Supporting school systems with whole-district sustainability planning through green schoolyards, school community wellness, and K-12 green career pathways
The Green & Healthy Schools Network activates school systems, local governments, and partner organizations to develop practical solutions and actionable plans to equip school communities with resources and training for being healthier, resilient, and sustainable. When outdoor learning spaces are accessible to all students, wellness networks are established, and more students are entering the green workforce, school systems are able to strategically achieve district wide sustainability goals.
Core Strategies
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Green Schoolyards:
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Green schoolyards are outdoor spaces that offer students, teachers, and community members places to play, learn, explore, and grow.
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Kids are healthier, happier, and smarter when they are connected with nature and outdoor learning helps them care more about the environment and others.
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Outdoor learning spaces include outdoor classrooms, pollinator and food gardens, nature play areas, trails, traffic gardens, orchards and tree canopy, water features, and more.
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School Community Wellness:
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School community wellness is achieved when internal and external stakeholders are engaged in the wellness policy process that meets the specific needs of the community for nutrition education, physical activity, and other school-based activities that promote student wellness, such as mental well-being.
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Students are experiencing physical and mental health issues that contribute to absenteeism and affect academic performance. Nutrition education, physical activity, and other interventions improve health and educational outcomes.
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Schools, cities, and partner organizations can collaborate on solutions for improving student outcomes using an existing wellness policy framework that is required of all school districts that participate in the USDA National School Meal programs.
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K-12 Green Workforce Development:
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K-12 Green Workforce Development integrates academic learning with real-world skills that helps students become career- or college-ready for in-demand jobs. Practical skill building, introduced early, equips students and drives ongoing interest.
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Green Workforce Development through the Green & Healthy Schools Network focuses primarily on agricultural education pathways, which are interwoven with school wellness and green schoolyards
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Pathways include food science, business & production systems, horticultural science, and animal care.
How the Green & Healthy Schools Network Supports Schools
Equip school systems, through consultations and trainings, with resources for creating whole-district sustainability plans
Convene school district decision-makers, government officials, and partners for aligning priorities and developing policies that support and sustain green schoolyards, wellness initiatives, and K-12 green career pathways
Help schools and school districts build partner networks for implementing sustainability plans and wellness policies
Collaborate with Career-Technical Education staff members to expand Agricultural Education Pathways through school garden programs
Facilitate nutrition education and garden-to-cafe programs to satisfy District wellness policy and work-based learning requirements
Work with school systems and partners to generate green asset maps for evaluating a District’s progress toward sustainability, workforce development, and wellness goals
Cultivate student engagement for planning, designing, and implementing green schoolyards, wellness policy, and sustainability plans
Connecting garden-based learning to green career pathways makes school gardens more sustainable for years to come.
Resources
Learn more about why green schoolyards matter!
Ripple Effect Mapping
Green Umbrella recently completed Ripple Effects Mapping as part of the Nature Everywhere Communities evaluation process. This participatory evaluation process revealed that the Green & Healthy Schools Network:
- Strengthens partnerships and collaboration
- Transforms policy and practice in Cincinnati Public Schools
- Drives academic success and workforce development through agriculture programs
- Centers justice and youth leadership in programs and green spaces
- Grows grassroots efforts into community-wide policy and planning
Read more about the process in Children & Nature Finding Nature News and in the Cincinnati Green & Healthy Schools Network Ripple Effect Mapping Report.
Green Umbrella's Green Schoolyards Action Network is sponsored by:
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Get in Touch
To learn more about green schoolyards, workforce development, and school community wellness, contact Green & Healthy Schools Director Cynthia Walters at cynthia@greenumbrella.org.
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