Coming soon: The USDA Farm to School Census Your voice counts!

Transcription

1 Coming soon: The USDA Farm to School Census Your voice counts! Danielle Fleury, USDA Farm to School Regional Lead Grants announcement USDA is providing $7.5M in grants in FY2019 The RFA is out now! Schools, school districts, or collaborative Up to $100K over 2 years Deadline is December 4, 2018, 11:59pm ET Funds announced late spring or early summer of

2 In this session, we ll cover An overview of the Census what, why? 2019 what to expect Prep activity What is the Farm to School Census? In 2010, the National School Lunch Act was amended to formally establish a Farm to School Program within USDA to improve access to local foods in schools through grants, training/ta, and research. In 2013, USDA conducted the first Census to serve as a baseline for data collection on farm to school efforts. In 2015, FNS conducted a second Census to measure progress against the baseline. 2

3 farmtoschoolcensus.fns.usda.gov What does it collect? Participation rates $ spent on local Sources of local # of school gardens Benefits, challenges.and more 3

4 Results from the 2015 Census show that: 42% of surveyed districts participate in farm to school activities. That s over 5,000 districts and more than 42,000 schools. In SY , there were more than 17,000 salad bars serving healthy options to students and over 7,000 school gardens sprouting up across the country. $789M was spent on local foods, supporting local communities Farmtoschoolcensus.fns.usda.gov State-level data 4

5 District-level data Why do we have a national Census? The USDA Farm to School Census is an important measure of farm to school activities occurring across the country. It is frequently used to inform local, state, and national decision makers on farm to school trends and opportunities. The Census is the only national survey that examines local food purchasing by schools, school garden efforts, and agricultural-education. As such, the Census allows us to track progress and measure growth in farm to school across the nation and over time to demonstrate impact. 5

6 Ways you can use the data Demonstrate impact to decision-makers $ spent in local economy growth thanks to local, state, fed investments See what your neighbors are doing Who is buying local seafood? Who is serving local in summer? Educate your community Incorporate data in parent newsletters, on website, present to admin/ school boards FNS will conduct a third Census in 2019 to further assess the impact of farm to school across the nation. The Census will survey all public, private, and charter SFAs operating the National School Lunch Program in all 50 states, as well as Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Washington D.C. 6

7 How will I receive the 2019 Census? Abt Associates will administer the 2019 Farm to School Census. Communications & reminders about the Census will come from Abt Associates, as well as your State agency. SFAs will start receiving communications about the Census in early The Census will be sent to the SFA s Director during the winter of The data collection period will last a few months; however, it is best to prepare for the Census now. What is the timeline? Feb 2019: Abt will distribute the survey to every SFA in each state. State agencies will also send reminders communications and notifications. Feb TBD: SFAs will report on purchasing and activities from most recent complete SY (SY 17-18). Fall 2019: Results will be published. 7

8 How should I prepare for the Census? The 2019 Census will assess SFAs participation in farm to school activities during the school year. Similar to previous versions, the 2019 Census will ask questions regarding: the SFA s definition of local; the amount of money spent on local purchases; the most common products purchased locally; the sources of local products; benefits and challenges of participating in farm to school; the number and use of edible school gardens within the SFA; and, the number of salad bars within an SFA. *Important* No one person has all of the info! Directors are strongly encouraged to collaborate with other entities within the district, such as vendors, school garden coordinators, foodservice staff, or teachers, to obtain the most accurate data. 8

9 SFAs will receive a preparation worksheet to help gather information you will be asked as part of the Census. The worksheet will assist you with being able to more quickly complete the survey. The worksheet is optional and can be discarded after the Census is completed. All responses must be submitted during the initial data period. There will not be an opportunity to submit late data nor will State agencies have the chance to review and edit responses. REMINDER: All SFAs, regardless of farm Farmtoschool.fns.usda.gov participation, should complete the Census. ACTIVITY Consider questions on the worksheet (pulled from previous Census questionnaire) Gather with 2-3 neighbors Compare responses, discuss as a group Share 9

10 Where can I get more info? For more information about the Census and farm to school in general, check out our website: Reach out to me! danielle.fleury@fns.usda.gov Dig in! 10

11 The USDA Farm to School Census: coming winter 2019 remember: YOUR VOICE MATTERS. YOUR VOICE COUNTS. 11