Garden Development Project 2011

1. Garden Development Project 2011 By: Mark Hughes, Grace Saulog, Erica Yates and Zach Yoder Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Nursing

2. Description of Project • Purpose of School Garden Toolkit • The purpose of this toolkit is to guide schools in the East St. Louis area in the creation of school gardens. • Toolkit will provide resources needed for starting school their own garden at their school • School garden toolkit is put into place as an intervention to improve nutrition for individuals in the area

3. Description of Project • Purpose of School Garden • Promote health for the individuals of the East Saint Louis community. • Support core academics, especially in science and math. • To teach about food production. • To produce food • To improve knowledge on nutrition.

4. History, Current Situation and Need • Goes back as far as 17th century • John Amos Comenius • “A school garden should be connected with every school, where children can have the opportunity for leisurely gazing upon trees, flowers and herbs, and are taught to appreciate them” (Weed, 1909, cited in Subramaniam, 2002). • First school garden started in Australia and Europe in the 1800s • End of 19th century, Massachusetts Horticulture Society provided background for teaching gardening the U.S. Schools • 1891: Henry Lincoln Clapp sent to Europe in 1891 to study school gardens • Returned and established 1st school garden in U.S. at George Putnam School in Roxbury, MA (Subramaniam, 2002)

5. During WWI, Bureau of Education launched the United States School Garden Army (USSGA) Targeted urban/suburban youth During this time, USSGA encouraged urban/suburban youth to “garden for Uncle Sam” Helped contribute to food production and conservation during the war (Day, 2007) History, Current Situation and Need (con’t) http://www.sonofthesouth.net/uncle-sam/pied-piper.htm

6. History, Current Situation and Need (con’t) • 1918: Every state in the U.S. had at least one school garden • 1916: During the war, over one million students contributed production of food • Schools gardens became less valued after WWI • Reemerged briefly in WWII • After 1944, school gardens became replaced with playgrounds, athletic fields (Subramaniam, 2002) • In the last 20 years, school gardens became a national movement • Texas and California are two states that are actively encouraging school gardening (Blair, 2009)

7. History, Current Situation and Need (con’t) • Lalumier Elementary School is one of the few schools with a garden in the area. • The East St Louis area has few resources of fruits and vegetables • Intake of healthy foods is low • There have been gardens in the area including current and past community gardens

8. Public Health Core Functions and Essential Services • Assessment • Statistics • Available sources of fruits and vegetables (see hand out on stores in East St Louis area) • Poor diet patterns and sedentary life style have contributed to the epidemic of overweight and obesity in the United States (McAleese and Rankin, 2007) • Eating patterns are developed at a young age and can be traced into adulthood (McAleese and Rankin, 2007)

9. Public Health Core Functions and Essential Services (con’t) • Assurance • Ensures availability of nutritional food and education to encourage its intake. • Helps develop healthy lifestyles that will reduce stress put on health services in the community. • Policy Development • The area lacks policies on school gardens • Current policies on nutrition in schools could be expanded to include nutrition teaching involving gardens. • States could take California’s example and enact policies to fund school gardens.

10. Target Audience • Primary Target • Local schools • Children and adolescents • Families

11. Community Involvement • How were personnel and/or community members involved in the project? • Teachers, parents, and community members will be recruited to help out in the garden • Surveys to see if parents would be interested were sent home • Advertised to teachers through meetings and flyers

12. Community Involvement (con’t) • How were personnel and/or community members involved in the project? • Principle and superintendent will be involved to authorize the garden project • Parents who know about gardening will be recruited to help with the process • Recommend finding volunteer who is an expert gardener

13. Healthy People 2020 Objective One • Educational and Community-Based Programs • Goal: Increase the quality, availability, and effectiveness of educational and community-based programs designed to prevent disease and injury, improve health, and enhance quality of life. • ECBP-1.6: Unhealthy Dietary Patterns • Intervention: Obesity Prevention and Control, Interventions in Community Settings: Worksite Programs

