Evaluation Summary ~ Fall 2008/Spring 2009 NGA Grant Winners

The National Gardening Association has been providing material assistance to youth and community gardens with the support of generous sponsors through grants since 1982. In 2005 we started collecting data to track the impact of our grants programs via a year-end evaluation summary completed by grant recipients.

Below are results and comments collected as of September 2009, based on 216 evaluations for 8 grant programs. (Note: Some recipients asked for a deadline extension.)

For reports on individual grant programs, see:
2008 Healthy Sprouts Award
2009 Bayer Advanced Grow Together with Roses Award
2009 Mantis Award
2009 Mantis Adopt a School Garden Award
2009 Midwest Adopt a School Garden Award
2009 Subaru Adopt a School Garden Award
2008 Hooked on Hydroponics Award

Evaluation Highlights

Summary of Data

These totals represent the data we have received as of September 2009.

Grant Program	# responses	% response
Bayer Advanced Growing Together with Roses Award	14	56%
Healthy Sprouts	17	85%
Hooked on Hydroponics	27	75%
Mantis Award	20	80%
Mantis Adopt a School Garden Award	10	100%
Midwest Adopt a School Garden Award	10	100%
Subaru Adopt a School Garden Award	9	100%
Youth Garden Grants	109	87%

 

Type of organizations responding:
48 % - Public school
25% - Nonprofit Agency
7%- Private school
7% - Charter School
6% - Community Garden
5%- Other
2% - Alternative School

Type of students they worked with:
72% - In-school
52% - After-school
35% - Summer Program/Camp
34% - Community gardeners
33% - Special Needs
20% - Preschool/Head Start
17% - Youth Club
15% - Gifted & Talented
14% - Intergenerational
10% - Church/Youth Group
5% - Home school

Total number of children who participated:
7,883 Age 2-5 (preschool-K)
13,367 Ages 6-8 (grades 1-3) 
9,509 Ages 9-11 (grades 4-6) 
3,847 Ages 12-13 (grades 7-8) 
5,341 Ages 14-18 (grades 9-12) 
           
Total Students: 39,947

Adult participation: 4,256 adults (18+)


Average hours per week a participating child/youth was involved in gardening activities:
3.5 hours/week

Average duration of gardening program:
7 months/year

Program continuation:
99% of respondents plan to continue their program the next year

Type of subjects taught through gardening:
91% teach science
74% teach health and nutrition
67% teach community service
55% teach math
46% teach intra/interpersonal relationships
45% teach arts
37% teach cultural studies/issues
36% teach English
32% teach interdisciplinary
31% teach physical education
28% teach social studies
17% teach history

State and National Education Standards:
63% of respondents connected their gardening program to State and National Education Standards

Importance of linking to these standards for respondents:
7% mandatory
30% very important
17% important
13% somewhat important
17% not important
16% n/a

Approximate amount of money spent on the gardening program:
10%- spent less than $250
14% - spent $251 to $500 
17% - spent $501 to $1000 
8% - spent $1001 to $1500 
13% - spent $1501 to $2000 
7% - spent $2001 to $2500
31%- spent over $2501

Average percent of funding received per category (average of all the responses for each source):
51% Grants
17% Donations
8% Fund Raising
7.5% Parent or Volunteer Organizations
6% School or School District Funds
5.5% Other
5% Instructor’s pocket

Approximate value of in-kind donations:
12%- value less than $250
16% - value between $251 to $500 
19% - value between $501 to $1000 
9% - value between $1001 to $1500 
6% - value between $1501 to $2000 
3.5% - value between $2001 to $2500
34.5%- value over $2501

Average percent of time spent on different instructional techniques (average of all responses for each source):
28% Adult-led investigation/hands-on activities
25% Collaborative project work
21% Student-led investigation/hands-on activities
13% Independent Learning
13%  Lecture

Program leaders noted participant improvements in these characteristics:
96% environmental attitudes
92% community spirit
89% self confidence
87% social skills
85% leadership skills
82% attitude towards school
81% volunteerism
77% nutritional attitudes
65% motor skills
63% scholastic achievement

Reported evidence documenting the effectiveness of these gardening programs:
96% received positive responses from participants
83% positive responses from family members
80% positive community responses
77% positive responses from administrators
51% donations and financial support
32% noticed decrease in disciplinary actions
29% collected positive survey results
29% awards and recognition
21% noticed improvement in attendance rates
14% noticed improvement in test scores

Here are a few comments gathered during year-end evaluations:

Our Garden Project has had a profound impact on our school community. Students stop me in the hall to ask when they can work in the garden. They are proud to show off their efforts. From small seeds started in classrooms to a bounty of harvested vegetables, the positive effect has been addictive. Becoming a garden captain is an honor and a privilege, with many students competing for the right to be on the gardening team.
— Anastasia Hinchsliff, Oscar Mayer Magnet School, IL

