Vermont FEED’s Farm to School Institute is a unique, whole-school professional development model that builds capacity in school communities to create a culture of wellness, improve food access, engage students, and strengthen local food systems. Since 2010, the Institute has been bringing school and community teams together to build relationships and skills, as well as create a collaborative action plan for their schools. With the support of a coach, these teams spend the next year putting their plans into action and strengthening their capacity to impact classrooms, cafeterias, and communities.
In 2021, PEER Associates completed a retrospective evaluation of Vermont FEED’s Farm to School Institute with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. Interviews were conducted with twenty participants to get their perspectives on what factors support robust and sustainable farm-to-school programs and how these were strengthened by their team’s participation in the Institute.
The following resource summarizes select findings from those interviews organized around three overarching themes: Strengthening organizational capacity, fostering a culture of farm to school, and sustaining an ongoing commitment.
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