14. Healthy People 2020 Objective Two • Heart Disease and Stroke • Goal: Improve cardiovascular health and quality of life through prevention, detection, and treatment of risk factors for heart attack and stroke; early identification and treatment of heart attacks and strokes; and prevention of repeat cardiovascular events • HDS-2: Reduce Coronary Disease Deaths • Intervention: Behavioral Counseling in Primary Care to Promote a Healthy Diet

15. St. Clair County v. State of IL Demographic Data State of Illinois Disability rates 17.6% Income rate per household Median income for <$15,000 was 12% People >65 years of age 12.1% Poverty Estimates for State of Illinois 12% of 5-17 year olds (17,683,437 total) Those 25 years and older considered in poverty who are less than a high school graduate 22% • St. Clair County • Disability rates • 20% • Income rate per household • Median income for <$15,000 was 16.4% • People over >65 years of age • 13.2% • Poverty Estimates for East St. Louis School Dist 189 • 39% of 5-17 year olds (10,388 total) • Those 25 years and older considered in poverty who are less than a high school graduate • 30%

16. St. Clair County v. State of IL Biostatistical Data • St. Clair County • Mortality rates for Diabetes • 4% • Mortality rates for coronary heart disease • 173.4 (per 100,000) • Very low infant birth rates • 2.4% in 2006 • State of Illinois • Mortality rates for Diabetes • 3% • Mortality rates for coronary heart disease • 149 (per 100,000) • Very low infant birth rates • 1.6% in 2006

17. St. Clair County v. State of IL Behavioral Data • St. Clair County • Obesity • 28.6% • Nutrition presented as servings of fruits/vegetables per day • 16.4% ate 5 or more servings of fruits/vegetables during 2007-2009 • State of Illinois • Obesity • 26.8% • Nutrition presented as servings of fruits/vegetables per day • 22.6% ate 5 or more servings of fruits/vegetables during 2007-2009

18. Relevant Agencies Policies and Procedures • According to Dr. John Dozier, authorization should be the first step in creating a school garden • Pounders (2006) recommends having an outline in place of how to accomplish the garden before seeking approval • Determine where garden will be located and how teachers/volunteers will be recruited • Contact superintendent to get final authorization to start a garden program • Get this in writing

19. Relevant Agencies Policies and Procedures (con’t) • Work to put certain policies in place: • Require soil testing before placing a garden • May be done by local departments such as Illinois Farm Bureau (Bhagya Kolli, personal communication, 2 February 2011) or Illinois Agriculture association • Ensure that the garden is as organic as possible (i.e. avoid things such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers) (Stone, 2002) (Mildred Mattfeldt-Beman, personal communication, 18 February 2011) • Require protection around the garden ,such as fencing, to protect from pests, vandals, and other threats (USDA, n.d.)

20. Relevant Agencies Policies and Procedures (con’t) • Each school should set their own policies and guidelines that fit with their school, students, teachers, and volunteers • For example: an adult volunteer is required to be present when a child is using a gardening tool • Require waivers that must be signed by parents before their child can participate in the school garden (include health questions such as what kinds of foods they are allergic to and health conditions) (University of Minnesota, 1999)

21. Environmental Factors Sociocultural- Unsafe environment, lack of parks and recreation, lack of exercise facilities, lack of grocery stores with healthy choices School garden will help provide a safer area to learn to how to eat healthy, how to grow their own foods Can provide exercise by doing things such as weeding, digging, and other manual labor (Ozer, 2007) Economic- Many of the people in these communities cannot afford the expense of fresh fruits and vegetables Dr. Beaman of St. Louis University discussed how they set up a stand and sell what they grow in the garden at a more affordable price (personal communication, 18, February 2011)

22. Ethical Considerations • Justice • The East St. Louis area does not have the same access to healthy foods compared to other populations • Autonomy • The garden will allow people to make food from a garden they produced and choose what kinds of fruits and vegetables they want to plant

