SNP Program Enrichment

Meeting students’ nutritional needs is the top priority in school nutrition, but many school nutrition programs go beyond meeting this priority in order to optimize students’ school nutrition experience. The pages below offer resources and information on school nutrition program enrichment opportunities. Dig into the Farm to School page to learn about efforts that deepen the connection students and schools have to local agriculture, and how these efforts can benefit school nutrition programs, students, and communities at large. 

Farm to school is taking root in Tennessee’s school nutrition programs, where high school students are growing fresh produce in agriculture programs for school meals; farmers are cultivating crops for nearby schools and making guest appearances in cafeterias; and students are learning where food comes from by tending school gardens.

Farm to school programs include initiatives that bring communities and schools closer to local agriculture, and can include serving locally or regionally-produced foods in school cafeterias; providing hands-on learning activities such as school gardening, farm visits, and culinary classes; and integrating food-related education into the regular, standards-based classroom curriculum.

Resources

USDA Office of Community Food Systems Farm to School Web Hub

National Farm to School Network Homepage

The USDA Farm to School Planning Toolkit

Farmer Resources for School Nutrition Programs

*Disclaimer: Vendors on this list were identified through an unrestricted “all call” and entries are added on a rolling basis. Listed vendors are not endorsed nor vetted by the Tennessee Department of Education. Districts must follow federal, state, and local requirements for engaging with vendors.

In Tennessee, approximately 106 school districts participate in farm to school. Among those school districts, there are about 350 school gardens that provide food for school nutrition programs, connect children to their food source, and create hands-on, interdisciplinary learning environments for students. Additionally, almost 40 high school agriculture programs grow produce that’s served to students in school cafeterias.

Farm to school is recognized as a best practice for school nutrition programs by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and can contribute to earning recognition through HealthierUS School Challenge: Smarter Lunchrooms (HUSSC: SL) and the One in a Melon award program.

Here are a few research-based benefits of farm to school in school nutrition programs:

  • increased student participation in school meal service,
  • increased program revenue and lower meal costs,
  • increased community support for school meals and acceptance of the meal pattern,
  • reduced food waste in cafeterias, and
  • improved eating behaviors in students (choosing healthier options, eating more fruits and vegetables, more willing to try new foods).

Explore the following topics to learn more about farm to school.

At least one school district participates in farm to school in each of the green counties below:

Alcoa City, Alcy Academy, Anderson County, Arlington Community Schools, Bartlett City, Bedford County, Benton County, Bledsoe County, Blount County, Bradley County, Brinkley Heights Urban Academy, Bristol City , Campbell County, Cannon County, Carroll County Consortium, Carter County, Cheatham County, Chester County, Circles of Success Learning Academy, Claiborne County, Coffee County, Collierville, Dayton City, Davidson County, Dickson County, Dyer County, Dyersburg City, Elizabethton City, Etowah City, Fayette County, Florence Crittenton Agency, Franklin County, FranklinSpecial School District (SSD), Free Will Baptist Ministries, Germantown Municipal Schools, Giles County, Greene County, Grundy County, Hamblen County, Hamilton County, Hancock County, Hardin County, Hawkins County, Haywood County, Henderson County, Henry County, Humboldt City, Humphreys County, Jefferson County, Johnson City, Johnson County, Kingsport City, Knox County, Lake County, Lauderdale County, Lawrence County, Lenoir City, Madison County, Manchester City, Marshall County, Maryville City, Maury County, McNairy County, Milan SSD, Millington, Monroe County, Montgomery County, Moore County, Morgan County, Murfreesboro City, Newport City, Oak Ridge City, Oneida SSD, Perry County, Polk County, Putnam County, Rhea County, Roane County, Robertson County, Rogersville City, Rutherford County, Sacred Heart School-Lawrenceburg, Saint Anne Catholic School, Scott County, Shelby County Schools, Smith County, Stewart County, Sullivan County, Sumner County, Sweetwater City, Trenton SSD, Trousdale County, Tullahoma City, Unicoi County, Union City, Union County, Warren County, Washington County, Weakley County, White County, Williamson County, Wilson County

