Welcome to our first Green Schoolyards Action Network newsletter of 2026!

The first three months of this year were packed with progress, and I am excited to share news and updates with you in this newsletter. But first: big news with the premier Green & Healthy Schools Symposium on June 13th, 2026. We’ve just announced Brenda Kessler from the Children & Nature Network as the Keynote Speaker. The Symposium is an opportunity for school district leaders, students, partner organizations, and more to collaborate on solutions, ideas, and innovation around district-wide sustainability, green schoolyards, wellness, and green career development. More information is in the events section below (and make sure to register NOW for Early Bird pricing!).

Keynote Speaker: Brenda Kessler

Last year, we collaborated with the Children & Nature Network to showcase the collective impact happening in Cincinnati around green schoolyards through a Ripple Effect Mapping (REM) Report. The results are in! The report can be found here. Read more about the Green Schoolyards Action Network in Children & Nature Network: Finding Nature News. 

Events and stories like these allow the momentum to continue throughout our region, and opportunities emerge for school districts to make a lasting impact on local communities. Please reach out, and let’s work on school district-driven climate action in our region together!

Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS), Keep Cincinnati Beautiful (KCB), and Green Schoolyards Action Network (GSAN) presented Strategic Partnerships for Greener Schools (SPGS) updates to the City of Cincinnati’s Climate, City Services & Infrastructure committee.

CPS Chief Operating Officer Chris Burkhardt provided information on the green sustainability plans, such as mapping green assets, maintaining greenspace, and putting systems into place to ensure all students have access to outdoor learning. Kirsten Bradmeyer (KCB) and Cynthia Walters (GSAN) shared SPGS progress involving CPS maintenance corridors and Outdoor Learning Hubs as strategies for increasing access and sustaining green schoolyards into the future.

Discussed as next steps: Developing a Liaison position to strengthen the partnership between CPS, partner organizations, and City departments, and addressing barriers that prevent students from entering Agricultural Education career pathways.

The CPS Workforce Development Committee - a group of work-based learning partners, CPS Career-Tech (CTE) staff, City members, and educators - met in early March of 2026.

As a group, we learned about the Cincinnati Toolbank tool lending program, received updates regarding the Pleasant Hill Ag Ed course, and continued planning for the College Hill Academy garden-based learning workshop. During the meeting, workforce development committee members participated in a brainstorming session to identify possible solutions to the challenges of placing more students into agricultural education pathways.

As a group, we learned about the Cincinnati Toolbank tool lending program, received updates regarding the Pleasant Hill Ag Ed course, and continued planning for the College Hill Academy garden-based learning workshop. During the meeting, workforce development committee members participated in a brainstorming session to identify possible solutions to the challenges of placing more students into agricultural education pathways.

Cynthia Walters presented a Career Technical Education (CTE) workforce development session at the Southeast Ohio Farm to School Conference. Strategies for leveraging existing frameworks, such as Agricultural Education pathways and Local School Wellness Policy, were shared with garden-based learning educators as a systematic approach for embedding and sustaining K-12 school district garden programs.

All school districts that participate in the National School Lunch (NSLP) and Breakfast (SBP) Programs are required by the USDA to produce a Wellness Policy. The Local School Wellness Policy (LSWP) must include specific evidence-based goals for nutrition promotion and education.

Since the dissolution of Snap-ed and the reduction of SNAP benefits, a Food Systems & Nutrition Education Task Force has been created to help fill these gaps in Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS). The Green Schoolyards Action Network is facilitating the task force of partner organizations, which provides resources and programming related to nutrition, to develop a CPS educator resource page that will focus on food systems, nutrition, cooking, and food waste.

For more information about Wellness Policy (LSWP) requirements and how to get involved in the wellness planning and implementation process, refer to the Green Umbrella Local School Wellness Policy Tool Kit here.

Green & Healthy Schools Symposium | June 13th, 2026

The excitement is building for the upcoming Green & Schools Symposium that will be held on June 13th during Cincinnati Climate Week! The Symposium will take place at Rockdale Academy and the Learning Garden located on the school campus. Brenda Kessler, of Children & Nature Network, will be delivering the Keynote address.

The Symposium will feature the Green & Healthy Schools strategies for achieving district-wide sustainability: Green Schoolyards, Green Workforce Development, and School Community Wellness. Student leaders, who are the essential stakeholders in the sustainability planning process, will play a central role as presenters and panelists. Symposium attendees will engage in informative sessions, interactive spaces, exhibits, student-led garden tours, and a networking reception to share ideas, spark innovation, and fuel collective impact between school districts, partner organizations, and municipalities. Save $25 by registering before Earth Day (April 22). More information and the day's schedule are available on the registration page linked here.

Attention Students (including those in higher education!): contact cynthia@greenumbrella.org if you would like to display a poster, capstone, or other types of projects, and/or artwork in the Student Voices in Sustainability exhibition space. What sustainability is and why it is important can be found here.

Interested in sponsoring the Green & Healthy Schools Symposium? Reach out to Charlie Gonzalez at charlie@greenumbrella.org.

Leader Sponsor

Interested in sponsoring the Green Schoolyards Action Network? Email Director of Engagement and Strategic Partnerships Charlie Gonzalez.

Reply to this email to reach Cynthia, or for questions regarding membership, visit here or email membership@greenumbrella.org.