23. Cultural Aspects Considered For Gardening School gardens brings about cultural appreciation by forming bonds among students, staff, families, local businesses, and organizations It can also introduce them to new foods and possibly new cultural dishes they have never been exposed to before

24. Nursing Diagnoses Sedentary lifestyle of the East St. Louis community related to environmental factors as evidenced by lack of parks and recreation and exercise facilities Ineffective community therapeutic regimen management for the community of East St. Louis related to economic insecurity and unhealthy environment as evidenced by 39% of 5-17 year olds being in poverty

25. Intervention Description This toolkit was constructed from interviews with Bhagya Kolli of East Side Health District (personal communication, 2 February 2011), John Dozier Principal of Lalumier Elementary School (personal communication, 16 February 2011), Dr. Mildred Mattfeldt-Beman of the School Nutrition and Dietetics at St Louis University (personal communication, 18 February 2011), information from websites and organizations mentioned in the toolkit, and referenced literature.

26. Intervention Description • Parts of Toolkit • Introduction • Resources Needed • Steps for Garden Creation • Education

27. Intervention Description • The Toolkit Introduction • The Purpose • Goals • Increase fruit and vegetable consumption of all grades involved in school garden. • Teach children the art of garden. • Teach children about food sources and history. • Expose children to different food choices. • Link Gardening to academic instruction. • History

28. Intervention Description • The Toolkit • Introduction • Importance of School Gardens • Diet including fruits and vegetable have been related to protection from strokes, cataract formation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diverticulosis, cancer, heart disease and hypertension (McAleese & Rankin, 2007) • Research has shown that eating habits are built at a young age and that school gardens can be a useful tool in teaching children healthy eating habits that can affect their health for the rest of their lives. Involving school age children in gardens has been shown to increase their fruit and vegetable consumption (McAleese & Rankin, 2007)

29. Intervention Description • Resources Needed • Tools • Tool Shed • Hoses • Garden Rake • Round end long handle shovel • Rake • Trowel • Hand Cultivator • Blair (2009) also states to have some of these tools be child sized and have gloves for the children as well as a first aid kit for safety.

30. Intervention Description Plants • The study by McAleese and Rankin (2007) used the following plants: • Potatoes • Corn • Peppers • Peas • Beans • Squash • Cantaloupe • Cucumbers • Broccoli • Tomatoes • Spinach • Lettuce • Kohrabi Bhagya Kolli stated that some of the following plant life and materials have been used in the past in the East St Louis area (personal communication, 2 February 2011): • Compost • Mulch • Dirt • Trees • Flower • Seeds, Example: • Collard Greens • Mustard • Turnips • Spinach • Lettuce • Beats • Radish • Carrots • Tomatoes • Green Beans • Zucchini • Peppers

31. Intervention Description • Funding • Lack of funding can be a major barrier to creating and maintaining a garden (Blair, 2009). Before looking for funding you should make up a budget to try and estimate what you will need so that you don’t end up with too little or too much (Pounders, 2006).

32. Intervention Description • Grants and donations can be found or obtained from: • Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom • “Each year, the Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom Program and the IAA Foundation give $250 teacher grants” (Illinois Agirculture in the Classroom, n.d.). • http://www.agintheclassroom.org/060605/Teachers/grants/grants.htm • http://www.grants.gov/ • “Grants.gov is your source to FIND and APPLY for federal grants” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). • United States Department of Agriculture • http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome • General Mills • “General Mills, in partnership with the American Dietetic Association Foundation and the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition is in its ninth year of awarding 50, $10,000 grants to not-for-profit organizations with innovative programs that help youth develop both good nutrition and fitness habits” (General Mills Inc., n.d.). • http://www.generalmills.com/en/Responsibility/Community_Engagement/Grants/Champions_for_healthy_kids.aspx

