Community Gardens To Teach, Nourish Students At 2 Howard County Elementary Schools

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Community gardens will continue to flourish at Bryan Woods and Talbott Springs elementary schools thanks to a $4,150 grant.

The Howard County Local Health Improvement Coalition has provided the funding to the Community Ecology Institute to maintain the community gardens and allow the schools to pilot the implementation of interactive nutrition education activities for all grade levels starting in the fall of 2023.

The nutrition education activities will be overseen by the University of Maryland Extension SNAP-Ed program.

“Community gardens offer access to low or no cost fruits and vegetables to residents in communities where healthy foods may be harder to afford or find,” said Maura Rossman, Howard County Health Officer. “Providing children hands-on experiences around gardening and nutrition not only gets them outside and interacting with classmates, but also teaches them healthy eating habits that can have long-term benefits.”

“As we’ve seen throughout our incredible county, community gardens help us increase the availability of nutritious foods, strengthen our community ties, enhance our environment, reduce our food miles and make families more self-sufficient,” added Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. “Bringing these gardens to our schools will provide our youngest students with these wonderful benefits, and serve as an outdoor classroom where they can get their hands in the dirt to learn more about plant science, biology, chemistry and more.”

The curriculum and activities from the pilot program will be made available to other schools as a resource for the implementation of similar garden education programs. The goals of school engagement with gardening are to help increase fruit/vegetable consumption, encourage physical activity and decrease social isolation, county officials noted.

"The community gardens located at two of our elementary schools are a wonderful example of collaboration between multiple entities to serve the needs of our neighbors and provide an enriching experience for students," said Michael J. Martirano, superintendent of the Howard County Public School System. "Students will have an opportunity to learn agricultural skills, experience the healthy benefits of growing your own food and be able to serve the members of their community. I appreciate the efforts of all involved to make this experience a reality."

CEI Executive Director Chiara D’Amore said the Community Ecology Institute's Nourishing Gardens program aims to take the benefits of its Freetown Farm location to where people live, learn, work and play throughout Howard County.

“We install edible and ecologically beneficial gardens, with an emphasis on creating access to food and gardening knowledge for individuals and communities that face food insecurity. In the past year, we have installed over 30 gardens in community spaces, with an emphasis on Title 1 schools. It is our goal to have a garden in every school - making school grounds learning grounds. By partnering with LHIC on Nourishing Garden installations, we are able to achieve shared goals around ensuring that everyone in Howard County has access to fresh, nutritious food," D'Amore said.