Final report for YENC24-209
Project Information
The results of this project underscore the significant and far-reaching impact of hands-on, classroom-based agricultural education. With SARE’s support, Chicago Grows Food (CGF) not only met but exceeded its goals, equipping educators with essential tools and support to introduce thousands of students to sustainable urban gardening. Surpassing our target by reaching 3,686 youth across 57 classrooms reflects both the growing demand for this type of education and the effectiveness of our model.
Educators reported noticeable shifts in student engagement, attitudes, and behavior toward growing food. Through the Grow Your Groceries (GYG) program, students who initially viewed farming tasks as tedious or irrelevant began expressing genuine curiosity and excitement. They formed connections between what they grew and what they ate, engaged in thoughtful discussions about food systems, and began making healthier food choices at home. These behavioral and attitudinal changes reflect deeper shifts in knowledge and awareness—core indicators of the program’s success.
This impact was amplified by the educational materials and support CGF provided. Our workshops and lesson plans offered accessible, standards-aligned content that teachers could immediately integrate into their curricula. The inclusion of interactive components—such as planting, harvesting, and recipe-making—made the lessons tangible and relevant to students' lives. By framing agriculture not just as a science, but as a pathway to health, self-reliance, and career opportunity, the program resonated with students across diverse backgrounds.
The voices of our educator partners were instrumental in guiding these outcomes. Their insights shaped every component—from curriculum design to implementation strategy. As a result, they felt more confident and better equipped to teach sustainability in a way that was meaningful and lasting for their students.
Looking forward, CGF will continue building on this momentum through quarterly office hours, expanded curriculum offerings, and regular workshops. These efforts will ensure that the positive impacts seen this year become part of a long-term, sustainable shift in how young people understand and engage with agriculture.
- In partnership with 57 educators, we were able to increase awareness of sustainable gardening practices by educating students, teachers, and families about growing food, the environmental impact, and the importance of plant health.
- This year, we supported 3,686 students by providing each with a Grow Kit that will enable them to be responsible for and learn about the produce they cultivate. Every kit included a fabric pot, soil, seeds, and educational materials.
- Our project offered the opportunity for participants to engage with professionals from various sustainable agriculture careers including native planting, mushrooms, healthy pest management, building ecosystems, and more. Through partnerships, 12 different experts provided workshops, to help support participants with their gardening journeys.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation summary:
With $6,000 in funding, Chicago Grows Food (CGF) set out to educate 3,000 youth in 2024 on sustainable agriculture practices and careers that are ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially responsible. Our goal was to empower the next generation with the knowledge and skills needed to champion sustainability in agriculture and address pressing issues in our communities.
In 2024, CGF worked diligently to achieve this mission through strategic partnerships and community collaboration. By the end of the grant period, these funds enabled us to deliver 3,686 Grow Your Groceries (GYG) Grow Kits to 57 classrooms—surpassing our original target and ensuring even more youth benefited from the program. In response to educator requests, 11 of those deliveries included in-person presentations on urban agriculture led by local farmers.
This success was made possible by our strong collaborative foundation. Building relationships with volunteers and community partners significantly increased our capacity to assemble and distribute GYG materials. To further support educators, CGF hosted 12 monthly workshops covering topics such as native gardening, sustainable urban planning, nutrition, healthy ecosystems, and more. These sessions offered essential guidance and helped educators make the most of the Grow Kits in their classrooms.
During the grant period, we also conducted an in-depth analysis of our education partners to better understand their needs. Based on feedback from five listening sessions and surveys, we developed 55 short, science-focused lesson plans aligned with state standards. These lessons explore topics such as seed starting and seed saving for sustainable gardening, soil health testing, and microgreen recipes to support nutrition education. Additionally, every GYG Grow Kit includes an educational booklet featuring content on food sovereignty, water conservation, season extension, and eco-friendly gardening practices.
To ensure the program remains relevant and impactful, we are continuing conversations with educators and conducting ongoing surveys. These efforts will help us refine and align our resources with their goals of using gardening as a teaching tool across environmental and sustainability topics. Quarterly office hours will provide opportunities for educators to connect with the CGF team, ask questions, and offer real-time feedback. Monthly workshops will continue, offering in-depth learning led by experts, while regular communication will provide educators with valuable content on sustainable agriculture and urban farming.
- Host webinar or in-person workshop
Learning Outcomes
With support from SARE, Chicago Grows Food conducted focus groups with the educators to better understand their experiences with the program. Feedback from participants emphasized an increase in curiosity and excitement about agriculture.
"The kids were so excited um just to see just to feel the dirt to plant the seed, the process going through the steps and to water their grow bags each and every other day. And then when they saw that they start growing, when they start seeing them grow, they just get so excited."
"With the kids, I've seen a change because when they came in, they thought it was work that was beneath them. They didn't see the benefit of growing their own. You know, they felt like weeding and farming was something that was beneath them but as they came in and got their hands dirty, and learned and also learned the different employment opportunities in agriculture. [It] kind of changed their mind and made them more open."
"I think for the kids, they're making like that connection with what they see on the plate and what they grew, especially because we incorporated [what they grow into] the menus here. The exposure really helped [with] making those connections."