33. KaBoom • “KaBOOM! is a non-profit that is working to ensure that every child has a great place to play within walking distance” (KaBOOM!, Inc., 2011). • http://projects.kaboom.org/ • Kellogs • “We believe it is important to walk alongside prospective grantees to accomplish goals of mutual interest and we are very interested in reviewing new and innovative ideas aimed at helping vulnerable children succeed” (W.K. Kellogg Foundation, n.d.). • http://www.wkkf.org/grants/for-grantseekers.aspx • Home Depot • Grants (in association with National Gardening Association) • http://assoc.garden.org/grants/ • Supplies (Contact Area Stores) • 5501 Belleville Crossing, Belleville, IL (618) 239-3351 ‎  5.2 mi SE • 1706 W Highway 50, O'Fallon, IL (618) 632-9626 ‎  6.2 mi E • Illinois 15, Belleville, IL (618) 239-3351 ‎  5.2 mi SE • 1049 Collinsville XNGS, Collinsville, IL (618) 344-9022 ‎  6.3 mi NE • Lowes • Grants • http://www.toolboxforeducation.com/ • Supplies (Contact Area Stores) • 6211 N. Illinois, Fairview Heights, Illinois (618) 398-6859 ‎  3.2 mi E • 6211 N. Illinois, Fairview Heights, IL (618) 398-6859 ‎  4.7 mi E • 2501 Greenmount Commons, Belleville, IL (618) 239-3908 ‎  9.4 mi SE

34. WalMart • Grants • http://walmartstores.com/CommunityGiving/203.aspx • Supplies (Contact Area Stores) • 1511 Camp Jackson Road, Cahokia, IL (618) 332-1771 ‎  5.8 mi SW • 1530 W Us Highway 50, O'Fallon, IL (618) 632-9066 ‎  6.4 mi E • 1040 Collinsville Crossing, Collinsville, IL (618) 344-4480 ‎  6.3 mi NE • Sam’s Club • Supplies (Contact Area Stores) • 1350 W. Hwy. 50, O'Fallon, IL (618) 632-7878 ‎  6.6 mi E • Gateway Greening • “Our mission is to contribute to neighborhood vitality and stability through community food projects, education and wellness programs, and civic greening” (Gateway Greening, n.d.). • Supplies (provided raise boxes in the past) • 2211 Washington AvenueSt Louis, MO 63103-1521 • (314) 588-9600 • http://www.gatewaygreening.org/ • American Community Gardens has a list of Grants available for gardens • http://www.communitygarden.org/learn/resources/funding-opportunities.php • Eckerts Garden Center • “The Eckert family is dedicated to improving the communities that our employees and customers reside in, as well as to strengthening those organizations that enhance the well-being of these communities” (Eckert's, 2011). • http://www.eckerts.com/donations.htm

35. America The Beautiful Fund • Operation green plant gives out free vegetable, flower, and herb seeds. • http://www.america-the-beautiful.org/free_seeds/index.phpSeeds of Change • ReLeaf • “Free and reduced cost trees from Forest ReLeaf for planting on public and not-for-profit property” (Forest ReLeaf of Missouri, n.d.). • www.moreleaf.org • Missouri Botanical Garden (provided raise boxes in the past) • 4344 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63110, (314) 577-5100 • https://www.mobot.org/default.asp • Edy’s Fruit Bars (Tree Donations) • “Communities Take Root, a program to provide fresh fruit orchards in dozens of communities across the United States” (Nestlè, n.d.) • http://www.communitiestakeroot.com/

36. Intervention Description • Steps for Garden Creation • Engagement • Although not any one activity, engagement should be a main focus when starting the garden. The culture of East St Louis is one that is slow to build trust and interest (Bhagya Kolli, personal communication, 2 February 2011). • Community involvement is vital to starting school gardens and member of the community such as “teachers, community members, and parents--interested in working on your gardening project” should be involved (Litchman, 2010)

37. Intervention Description • Steps for Garden Creation • Authorization • The principle of the school should be contacted to work out details like where the garden will be located and how teachers and parents will be recruited. The next step is to contact the superintendent to get final authorization to start a garden program. This should be in writing and specify what the school district will allow and supply (John Dozier, personal communication, 16 February 2011). • Pounders (2006) recommends having an outline in place of how to accomplish the garden before seeking approval.

