May 20, 2022
Farm to Institution New York State (FINYS) is excited to announce the new school team cohort for the 2022-2023 New York Farm to School Institute:
- Jessie T Zoller Elementary (Schenectady County)
- Urban Scholars Community School (Bronx County)
- Royalton-Hartland Elementary (Niagara County)
- South Lewis CSD (Lewis County)
- Mynderse Academy, Seneca Falls CSD (Seneca County)
- Clyde Savannah CSD (Wayne County)
The NY Farm to School Institute is a professional development program for food service staff, educators, administrators, youth leaders, and community partners in NY schools and early childhood centers to develop and refine their farm to school programs. The Institute offers school teams enhanced technical knowledge and support on how to procure and prepare local foods, tools for community engagement, classroom and culinary education, and how to use farm to school programs to promote racial equity, food justice, land stewardship, and climate action.
These six school teams will join a growing network of school and early childhood program professionals across New York dedicated to providing youth with fresh, local foods and quality agriculture, land stewardship, nutrition, and food justice curricula. In its fourth year, the New York Farm to School Institute offers a full year of ongoing coaching support, virtual workshops on topics such as menu planning or multicultural literature in the garden, a fully customized farm to school Action Plan, a $5000 Implementation Award, and an in-person "Learning Journey" and farm tour in the Hudson Valley in Spring 2023.
Schools will kick off their year at the three-day Institute Summer Retreat at Mabee Farm Historic Site in Rotterdam Junction from June 28-30, 2022.
Farm to Institution New York State (FINYS) is a collaborative initiative led by the American Farmland Trust to dramatically expand the volume of food grown on local farms that is served in institutions across New York. We believe that transforming the local food economy requires systemic change and efforts of many - from agriculture, racial justice, equity, youth leadership, public health, economic development, environment, education and other sectors.