School Garden Teacher Training and Support Program

OAEC’s School Garden Program works to cultivate ecological literacy through school gardens . These are outdoor classrooms where children can learn first-hand about ecological principles, the natural world and healthy eating habits.

Since 1997 we have provided our holistic training and support for 342 individuals from 116 schools throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area (see map below). Since 2004 we have particularly focused on low-income schools in the San Francisco Unified School District . OAEC has a half-time Urban School Garden Liaison staff member based in San Francisco to directly serve these participating schools.

The core of the School Garden Program is a five-day intensive summer training program offered at the OAEC site. Please note that at this time we are no longer accepting applications for the 2008 trainings. Teams of teachers, staff and parents from a dozen schools attend each of our trainings. These courses focus on integrating the school garden with curricula and state standards, as well as experiential learning about organic gardening, permaculture, nutrition, team building, fundraising, and art in the garden.

In 2008 we are offering four trainings for up to 30 schools. For more information about our program and future trainings please contact School Garden Program Director Lisa Preschel at (707) 874-1557 ext. 202 or lisa@oaec.org .