38. Intervention Description • Steps for Garden Creation • Involving teachers, parents, and the community • Litchman (2010) points out that gathering a group of supportive teachers, community members, and parents should be one of the first steps in planning a garden. • Parents and community members can help in many ways, they can “secure necessary supplies, provide horticultural expertise, assist with classroom lessons …, or aid in maintenance of the garden” (Pounders, 2006).

39. Intervention Description • Steps for Garden Creation • Soil Testing • “If you will be planting directly into the soil, you should get it tested to make sure there is no lead or other toxic contaminants” (Litchman, 2010). Soil testing in the past in the East St Louis area has been accomplished through the Illinois Farm Bureau (Bhagya Kolli, personal communication, 2 February 2011). • Cost: $6 per sample (need 3 samples) • Time: 2 weeks • Contact: Illinois Agricultural Association, P.O. Box 2901, Bloomington, IL 61702-2901 • Phone:  (309) 557 2111          Fax: (309) 557 2559 • If the tests come back bad (i.e. high lead or asbestos levels) the soil will either need to be treated or raised beds will need to be used, possibly on concrete. • For other possible testing organizations see Illinois Soil Testing Association: • http://www.soiltesting.org/membersadvisors.html

40. Intervention Description • Steps for Garden Creation • Identification of Garden Location • Proximity to water source (John Dozier, personal communication, 16 February 2011). Watering can is very time consuming so close water proximity is important. Watering can be accomplish through different means including drip irrigation, hose watering, using water cans, and overhead watering (Pounders, 2006). • Water drainage is also important. Make sure the water doesn’t puddle in one place or wash away down a slope(Pounders, 2006).

41. Accessibility to trucks for delivery of dirt, trees, and other supplies (John Dozier, personal communication, 16 February 2011). • Accesibily to the classroom should also be considered(Pounders, 2006). • Unobstructed sun light and the ability to plant rows, or raised beds in an east to west configuration to take advantage of best sun light (Mildred Mattfeldt-Beman, personal communication, 18 February 2011). Litchman (2010) adds that there should be at least 8 hours of sun light on the area. • A large enough area to allow for expansion (Pounders, 2006). • The area should preferably be nutrient rich and have a good texture. Local home improvement store sell soil test kits that can tell you if an area is good for planting (Pounders, 2006).

42. Intervention Description • Steps for Garden Creation • Creating a Garden • There are many different places to find directions on how to start gardens here are a few: • For a more comprehensive Toolkit for community garden creation see University of Missouri Extension Community Garden Toolkit • http://extension.missouri.edu/explorepdf/miscpubs/mp0906.pdf • According to John Dozier Principal of Lalumier Elementary School (personal communication, 16 February 2011) designs for Lalumier came from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Art and Design • 143 Art and Design Building, 408 E. Peabody Drive Champaign, IL 61820 • 217-333-0855

43. The Eastside Gardens website. • See the section on Community Gardening 101. • http://eastsidegardens.webs.com/ • California School Garden Network • Directions on garden creation displayed as videos. • http://www.csgn.org/csysgvideo.php • University of Illinois Extension, provides classes on gardening and may also provide hands on expert advice in the garden • http://web.extension.illinois.edu/madisonstclair/index.html

44. Intervention Description • Education • Review of Literature • Reviewed 7 Journal article related to school gardening. • Protudjer, Marchessault, Kozyrskyj, and Becker (2010) believe that healthful attitudes are established early in life and those good attitudes about exercising and eating right can help prevent being overweight and obesity. • Garden based education has been shown to increase fruit and vegetable consumption of school age children (McAleese & Rankin, 2007)

