ABSTRACT
To engage youth and their families in a web-based hybrid club for farm to school activities as an alternative to school-based activities when schools closed due to the pandemic.Farm to school programs increase children's access to and knowledge of fresh and local foods primarily through experiential learning (Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory) such as gardening, tasting food and field trips.Youth, grades 2-6, and their families who experienced disruption in usual learning and social activities due to COVID-19 restrictions.Experiential activities are the hallmark of farm to school education. In March 2020 all hands-on, school based activities planned by Extension faculty were cancelled due to the pandemic. Faculty responded by offering garden-cooking clubs using a web-based hybrid approach independent of schools. Faculty facilitated bi-weekly virtual meetings of 30 minutes for 6-8 weeks for youth and their families. Asynchronous activities were also offered via a website, kits, video demonstrations, farmers market vouchers and when possible, farm tours.Adult caregivers received a survey at the end of the 6-8 week club sessions to evaluate their child's and family's level of engagement including queries on how much time they spent using web-based tools and how likely they were to start a garden.One hundred and ninety youth, grades 2-6, and their families participated in 4 virtual and/or hybrid clubs delivered by Extension faculty from March 2020 to October 2020. Caregiver responses from the survey (n = 46) indicated 83% of families expanded or started a garden. On average youth and/or families spent 47 minutes per week engaged in program activities including online learning.It appears that virtual programming can actively engage youth and their families in farm to school education and may be a tool to supplement resource intensive hands-on strategies in the future. Further research is need to determine which components are best suited for web-based delivery vs in person delivery.
ABSTRACT
Evaluate the Montana Cook Fresh Leadership Institute (MCF) for K-12 school nutrition staff, offered virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions.The MCF curriculum was developed using a participatory approach from Montana Team Nutrition staff, school nutrition professionals, and state-level administration to include evidence-based materials and learning strategies.Twenty-two nutrition professionals from 9 Montana school districts in July 2020.MCF was developed as a 30-hour, 5-day in-person training during 2018 and 2019. In 2020, the format of MCF was adjusted to a 10 day, 30-hour, 3-hour a day virtual workshop. MCF utilized live video conferencing and independent work completed via an online learning management platform. Topics addressed USDA regulations, procurement, food production, culinary skills, and emergency preparedness.A pre and post self-reported survey tool and a post MCF evaluation tool were applied. Descriptive statistics and ANOVA was applied to determine significant changes from pre to post (P < 0.05).Pre (n = 22) and post surveys (n = 21) determined an average 9.96% percent change in mean comfort level, confidence, and likelihood of future behavior (P < 0.05). The emergency preparedness plan demonstrated the greatest increase in comfort level (+26.50%, P < 0.05). Although not significant, comfort levels with farm to school (+16.98%) and USDA foods (14.06%) increased, while scratch cooking (-4.40%) decreased. Using herbs and spices in recipes (+20.48%) and completing a daily production record (+23.31%) demonstrated the greatest increases in reported comfort level (P < 0.05). Participants were most likely to participate in future remote professional development activities (+16.40%) and use a new recipe that includes fresh and dried legumes (+13.71%), although not significant. Seventy-five percent of knowledge questions demonstrated increases in correct answers.The pre to post evaluation results indicate that a virtual MCF can achieve positive learning outcomes. Future training efforts should be focused on exploring ways to improve participants comfort with scratch cooking and batch cooking in a virtual format.