The first steps with farm to school do not have to be giant leaps. For example, contact school representatives in one of the green counties above to learn how they got started. Here are other examples of how to start small:

  • Visit with the districts’ agriculture teacher(s) to discuss the opportunity of purchasing food grown by students in agriculture programs.
  • Substitute one local food item for a non-local one already on the menu.
  • Ask your current distributor for information on which of its products are locally-sourced.
  • Visit a farmers market to talk to growers about the opportunity for farm to school partnership.
  • Contact the Tennessee Department of Education’s Farm to School Specialist to discuss goals, brainstorm ideas, and ask questions.
  • Explore the USDA Farm to School Planning Toolkit, which includes thorough step-by-step instructions on creating successful, sustainable farm to school programs. It is accompanied by a set of eleven 30-minute webinars titled, “Planning for Farm to School Success in 2016.”

Produce grown in high school agriculture programs and in school gardens is an inexpensive source of fresh, local food for school nutrition programs. Purchasing is made simple, since a formal procurement is usually not necessary due to the size of the purchase. To learn more about procurement options when purchasing produce from agriculture programs or school gardens, see pages 73–74 of USDA’s Procuring Local Foods for Child Nutrition Programs guide.

Connect with agriculture teachers (see teacher directory in the “Finding sources of local produce” section of the “Local Foods Procurement” tab), district-level Career and Technical Education (CTE) directors, CTE consultants, or other school garden leaders to establish a Student Farm to School or School Garden to Cafeteria program.

Food safety with school garden produce served in school nutrition programs is a major priority, even though there isn’t a federal or state regulatory program to guide it.  If produce is meant to be served to students, food safety practices should be implemented in school gardens, greenhouses, and farms. The following are tools that can help school nutrition directors ensure that products from school-based agricultural operations are as safe as possible. To get an idea of USDA’s stance on food safety as it pertains to farm to school, read these frequently asked questions and explore the following resources:

Each year, the Tennessee Department of Education School Nutrition Program hosts the annual Junior Chef Competition. Teams will compete to develop a nutritious, student-friendly recipe that includes local foods and is easily incorporated into the school nutrition program. This culinary competition is designed to encourage students to engage with school nutrition and learn about school nutrition programs and Farm to School. This year’s competition consists of a recipe contest and an in-person cooking competition portion. First, second and third place winning teams will receive scholarships to Sullivan University. The first place winning team will have the opportunity to compete regionally in the Southeast Regional Junior Chef Competition. For more information about Junior Chef, contact Lynsey at Lynsey.Paul@tn.gov.

Summer is an excellent time to integrate local products into meals served through the Seamless Summer Option and the Summer Food Service Program since produce availability is at its peak and prices are at their lowest. But farm to summer is more than just serving local foods, and can involve engaging kids with summer’s bounty by supporting feeding sites at farmers markets; coordinating garden or farm-themed summer camps; and taking student groups on field trips to pick-your-own farms or farmers markets. Read this USDA Farm to Summer Fact Sheet and visit USDA’s Farm to Summer webpage for more information.

From beef to strawberries, local foods are on the menu in Tennessee schools. The top five products being purchased locally for Tennessee school nutrition programs are apples, melons, tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumbers.

For excellent guidance on local food procurement, explore the USDA Office of Community Food System’s Procuring Local Foods webpage. Resources include the Finding, Buying, and Serving Local Foods Webinar Series, the “Procuring Local Foods for Child Nutrition Programs” guide, and lists of fact sheets and policy memos relevant to local food procurement.

This section is intended to serve as a toolkit to provide guidance for School Health Coordinators to implement programs relating to the three core elements of Farm to School: school gardens, education, and local procurement.

School Gardens

Education

Local Procurement

For more information about Farm to School objectives in Coordinated School Health, visit the CSH webpage here.