45. Children are often resistant to eating vegetables, but it was found by Morris and Zidenberg-Cherr (2002) that teaching children about vegetables along with growing them in a garden increases their preference for different vegetables and there consumption of vegetables. Parmer et al. (2009) stated that “Although nutrition education alone does seem to improve fruit and vegetable knowledge and preference in children, adding the gardening component appears to strengthen the likelihood that children will increase vegetable intake.” Blair (2009) did a literature review with 75 references to evaluate the outcomes of garden based education. It was found that many of today’s children lack exposure to nature and this lack of exposure makes it harder for them to put science in to context. Learning through experiences is an effective way to stimulate cognition.

46. It was found that school gardens can teach math and science including opportunities to “measuring space, observing and experimenting with natural and plant processes, learning about soil improvement, recycling, creatively reusing materials, propagating, germinating, and saving seeds” (Blair, 2009). It was found that school gardens are most frequently used to enhance academic instruction. The most common subjects taught with gardening included science, environmental studies, and nutrition (Graham, Beall, Lussier, McLaughlin, and Zidenberg-Cherr, 2005) .

47. Intervention Description • Education • Curriculum • Gardening has been used to teach many different subjects including science, environmental studies, nutrition, language arts, math, and agriculture. Gardening can provide experiential education and teach lifelong skills like problem solving and critical thinking. Beyond academics school gardening has been shown to decrease discipline issues in the class room (Graham et al., 2005).

48. As mentioned by Graham et al. (2005) the state of California has created a guide to link gardening to their educational standards. This guide has lot of information on linking gardens to the academic curriculum. It is titled A Child’s Garden of Standards Linking School Gardens to California Education Standards and is located at: • http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/he/documents/childsgarden.pdf • For the educational program for their study McAleese and Rankin (2007) used Nutrition in the Garden. This guide written by Sarah Lineberger of Texas A&M and helps teachers teach children about nutrition. It is target towards 3-5 graders. It is located at: • http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/kindergarden/nutrition/research/nutrition.pdf • In their study Parmer et al. (2009) used Pyramid Café this tool has been replaced by Little D's Nutrition Expedition. It is a free tool that teaches and supports the content of Mypyramid, as well as language arts. It is located at: • http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/educators/lessons/littled/littled-main.asp?tab=1

49. Intervention Description • Education • Lesson Plans • Beyond the tools and curriculum mentioned above there are many lesson plans online to teach using gardening in the classroom. Here are some of them: • Agriculture in the Classroom, United States Department of Agriculture • “The Agriculture in the Classroom National Resource Directory is an online searchable database that lists hundreds of educational resources designed to help educators locate high quality classroom materials and information to increase agricultural literacy among their Pre-K through 12th grade students” (United States Department of Agriculture, n.d.). • Content covering many subjects including science, environmental studies, nutrition, language arts, math, and agriculture. • http://www.agclassroom.org/directory/index.cfm

50. Nutritional Education, United States Department of Agriculture • “Explore resources and activities to help you introduce gardening to the children in your care. Help them learn how plants grow and where food comes from” (United States Department of Agriculture, 2011). • This site is a collection of links leading to other source of information related to garden education. • This site mainly deals with nutritional education, but may provide content on language arts, math, science, health, and social studies though some of the links. • http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=14&tax_level=2&tax_subject=526&level3_id=0&level4_id=0&level5_id=0&topic_id=2112&&placement_default=0 • Department of Horticulture, Virginia Tech: • The information on this site is a group of lesson plan that deal directly with garden education. How to plant and maintain a garden (Virginia Tech Horticulture Department, 2002). • http://www.hort.vt.edu/HORT6004/network/lessonplans.html • California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom • This site contains a lesson plan and additional resources about garden education (California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, 2011). • Area of education focus on math, science, nutrition, and visual arts. • http://www.cfaitc.org/wegarden/