Students learned lessons in patience and delayed gratification, persistence and responsibility. The children took turns going outside to monitor the development during the week, in addition to the regular gardening times. They also had opportunities to problem solve and resolve conflicts early on, while determining specific plant placement.
— Jeni Mallory-White, Joliet Montessori School, IL

Our gardening project has become one of our most successful school programs. It has changed the culture of our school and provided positive experiences for every student. We are so fortunate!
— Michael Masucci, Poland North Elementary School, Poland, OH

Our community is in awe of our project. Kids are excited and have requested home gardens. Children can’t wait to work, eat, plan, pick bugs. We are extremely proud of our students and families who have worked all summer to create a wonderful garden.
— Mary Noonan, Alden-Hebron Elementary School, Hebron, IL

The Discovery Curriculum and garden at Wissahickon has nurtured a student body that regularly demonstrates enthusiasm for learning, responsible and respectful behavior, and academic success. The school’s Discovery teacher works collaboratively with each classroom teacher to design units that complement the core curriculum by using elements of the natural world to connect learning across disciplines and grade levels. This approach gives students ownership of the project and provides opportunities for in-depth explorations of real life problems. Students comments include: ‘I’m an eggplant scout’ and ‘Parsnips are my favorite vegetable now and I’m going to tell my daddy to eat them!’
— Juanita Nyce, Wissahickon Charter School, PA

Children are excited about gardening. Our garden has been a wonderful supplement to our curriculum. The kids have enjoyed the process from seed to harvest. We have also been able to share our veggies with other kids in our school! Another impact, teachers continue to see improvement in bag lunches: less junk food, more fruits and vegetables.
— Erica Sherman, Wood County Health Department, WI

This project has helped foster community involvement in the school. Teachers, parents and students have taken on the responsibility of maintaining the gardens, and delight in harvesting and eating the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor. Children are eating more vegetables, like radishes and lettuces right out of the ground! This program has helped raise awareness of food that the children eat at school, as well as helped to raise awareness of making healthier choices outside of school.
— Mary Jane Nusbaum, Marbletown Elementary, NY

My students earned the reputation of being able to get anything to grow.  They really took pride in the school grounds and anything dealing with the greenhouse. I saw an extreme boost in self confidence and pride in their accomplishments. A wonderful opportunity for the students as my class has a wide mix of students who struggle in regular classes. Thank you for this opportunity.
— Roger Stephen, North Albany Middle School, OR

Parents share with us that their children tell them that gardening is their favorite class at school. They do not want to miss garden days and come home talking about the great
things they got to do and all that they learned by participating in gardening activities. My students come to the garden during their recess and lunch breaks, preferring to investigate or help out with a variety of garden chores during times they could otherwise be playing. I think this is a true testament to the power of the garden - when given a choice of free time, the children choose to be there over any other options.
— Johnna Hampton-Walker, Larchmont Charter School, CA

The garden is one of the favorite projects that our first and second graders look forward to. They are enthralled when they see a tiny seed become a nine foot sunflower in just a few months; when they see a tiny yellow flower become a small green tomato that turns red and delicious to eat; when they see a flower change into a squash that grows plump in just a few days! There is nothing like witnessing the delight of a child as he pulls up a plant to find round, red radishes or pointy carrots that were hiding underground! The children keep garden journals and increase in their skills of drawing, labeling, measuring, and describing in words what they see during each trip to the garden.

Who can resist loving what you've planted and nurtured yourself? We saw more of them make healthier choices at lunch, choosing salads and raw vegetables to eat. Before their experience in the garden, many believed vegetables came from the store and were afraid to try new things.
— Claudia Bretzing,  Hale Elementary, AZ

We always check-in and check-out when we work together in the garden. A lot of times our students are despondent, grumpy, negative, etc. before they start working in the garden. Yet, typically by the time we check-out (at the end of our time in the garden) most of the students are expressing feelings of contentment, happiness, calmness, lessened anxieties, etc.
— Melissa Astin, Inner Harbour, GA

 “Normally I don’t like to get dirty. But this is different,” claimed a female 7th grader building a raised bed. The garden programs at Chico Junior High and Bidwell Junior High involve students who might otherwise slip through the cracks. The Chico garden has improved the whole school’s morale. Sunflowers and ripe cherry tomatoes break the monotony of the grass that once grew between classroom wings. At Bidwell, students are amazed by the garden’s bounty, which includes raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries.
— Jeremy Miller,Chico Food Network, CA

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These grants are awarded based on merit. Winners were chosen through evaluation of written applications; winning applicants indicated well-planned, comprehensive, community-supported, and sustainable youth garden programs. Because the pool of applicants and types of programs vary each year, the statistics noted here are dynamic.

For more data and comments, please see
2008 Evaluation Summary
2007 Evaluation Summary
2006 Evaluation Summary
2005 Evaluation Summary

Back to NGA Grants list