Network Activities

Network Action Plan

Since January 2012, the Network has been taking steps to better understand and identify actions to support all of you who are working with children, youth, and healthy food systems.

Summary of priority actions:

The following summarizes our current priorities for action (more info is available under the summary).

** Section numbers refer to those in the comprehensive Action Plan

1) Advocacy:

Passionate about parsley, James Robinson P.S., Markham the first Seeds For Change school garden in York Region. Credit: Lynne Koss.

Passionate about parsley at James Robinson P.S., Markham, the first Seeds For Change school garden in York Region. Credit: Lynne Koss.

  • Campaign for Universal Student Nutrition Program with a strong food literacy focus (build on Healthy Kids Strategy recommendations 2.8 and 2.9) (C.1.1)
  • Advocate for the Government of Ontario to recognize school gardens as important places for food literacy (C.1.3)
  • Advocate for cooking and food skills programs to be made accessible to all Ontario children (C.1.4)

2) Information Sharing and Coordinated Action:

Ontario Agri-Food Education's (OAFE) core program is the Teacher Ambassador Program™. Teacher Ambassadors (TA's) are Ontario Certified Teachers who receive additional training in the fields of agriculture and food from OAFE. Classroom educators in grades 7-12 can request an in-class TA lesson for FREE. There are ten lesson options to choose from, covering a wide variety of hot topics in agri-food. TA's also facilitate special programs and events for OAFE, such as the Ag in the Aisles™ program and student tours at Canada's Outdoor Farm Show. For more information on OAFE and the Teacher Ambassador program, visit www.oafe.org.

Ontario Agri-Food Education’s (OAFE) Teacher Ambassador (TA) Program™ is run by Ontario Certified Teachers. TA’s deliver FREE lessons to grade 7-12 classes and facilitate events like Ag in the Aisles™ (as seen above). Visit www.oafe.org

  • Share organizations’ stories, successes, challenges, and contacts using the Network website and newsletter (see A.2.1, B.1.2, B.1.5, B.1.7, B.1.9, B.1.11, B.2.1, A.1.4, A.1.2)
  • Develop and promote a searchable directory of organizations that includes types of programs offered, skills and resources to share, opportunities for mentorship, and other directory information (see B.1.3)
  • Coordinate the development of local food action hubs among community organizations that have delivered local food in schools projects (A.1.9)

3) Resource Development:

A lesson on soil at Evergreen Heights in Emsdale. They used micro-scopes and magnifying glasses and gathered soil specimens from a variety of places to see which was most alive. Below the tipi is an example of their chicken chart which gaged the class chicken's growth by using math and science and practicing observation skills. Credit: Kelli Ebbs.

A lesson on soil for the Farmers in the Playground program at Evergreen Heights in Emsdale. Credit: Kelli Ebbs.

  • Develop a comprehensive snap shot of the state of student nutrition programs in Ontario with metrics and success stories (see B.1.13)
  • Create and share resources for schools, parents, community members and organizations to use to advocate for food literacy programming and increased resources for SNPs (presentations, hand-outs, fact sheets, case studies, toolkits, videos, social media campaign, etc.) (B.4.1)
  • Develop and implement (a) age-appropriate benchmarks and (b) a common evaluation tool for food literacy and food skills (see A.1.8, A.2.3, B.3.6, B.4.4)
  • Compile scans on community and school gardens (in progress) (B.3.2)
  • Compile updated scan on regional food hubs (in progress) (B.3.3)
  • Prepare a tip sheet for community organizations to approach school boards (B.4.2)
  • Develop a directory of outside-the-classroom food education programs that can be used by teachers (B.1.8)
  • Prepare a factsheet of ‘how gardens impact the community’ to use in educating funders and in other communications efforts (A.2.2, B.4.3)
  • Develop a list / point to existing lists of possible relevant grantors (B.1.6)

How we arrived at these priorities, and additional documents

Building keyhole paths in The Stop CFC's gardens.

Building keyhole paths in The Stop’s gardens. Credit: The Stop CFC.

