By Crystal D. Swann
May 16, 2011

Edible gardens are popping up at schools throughout the district as part of "Norwalk Grows," a new district-wide initiative in Norwalk (CT). "Norwalk Grows," a partnership between the Norwalk Public Schools and the Norwalk Children’s Foundation, focuses on creating organic gardens in all 19 Norwalk public schools by providing each student the opportunity to be active in a school garden program through an experiential and integrated garden based curriculum. The program extends from pre-K through high school.

"Through this program, young people are learning at an early age the importance of good nutrition and how that affects everything they do in life from sports to learning in school," says Norwalk (CT) Mayor Richard Moccia.

Garden-based learning teaches students about healthy lifestyles, reduces childhood obesity, improves academic achievement, and provides the students with environmental awareness and a unique sense of community. There are approximately 11,200 students in the nineteen schools and of those students 41 percent receive free or reduced lunch. In Norwalk, by sixth grade, nearly 50 percent of students are either overweight or obese according to the Norwalk Health Department.

To date, funds were raised to install 12 gardens and refurbish Norwalk High Greenhouse, 12 schools have developed school garden committees, and two school gardens were installed in the fall of 2010. The next steps are to establish school garden committees in the remaining seven schools, integrate the school gardens into culinary arts and entrepreneur programs in middle and high schools and to collaborate with partners to build healthy lifestyles. "Norwalk Grows" hopes to expand high school offerings to include post secondary opportunities as well as create a peer-mentoring program for all children.