If you are a United States educator for any grade between Pre-K up to and including Grade 8 with 15 students or more you will want to pay attention to this article.
For the second year in a row Welch’s is partnering with both the National Gardening Association and Scholastic on a grant program entitled “Welch’s Harvest Grant.”
Who is Eligible?
At this time the “Welch’s Harvest Grant” is designed exclusively for American based teachers. Furthermore, to be considered eligible he or she must also be in charge of teaching grades Pre-K up to Grade 8 and have a minimum of 15 students in their classroom.
In addition, the educator must plan on employing gardens in relation to nutritional education in their lesson plans.
What do Grant Winner’s Receive?
Two schools in each state across the United States will be awarded grants. Out of those 100 grants, 95 of them will be for garden packages valued at $500 each. The other 5 will be grants for garden packages valued at $1,000 each.
The garden packages will include but are not limited to; educational materials, packets of seeds, and gardening implements.
When is the Grant Deadline and where do I Apply?
The “Welch’s Harvest Grant” deadline for applications is February 11th, 2011. Applications and additional information on the grant program are available on the “Scholastic” website.
Why is this Important?
With Childhood obesity and green technologies on the rise, teaching children about proper nutrition as well as where their food comes from is essential.
The “National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion” reports that obese children are at higher risk for developing such morbidities as type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, heart disease, stroke, sleep apnea, bone and joint disease.
Getting children involved in gardening can help combat childhood obesity through not only education but through the physical activity involved in gardening.
Additional Information
Those that would like more information on what schools can do to help combat childhood obesity as well as gardening and nutritional resources for the classroom should consider visiting both the “CDC” and “National Gardening Association” websites.
