P&Cs driving positive change

We know that the Kitchen Garden Program extends beyond the school or service gate into homes and communities, but sometimes the influence goes the other way: with parents’ associations providing the initial push for the program.

Across the country there are examples of Parent & Carer (P&C) or Parents & Friend (P&F) committees being the driving force between setting up the Kitchen Garden Program, from advocating to their school or early learning service, fundraising, and even staffing the program in its initial phases.

In the Northern Territory, The Essington School has seen great success with their Kitchen Garden Program, which they say is a collaborative effort between their Parents and Friends Association and the school, and which every single person in the school community has involvement in.

“When we were first establishing the vegetable garden… we had a lot of parent involvement where they came in and did big working bees: they painted, they mulched, they built teepees. They are absolutely incredible. We had parents from lots of different cultures coming in and some brought food from their own backgrounds to plant here.”

– Renee Schultz, Head of Junior School K-6, The Essington School

Speaking with the Foundation, Renee Schultz, Head of Junior School K-6 at The Essington School, pointed to multiple examples of parents benefiting from the garden, from taking bunches of basil and produce that needed to be cleared, to volunteering in the garden.

Renee also spoke to the benefits students receive in learning more about where food comes from. Students are encouraged to walk around the ecosystem they have a hand in creating and maintaining. They get to explore with all their senses, tasting and smelling produce and spying insects.

“One powerful way in which we can reflect Essington’s diversity, cultures, climate, geography, and uniqueness is in the production, preparation and sharing of food. One of the many memorable garden moments was watching students harvest, chop and eat huge, sweet watermelons which managed to grow in abundance, despite being planted entirely out of season!  The garden is a point at which school and community can continue to meet, create, and share. At the end of a hot early dry season morning, we had successfully planted citrus trees, herbs, sweet potatoes, Asian greens, pineapples, bananas, spinach, curry leaves, eggplants, pandanus, rosellas and watermelons.”

– Emma, Danni and Lily, The Essington School P&F

_{Students from The Essington School explore their garden.}

The support of P&C committees can go a long way in igniting a vibrant food culture in schools. At Gladesville Primary School in Mt Dandenong, Victoria, a group of parents put in the hard yards to transform an overgrown patch of land on school property to become a thriving garden.

Parents came together to weed and prune, revive apple, pear and plum trees and various garden beds, and even clean out compost bins to set them up for use. This community spirit and willingness to work hard to produce something meaningful is exactly the kind of engagement encouraged by the Foundation.

“There is a small group of families that share the same sustainable values and enjoy gardening. They have formed a Gladesville Gardeners Club (The GGs) and hope to entice other families to join and help to invigorate the garden. There are plans to get the children involved at a classroom level and also after school in a weekly gardening club, for parents, locals and children.”

– Melissa Strangio, School Council Parent Representative, Gladesville Primary

When parents, carers, and friends are interested in kitchen and garden initiatives, it flows on through to the students. School Council Parent Representative of Gladesville Primary, Melissa Strangio, says, “It is the students’ enthusiasm and interest to learn about growing fruit and vegetables that has motivated us to most to revitalise the garden.” Students follow the example set by their parents, “weeding and tidying up and digging in the Subpods [compost system].”

Just off the coast of Townsville, Magnetic Island State School’s small but dedicated Parents and Citizens’ Association set up their kitchen garden program using grants, plus a whole lot of inspiration via a PD day run by the Foundation back in 2017. Then P&C President Ange Hallett said: “It’s been wonderful to secure this money for the facility. It works amazingly well now but will also continue to be a legacy for future students for many years to come.”

_{The garden at Magnetic Island State School.} 

Similarly, Sandringham Primary School, thanks to the coordinated efforts of some passionate parents, along with some community funding, converted an unused space into a flourishing kitchen garden and the beginnings of a kitchen garden program.

P&C or P&F involvement ranges from being part of a core group driving the Kitchen Garden Program, to providing resources, expertise, and community contacts. Local community organisations will often donate equipment and materials as well as funds to develop the Program. One school’s P&C contributed all of its fundraised monies to the Program for the first two years, to the exclusion of other programs in the school.

As well as being active volunteers in the school’s program, the P&C at Spearwood Alternative School, in Spearwood, WA, purchased beautiful picnic mats for children, educators, and helpers to share meals on - inputting beautifully into the share part of the grow, harvest, prepare and share cycle.

And support comes in all forms. As one principal in a 2013 evaluation of the Kitchen Garden Program noted: “That’s where the community is really important. In one night, the P&C ran a trivia night and raised $7000, which fully equipped the kitchen with everything we need, even to the extent of plates, knives, forks and things for 80 people.”

Kitchen gardens can be a place to foster community cohesion, a place where everyone feels they can own, contribute and learn from. They provide opportunities for learning and exploring through all ages, from preschool to teachers, parents, carers, and friends. We are proud to play a part in helping schools provide these places of joy for communities across Australia.

If you’re a parent or P&C/P&F interested in the Kitchen Garden Program for your school or service, talk to our Support Team: membership@kitchengardenfoundation.org.au or 13000 72543.