionals and business community representatives. Each advisory committee is to study and make recommendations to the school principal regarding health education; physical education and activity; and nutrition and health services.

For more information about school health advisory committees contact:
Child and Adolescent Health Division / School Health Program at the Oklahoma State Department of Health, 1000 N.E. Tenth, Room 809 Oklahoma City, OK 73117 (405) 271-4471.
www.health.state.ok.us/Program/cahd/sch.html

Contact your child’s principal to find out more about the current status of this committee. Many schools have not yet formed one and may just need a little encouragement from a concerned parent.

Some school districts have initiated healthy child programs. Find out what your school is doing.

When contacting school officials, please keep in mind, they face a number of demands related to academic performance, financial soundness and school safety. Having a dedicated parent or group of parents to help initiate a new activity might be essential in order for teachers and school officials to understand the full potential of such projects. Other Useful Resources:

Action for Healthy Kids Program
Oklahoma State Department of Health, Child and Adolescent Health, 1000 N.E. Tenth, Room 905 Oklahoma City, OK 73117 (405) 271-4471 www.actionforhealthykids.org/index.php

Healthy School Meals Resource System
USDA's Team Nutrition, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 632, Alexandria, VA 22302 (703)305-1624.
www.schoolmeals.nal.usda.gov/index.html

Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom
Oklahoma 4-H Programs, 205 4-H Youth Development, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078
(405) 744-8885 www.agclassroom.org/ok

Oklahoma Fit Kids Coalition
420 N.W. 13th Street, Suite 101, Oklahoma City, OK 73103. (405)236-5437. http://www.integrislifespan.com/fitkids.html

School Foods Toolkit
Center for Science in the Public Interest, 1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20009.
(202) 777-8352. www.cspinet.org/schoolfoodkit/

This project is supported by the Community Food Projects Program of the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, grant # 2004-33800-15141

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

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