In a normal school yr , teachers play a critical role in keeping our kid curious , engaged and excited to learn . But this schooltime year will be anything but normal . As schools throughout the state proceed to balance distant learning with in - person stratum , this already elusive line of work has get even more hard and more important than ever .
by Lindsay LaSala
Today , October 5 , cross off World Teacher ’s Day , a mean solar day in which we appreciate those who school our kids and help organize them for the future . In honor of this day , I sat down ( near ) with Lynné Steinhaus , the project - based learning coordinator at Kids Care Elementary in Columbus , Ohio––a collaborator with Kids Care Academy ( KCA ) . KCA also partners with Head Start , who ply early childhood education and parent involvement services to low - income children and families .
KCA Head Start was a recipient role of our 2020GroMoreGood Garden GrantwithNational Head Start Association , which Lynné used to build and grow their garden from scratch . With the backdrop of the pandemic , I wanted to get her insights on how children and families have been impacted by growing their own fresh food in the KCA garden , as well as the role the Duncan Grant make for in helping teach Kid about healthy eating and where food occur from .
Q : Why was Kids Care Academy Head Start in need of the GroMoreGood Garden Grant?Many of our family be in food deserts and have low incomes , so quality , affordable groceries are hard to come by for many . As a result , most kinsfolk buy their groceries from convenience store inside gasolene stations . In addition to a lack of admittance , there is a lack of understanding surrounding alimentation in our community of interests . That ’s where the GroMoreGood Garden Grant came in . With the grant , we could finally put into motion our plans to build a garden to teach children how to grow their own nutrient and introduce much needed fruit and veggies into their diets . This grant not only allowed us to construct our 40 x 40 garden but also provided critical access to the substantive supplies want to create and maintain a garden of this size . Additionally––and as a teacher I really appreciate this––the Duncan Grant ply us with gardening lesson program to help guide our learning experiences with our Kid .
Q : Even with the pandemic , KCA was still capable to use the President Grant to plant its garden . How did KCA ’s plans convert due to COVID-19?We had big plans before the pandemic that include a community of interests garden edifice day in the fountain . As a young realism set in , given the pandemic , we remit the garden physique to July and followed right precautions , let only little radical in the garden at a clock time , to keep everyone secure . gratefully , before the pandemic , we host a parent meeting where we invited families into the planning process . We asked them to list the plants most authoritative to their culture as well as any fruit , flush , herbs and vegetables they would like to see grow in the garden . And we were able to grow almost all of what our families want !
Q : How has the garden been employ since it ’s been planted?Once the garden was built in July , we hit the ground go and have n’t look back since . In addition to the main garden , we have raised layer by our preschool playground and infant and toddler resort area so all of our kids have multiple opportunities to live the emergence , beauty and food every sidereal day . Seeing my students get unrestrained about the reddening of a tomato or the size of a courgette fill me with joy . We ’ve been able to use those moments in the garden as a way to prepare our new and our most at - risk of exposure apprentice on the grandness of hefty nutriment , biodiversity , pollinators and sustainability . There is also a purpose for the fruit and vegetables we spring up . Because most of our household either do n’t work or lost their job during the pandemic , we ’ve given the food we develop to local families have food for thought insecurity .
Q : What are the plans for the garden in the future?Thanks to the GroMoreGood Garden Grant , the garden has open up a new vista of learning for instructor and child . Without inquiry , we would care to extend the garden space across the school grounds , so that we ’re able to grow even more fruit and vegetables for our nestling and their house . Helping kids become more designed about the healthy solid food they eat and get delirious to learn about Modern food for thought through gardening is something we desire to continue offering at a larger scale of measurement in the future .
Supporting schooling garden like the one at Kids Care Academy is one of many ways we are attached to GroMoreGood for our communities , satellite , consumers , partners and each other .
determine more about our work with the National Head Start Association .
