CPS Farm to School Program

2024-2025 Programs

2023 - 2024 Programs

2022-2023 Programs

2021-2022 Farm to School

Watch how our program brought the amazing bounty of the Midwest to our students by combining gardening, farming, healthy cooking and eating, and food entrepreneurship to teach students about agriculture and how their food is produced. Micheál Newman-Brooks, Program Manager of School Gardens for Chicago Public Schools in the Office of Student Health and Wellness, walks us through the fun and educational events our CPS students experienced throughout the 2021-2022 school year.

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All Kids Deserve Good Food

…and in Illinois, we’re surrounded by it. That’s why Aramark and Chicago Public Schools developed the Farm to School program, which bridges the gap between Midwest farms and the students they feed.

With a focus on locally sourced produce and protein, the CPS Farm to School program was created in 2013 to serve pre-K–to–12 students receiving Nutrition Support Services (NSS). Since then, it has brought in almost 3 tons of food from farms that are within a 350-mile radius of the lunch tables where it will be eaten. They’ve supported 15 local suppliers in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Iowa, putting more than $2.5 million back into the local economy.

 
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Bringing the Farm to the School

The Farm to School program also brings farmers into the classroom (via in-person or virtual visits) to teach students about working on a farm and how their food is produced. Older students learn about careers in agriculture while younger students participate in farm-related art projects. It also partners with the CPS Chef Council, which focuses on education around creating recipes and preparing healthy food.