In Phase 1 of our action planning process, we conducted an environmental scan and needs assessment (see a summary of responses to our preliminary survey from January 2012 – February 2013). In Phase 2 of our action planning process teams were selected to explore specific needs and opportunities relating to 6 priority areas of the network and to develop a network action plan (see our call for applicants for more information about the process). For the results of this process and what we heard see:

All of these are living documents – they will change and evolve as the Network moves forward.

Contact:

We would love to hear your feedback, answer or your questions, or get you involved in helping us move this plan forward. To get in touch, please contact Carolyn Webb, Coordinator for the Ontario Edible Education Network: cwebb@sustainontario.ca.

Save

Save

Save

Related News on the Sustain Ontario Blog
  • Launching nourish to flourish school grant program

    Coming this school year! Sustain Ontario is pleased to announce the new nourish to flourish school grant stream that we are launching in partnership with Farm Boy and Farm to Cafeteria Canada. With a vision to develop an ecosystem where children not only eat nourishing food but also develop a deep understanding and appreciation for []

    read more

  • Fresh from the Farm’s 2024 school fundraising campaign

    Registration for Fresh from the Farm’s fall 2024 school fundraising campaign is now open! The popular fundraiser provides schools with the opportunity to raise funds by selling fresh Ontario-grown fruit and vegetables to the community, all while promoting healthy eating and supporting Ontario farmers. Since Fresh from the Farm’s launch in 2013, 2,600 schools have sold over []

    read more

  • Farm to Cafeteria Canada hiring Indigenous Programs Manager

    Farm to Cafeteria Canada (F2CC), in partnership with Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations, is seeking a full-time Indigenous Programs Manager to lead its Nourishing Indigenous Food and Foodways in Schools initiative.  Location: This is a remote work position open to any location in Canada/Indigenous Territories Hours of work: Monday – Friday with flexible hours, provided availability []

    read more

  • Federal government announces historic investment in a National School Food Program!

    “We can now say that Canada is joining the other G7 countries, and most countries in the world, in recognizing the importance of school food programs,” shared Sustain’s Carolyn Webb, who supports the national coordination of the Coalition for Healthy School Food, yesterday in Ottawa. Sustain Ontario joins the Coalition for Healthy School Food—alongside several []

    read more

  • School Food Financing and Fundraising Webinar – Recording Up!

    This event, held March 26, 2024, brought together experienced school food program providers from across Ontario for a knowledge-sharing event hosted by the Ontario Chapter of the Coalition for Healthy School Food (chaired by Sustain Ontario). This event was our second school food financing webinar. Check out the recording here. The event began with an []

    read more

  • Call for Advisors – Nourishing Indigenous Food & Foodways in Schools

    Farm to Cafeteria Canada, in partnership with Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations including Sustain Ontario, is looking for around 10 community members from across Canada to join its Circle of Advisors to inform its Nourishing Indigenous Food and Foodways in Schools initiative. The partnership is looking for Advisors who can bring experience and/or interest in supporting []

    read more

  • 2024 Farm to School Canada Grants Now Open

    In partnership with the Whole Kids Foundation, Farm to Cafeteria Canada is pleased to announce that they are launching their 5th cycle of the Farm to School Canada Grants program! Delivered directly to schools, the grants are valued at up to $10,000 each and are designed to bring more healthy, local foods into school communities. They []

    read more

  • Congratulations to 2023/24 Seed Grant Recipients!

    Farm to Cafeteria Canada has announced the first recipients of its new Dig In Seed Grants, with 9 grants to Ontario schools! These flexible grants, delivered in partnership with the Schad Foundation, provide a total of $75,000 directly to 27 schools across 9 provinces and 1 territory allowing them to jumpstart their farm and local []

    read more

  • Webinar Series for Schools: Hydroponics & Indoor Growing

    Farm to Cafeteria Canada, in partnership with Farm to School BC, is hosting a 2-part webinar series aimed at helping schools make the most of hydroponics and other types of indoor growing systems. This series will feature guest speakers from schools who will share their first-hand learning experiences from getting started to the impacts their []

    read more

  • What We Heard Report on the National School Food Policy Engagements

    On October 31, 2023, the Government of Canada released the What We Heard Report on the National School Food Policy Engagements. The public consultations that informed the report took place nearly a year ago and stakeholders across the country have been waiting to learn about the report’s findings. The What We Heard Report makes it []

    read more

More News