The Education Fund will be seeking at least 6 new second-grade classrooms (2 per school) to participate in CNI for the 2008-2009 school year.
Applications to participate in CNI will be available in February, 2008. Interested teachers/schools should email sdelagrana@educationfund.org from the "contact program manager" link on the right or check back to this site in February.
To apply, a school must have two second-grade teachers and an administrator (principal or assistant principal) who are willing to participate. Only Miami-Dade County Public Schools are eligible.
The schools selected will receive:
- funding to start/plant a vegetable/herb garden, host parent nights to involve families in the garden and cooking activities, and take related field trips;
- curriculum/lessons developed by the schools currently in the program to help new schools develop their own garden program integrated into the second-grade curriculum;
- assistance from the schools' staffs currently in the program (info on what worked, what didn't, garden budgets, list of supplies needed, vendors used, etc.);
- on-site training by our teacher trainer and from master gardeners;
- workshops to provide schools' staffs with the information they need to get started.
Additionally, The Education Fund is seeking:
- partners to sponsor additional schools/classes
- donations of gardening supplies for schools
(note: The Education Fund runs a free supplies warehouse for schools and we plan to open a gardening section.)
To donate supplies or to sponsor a school, go to this site's Home page and click on the "Donate" button or call 305-892-5099, ext. 10.
Photos by Peter Uttal