Newsroom

In April of 2011, USDA Food and Nutrition Services awarded a consortium of four Land Grant Universities the People’s Garden School Pilot Program. Washington State University served as the lead institution in collaboration with Cornell University, Iowa State University, and the University of Arkansas to develop the Healthy Gardens, Healthy Youth (HGHY) program. The pilot program ended in 2013.

The project was implemented by 24 Extension educators across Arkansas, Iowa, New York, and Washington. By the conclusion of the project, these Extension educators had collected 86,000 surveys, taken 129,000 lunch tray photos, implemented 4,000 educational toolkit lessons, and planted 6,200 square feet of gardens.

The information on this page is archived content; the project is no longer active. Upon registration, you can access and use the project’s educational toolkit (click here). You can view the research outcomes from the project here.

Media Materials:

• Full Media Kit: One-page synopses of core elements of the project: Project Overview; Educational Toolkit; Research Approach & Methodology; In the Schools; Participating Schools; and Project Personnel
• Media Kit Components (individual one-page synopsis of each element)
• Project overview: Overview of project
• Educational Toolkit Overview: Components of the Toolkit and the philosophy behind selection and implementation of the toolkit.
• Research Overview: Overview of the research questions and approach
• In the Schools: Overview of how the project works with participating schools.
• Participating Schools: List of schools involved in the project by state (AR, IA, NY, and WA).
• Project Personnel: List of National, State, and local personnel participating in the project.

Additional Elements

• Hiawatha Elementary School’s Participation: Overview of a participating school in the People’s Garden, Healthy Gardens Healthy Youth program.
• Peoples Garden in Washington: Overview of the People’s Garden, Healthy Garden Healthy Youth project in Washington state.
• Short Overview: Two-page overview of the People’s Garden Healthy Gardens, Healthy Youth project

Project News Items

Iowa

News Items

• People’s Garden reps tour program sites in Iowa, Radio Iowa, KQWC, Webster City, IA, May 11, 2012.
• Hiawatha Elementary School’s Participation: Overview of a participating school in the People’s Garden, Healthy Gardens Healthy Youth program. Check out the students’ blog here.

New York

News Items

• School gardens grow kids’ physical activity levels. Cornell Chronicle, Mar 20, 2014.
• Extension’s school garden project grows success. Cornell Chronicle, Dec 23, 2013.
• Seniors, kids grow as one: Gardens shared at 4 city schools, The Daily Gazette, June 17, 2013.
• Cornell Garden Research, Delaware County Times, March 31, 2013.
• For retirees, a chance to RISE and shine, The Daily Gazette, March 12, 2013.
• Researchers test how school gardens foster healthful habits, Cornell Chronicle, October 17, 2012
• School gardens sprout up across nation to curb obesity,  Cornell Chronicle, October 17, 2012
• People’s Garden Takes Root at Downsville Central School: Walton Reporter, June 6, 2012: Glenn Graves
• $1M will launch 70 school garden programs, 23 in N.Y., Cornell Chronicle, April 8, 2011

Washington

News Items

• Peoples Garden in Washington: Overview of the People’s Garden, Healthy Garden Healthy Youth project in Washington state.

 Publications

• Wells, NM, Todd, LE, Henderson, Jr., CR, Myers, BM, Barale, K., Gaolach, B, Ferenz, G, Aitken, M, Hendrix, L, Taylor, C, Wilkins, JL (2023).  The effects of school gardens on fruit and vegetable consumption at school: A randomized controlled trial with low-income elementary schools in four U.S. states.  Preventive Medicine Reports, 31, 102053 doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.102053
• Wells, NM, Myers, BM, & Henderson, Jr., CR (2014).  School gardens & physical activity: A randomized controlled trial of low-income elementary schools. Preventive Medicine, 69S, S27-S33.  doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.10.012
• Wells, NM, Myers, BM, Todd, LE, Henderson, Jr., CR, Barale, K, Gaolach, B, Ferenz, G, Aitken, M, Tse, CC, Pattison, KO, Hendrix, L, Carson, JB, Taylor, JB, & Franz, NK (2018). The carry-over effects of school gardens on fruit and vegetable availability at home: A randomized controlled trial with low-income elementary schools. Preventive Medicine, 112, 152-159.
• Wells, NM, Myers, BM, Todd, LE, Barale, K, Gaolach, B, Ferenz, G, Aitken, M, Henderson, Jr., CR, Tse, C, Pattison, KO, Taylor, C, Connerly, L, Carson, JB, Gensemer, AZ, Franz, NK, Falk, E (2015).  The effects of school gardens on children’s science knowledge: A randomized controlled trial of low-income elementary schools. International Journal of Science Education, 37 (17), 2858-2878. doi: 10.1080/09500693.2015.1112048
• Rollings, KA & Wells, NM (2018).  Cafeteria Assessment for Elementary Schools (CAFES): Development, reliability testing, and predictive validity analysis. BMC Public Health,18 (1), 1154. doi: 10.1186/s12889-018-6032-2
• Todd, LE, Wells, NM, Wilkins, JL. & Echon, RM(2017).  Digital Food Image Analysis as a measure of children’s fruit and vegetable consumption in the elementary school cafeteria: A description and critique.  Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition, 4, 516-528.  doi: 10.1080/19320248.2016.1275996
• Myers, BM & Wells, NM (2015). Children’s physical activity while gardening: development of a valid and reliable direct observation tool.  J.l of Physical Activity & Health, 12 (4), 522-528. doi: 10.1123/jpah.2013-0290
• Echon, R. M. 2013. Evaluation of national school lunch and breakfast programs; using digital food image analysis.  Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior: Volume 45, Issue 4, Supplement, S80-81 (July–August 2013).
• Research Brief #4: School Gardens Enhance Children’s Science Knowledge

