Certified Farmers Market Nutrition Education for Third Grade (2020-2021, 2019-2020)
The Certified Farmers’ Markets of the Coachella Valley facilitates an elementary school nutrition education program, the curriculum of which was created by a retired PSUSD teacher in alignment with state standards and is provided free of charge to CV 3rd grade students. The program includes a 55-minute visit to 3rd grade classrooms to educate children about the nutritional, environmental and economic benefits of eating locally-grown fruits and vegetables, scheduled on Mondays. We provide an information-rich packet and samples of seasonal produce for each child in the class.
Two days after the in-class instruction, facilitated by our Community Nutritionist, students take a field trip through the Palm Desert Certified Farmers’ Market, led by the CFMCV’s Market Manager. The students will meet the CFM farmers and interview them about their produce and practices. At the end of the tour, students receive $3.00 in Market Bucks to spend that at the Market that day, and will also take home a coupon for $10 additional Market Bucks to redeem with their families on a later date.
We have been offering our presentation to schools across the Coachella Valley since 2011, impacting the wellness education of thousands of children. With the uncertainty of school formatting during the 2020-2021 academic year, if necessary we are prepared to facilitate both parts of the program virtually using each school’s group meeting platform and a prerecorded virtual tour of the Market, and vouchers mailed to each family’s address.
The Palm Springs Cultural Center is pleased to partner with the ACF to expand our Children's Nutrition Education Program. With their support, our in-class visits to 3rd graders across the Coachella Valley, explaining the economic, nutritional and ecological benefits of buying locally grown produce is moving in new directions - namely outside! This year the students will travel by bus to the Palm Desert Market on the Wednesday following their classroom experience. They will have the opportunity to interview the farmers personally, to discover how selling the "fruit of their labor" at the Market impacts their families. Following the tour the students will receive $3.00 in Market tokens to make their own informed buying decisions, and take home a $10 Market coupon to redeem at a later date with their families. This expansion creates a full-spectrum, all 5-senses utilized journey that will hopefully stay with them for years to come.