"You had an increase of like topic-focused discourse between students in like second grade. They're talking about plants. They're talking about growing. They're talking about what they did in school, what they learned and what they're doing at home. So that's a very positive impact as well."
[The youth participants] started eating more vegetables. Some of the parents started coming in like okay, since y'all started this project, they've been coming home asking for certain vegetables and start eating more salads and things like that. So we was like, what? Just from the plant? They was like, yes. I was like, oh, great. So you know, just to see them turn to them even try new things. I guess by them doing it herself, growing it herself it piqued more interest you know interest for them to even try different things they, they might not try it at home."
The results of this project underscore the significant and far-reaching impact of hands-on, classroom-based agricultural education. With SARE’s support, Chicago Grows Food (CGF) not only met but exceeded its goals, equipping educators with essential tools and support to introduce thousands of students to sustainable urban gardening. Surpassing our target by reaching 3,686 youth across 57 classrooms reflects both the growing demand for this type of education and the effectiveness of our model.
Educators reported noticeable shifts in student engagement, attitudes, and behavior toward growing food. Through the Grow Your Groceries (GYG) program, students who initially viewed farming tasks as tedious or irrelevant began expressing genuine curiosity and excitement. They formed connections between what they grew and what they ate, engaged in thoughtful discussions about food systems, and began making healthier food choices at home. These behavioral and attitudinal changes reflect deeper shifts in knowledge and awareness—core indicators of the program’s success.
This impact was amplified by the educational materials and support CGF provided. Our workshops and lesson plans offered accessible, standards-aligned content that teachers could immediately integrate into their curricula. The inclusion of interactive components—such as planting, harvesting, and recipe-making—made the lessons tangible and relevant to students' lives. By framing agriculture not just as a science, but as a pathway to health, self-reliance, and career opportunity, the program resonated with students across diverse backgrounds.
The voices of our educator partners were instrumental in guiding these outcomes. Their insights shaped every component—from curriculum design to implementation strategy. As a result, they felt more confident and better equipped to teach sustainability in a way that was meaningful and lasting for their students.
Looking forward, CGF will continue building on this momentum through quarterly office hours, expanded curriculum offerings, and regular workshops. These efforts will ensure that the positive impacts seen this year become part of a long-term, sustainable shift in how young people understand and engage with agriculture.
- Lesson plans for pre-K, K-2nd grade, 3rd-5th grades, and 6-8th grades:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jfjLy8i53BfQ3N8B4X6qsmN_nov6jKSh
- Grow Your Own Groceries video tutorials, guide, and more:
https://www.chicagogrowsfood.org/growyourgroceries/
The lesson plans and curricula developed by our team are one of the key strengths of our Grow Your Groceries (GYG) programming. They are designed specifically to complement the educational garden materials we distribute, making it significantly easier for our partners—especially educators with limited gardening experience—to implement our programs with confidence and consistency. The lesson plans are accessible and hands-on, encouraging youth engagement while reinforcing core concepts in food systems, environmental stewardship, and healthy eating. By aligning closely with the contents of our grow kits (e.g., soil, seeds, grow bags), these materials provide step-by-step guidance that supports successful outcomes for both educators and participants.
However, the specificity of the curriculum is also its primary limitation. Because the lesson plans are tailored to our program’s structure and the tools we provide, they are not easily generalizable for use by educators who are not using our grow kits or participating in our programming. For example, instructions often reference the exact types and sizes of grow bags or the particular seeds we provide. This limits the adaptability of the lessons for broader use, such as in classrooms or community centers where different tools or gardening approaches may be in place.
In short, while the lesson plans are a valuable resource within our ecosystem and serve as a strong implementation support for our partners, they are not yet suitable as standalone materials for a regional guide aimed at a wider audience. With adaptation and broader framing, they could be made more universally applicable—but in their current form, their strength lies in how well they support the use of our specific resources.
Project Outcomes
- One of the most meaningful indicators of this project's impact came through the personal stories and reflections shared by educators. Their observations offered a powerful lens into how the Grow Your Groceries (GYG) program influenced not only students, but also their families and communities.
- In one school, an educator described how the program "...kind of spurred a number of students here to be more interested in the garden that we have [at the school] and at their homes... to talk about the connections that they've made. Like we practice here at school in our garden, you can do it at home too. You can do it with your mom and dad." This statement reflects a core outcome we aim to foster: helping students see gardening not just as a classroom activity, but as a transferable, family-centered practice that builds intergenerational connections.
- Another educator shared how the Grow Kits became a surprising gateway to broader food literacy and cultural understanding. “I used [the grow kits] as a way to introduce new foods [to my students]. A lot of them didn't know what basil was, although they have had it in their food because their parents make pasta. And so, when they try it, [they start] connecting it to this is how it gets from the farm to your store." This seemingly simple moment of discovery opened the door for students to connect the dots between agriculture, food systems, and their own cultural experiences—an outcome we view as foundational to long-term shifts in awareness and behavior.
- Throughout the grant period, many educators reported unexpected but welcome outcomes like students initiating home gardens, requesting more vegetables at mealtimes, and starting conversations at home about where food comes from. These stories affirm that when youth are given the tools and knowledge to grow their own food, they don’t just learn—they begin to lead.