Presentations

• Gaolach, B., N. M. Wells, K. V. Barale,  M. E. Aitken, E. Myers,  G. Ferenz, C. Tse, N. Franz, K. Pattison, J. Carson, L Connerly, and L. Falk. 2014. Healthy Gardens, Healthy Youth: People’s Garden School Pilot Project. 7th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference. Austin, TX. April 15-18, 2014.
• Gaolach, B., M. Aitken, K. Barale, N. Wells, E. Myers, G. Ferenz, C. Tse, J. Toering, J. Carson, L. Connerly, and L. Falk. 2013.  Healthy Gardens, Healthy Youth – People’s Garden School Pilot Project. Galaxy IV Conference. Pittsburgh, PA. Sept 16-20, 2013.
• Gaolach, B., K. Wilson, C. Kiang, and D. Thurness.  2013. People’s garden school pilot program.  American Community Gardening Association Annual Conference.  Seattle, WA. Aug 8-10, 2013.
• Rollings, K.A., & Wells, N.M., (2013).  Cafeteria assessment for elementary schools (CAFES): Instrument Development.  Environmental Design Research Association annual meeting.  Providence RI. May 2013
• Wells, N.M., Myers, E.M., Echon, R., Wilkins, J.L., Militello, R. (2013).  Lunch tray photography: measuring children’s dietary intake at school.  Environmental Design Research Association annual meeting.  Providence RI. May 2013
• Myers, E.M. & Wells, N.M. (2013).  Development of the system for observing children’s physical activity while gardening (SOCPAG). Environmental Design Research Association annual meeting.  Providence RI. May 2013
• Wells, N.M., Myers, E.M. Gaolach, B., Henderson, C., Wilkins, J., Ferenz, G., Aitken, M., Tse, C., Barale, K., Toering, J., Naeve, L., Carson, J., Connerly, L., Falk, E. (2013).  Examining the effects of school gardens on children’s diet and physical activity: A randomized controlled trial.  Environmental Design Research Association annual meeting.  Providence RI. May 2013
• Gaolach, B., M. Aitken, and G. Ferenz. 2013. Healthy Gardens, Healthy Youth Part 1- Program and Research Overview. National Urban Extension Conference.  Overland Park, KS. May 6-10, 2013.
• Barale, K. G. Ferenz, and B. Gaolach. 2013. Healthy Gardens, Healthy Youth Part 2- Educational Toolkit and Distance Education. National Urban Extension Conference.  Overland Park, KS.  May 6-10, 2013.
• Myers, E.M. & Wells, N.M. (2013).  Observing children’s physical activity while gardening: validity and reliability.  Active Living Research conference, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.  San Diego CA, Feb 25-28. 
• Gaolach, B.¹,  M. Aitken¹,  G. Ferenz², K. Barale¹, N. Wells³, B. Myers³, C. Henderson³, J. Wilkins³, C. Tse², J. Toering⁴, L. Naeve⁴, J. Carson⁵, L Connerly⁵, and L. Falk³. 2012. Healthy gardens, healthy youth: People’s garden school pilot project.  Sustainable Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Symposium. Pullman, WA. Dec 2012.
• Myers, B.M., Wells, N.M., & Demment, M. (2012). School and physical activity: Environmental and policy influences on children’s time outdoors.  Environmental Design Research Association annual meeting, Seattle, WA. May 2012
• Wells, N.M. (2012). School Gardens & Children’s Health: Research Challenges & Strategies. College of Sustainability.  Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Feb 2012