2013-14 California School Garden Survey
California School Garden Survey
Life Lab, in collaboration with the California School Garden Network, is conducting a survey of
California School Gardens. This same survey was conducted in 2010 with 580 respondents. The
information gathered from this survey will help those that are creating and supporting school
garden projects across the state and nation to better understand how school gardens
operate.Please help spread the word of this survey via your school garden team and larger
networks. Our goal is for every school in California to respond to the survey. For schools that do not
have gardens we want to know what the barriers are. For schools with gardens we want to know
what makes them work and what resources are needed to sustain them.IF YOUR SCHOOL DOES
NOT HAVE A GARDEN PROGRAM THE SURVEY WILL TAKE LESS THAN 5 MINUTES.FOR THOSE
RESPONDING THAT HAVE A GARDEN THE SURVEY SHOULD TAKE ABOUT 20 MINUTES TO
COMPLETE.Please ensure that this survey is answered by the person who will have the most indepth knowledge about your school garden and its functions. If there are multiple coordinators of
your garden please communicate with them regarding who will be answering the survey to reduce
the chances of duplicate survey responses for your school garden. Please note that this survey is
meant to be answered for one school garden only. (i.e. If you are involved with more than one
garden, please fill out an individual survey for each garden.) You may take the survey multiple
times for each garden that you are involved with.If you wish to preview all the survey questions
before beginning click "Next" and then download the survey by clicking on the "Review Responses"
button on the bottom of the page.Survey results will be available on www.lifelab.org and
www.csgn.org by the spring of 2014. For more information on this survey and past CA school
garden surveys visit: http://www.lifelab.org/2010/12/schoolgardensurvey/.Thanks for
sharing!Sarah Hendrix - UCSC Senior InternJohn Fisher - Life Lab / California School Garden
Network gardendirector@lifelab.org
1. Your name:
2. Your role in supporting the school garden:
Community Volunteer
Teacher
School Administrator
Other School Staff (eg. Garden Educator)
Parent Volunteer
Non-profit Support Organization, please specify... ______________________
Other Support Organization, please specify... ______________________
Email address:
4. School name:
5. School address:
6. School city:
7. School Zip
8. County:
Alameda
Alpine
Amador
Butte
Calaveras
Colusa
Contra Costa
Del Norte
El Dorado
... 38 additional choices hidden ...
Sonoma
Stanislaus
Sutter
Tehama
Trinity
Tulare
Tuolumne
Ventura
Yolo
Yuba
9. School Enrollment (Best estimate):
Does your school have a garden or garden program?
Yes
No
THIS PAGE IS ONLY DISPLAYED FOR THOSE THAT STATE THE DON’T HAVE A
GARDEN.
Please choose all applicable reasons that best describe why your school does
not have a school garden.
Lack of staffing
Little to no knowledge about gardening
Lack of garden supplies
Lack of funding
Difficulty linking to core academic standards
Lack of volunteers
No interest in having a garden
Inadequate space
The risk of vandalism
Time constraints
Few or no instructional materials
Lack of technical assistance with gardening
Other, please specify... ______________________
Does your school have any ambitions or plans for building a garden in the
future?
Yes
No
Thanks for taking the survey! Click "next" to submit your answers
11. Check the grades that your school serves:
Pre-K
T-K/Kindergarten
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Adult Education
12. What is your school type?
Public
Private
13. What best describes the neighborhood your school is in?
Urban
Rural
Suburban
14. When was your garden started?
Within the last year
2 years ago
3 years ago
4 years ago
5-7 years ago
8-10 years ago
11-13 years ago
14-16 years ago
17-20 years ago
21-25 years ago
26-30 years ago
31-35 years ago
36-40 years ago
41-45 years ago
45-50 years ago
50 plus years ago
15. What types of plants exist/will be grown in your school garden this
academic year? (select all that apply)
Vegetables
Herbs
Fruits (Trees or vines)
Ornamentals (Such as flowers)
Nuts
California Native Plants
Wildlife Habitat
Other, please specify... ______________________
16. Do you grow any specific theme gardens? (If yes, please specify)
17. What is done with the edible plants grown in the garden? (select all that
apply)
Use produce in tasting programs (such as Harvest of the Month or cafeteria tasting)
Used for academic study
Sold to school food service
Donated to school food service
Harvested for consumption and eaten during garden time
Sold (to somewhere other than school food service) Please specify where: ______________________
Donated (to somewhere other than school food service) Please specify where:
______________________
Other, please specify... ______________________
18. What kind of food safety protocols do you use in handling produce, if any?
19. What features does your garden have? (select all that apply)
Sink(s)
Food prep/Kitchen area
Weather station
Compost area
Worm bins
Tool shed/storage area
Outdoor teaching area (benches, tables, seated gathering area, ampitheater, etc.)
Theme gardens
Rainwater harvesting
Solar panels
Pond or water feature
Interpretive signage
Automated irrigation system
Greenhouse
Domestic animals (chickens, ducks, rabbits, etc.)
Raised beds in one or more areas
In the ground in one or more areas
Planters/pots
Hydro/Aquaponics
Other feature not listed above, please specify... ______________________
20. When is the garden used? (select all that apply)
During class instruction time
During recess
During lunchtime
Before school
After school
Weekends
Summer program/camp
Non-school community uses
Other, please specify... ______________________
21. What grade level(s) participate in garden programming at your school?
(select all that apply)
Pre-K
T-K/Kindergarten
First
Second
Third
Fourth
Fifth
Sixth
Seventh
Eighth
Ninth
Tenth
Eleventh
Twelfth
22. What percentage of your school's students do you estimate visit the garden
(at least once) for formal instruction per academic year?
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
23. Who most often teaches students in the garden?
Master gardeners
Parent volunteers
College interns/volunteers
School teachers
Paid garden coordinator (school staff, on school payroll)
Paid non-school support organization staff (not on school payroll, eg. non-profit, afterschool, or
cooperative extension staff)
Older students (Buddy teaching)
Other volunteers
Other, please specify... ______________________
24. Is the school garden used for core academic content instruction? (Math,
English-Language Arts, Science, Social Studies)
Yes
No
25. Is the garden used to teach mathematics?
Yes
No
If you answered "no" to the question above skip to the next question.26. How
would you characterize garden-based mathematics instruction at your school?
(Select all that apply)
Garden related mathematics concepts are taught in a lesson prior to or after garden class time.
Math skills are reinforced through garden instruction.
Explicit math lessons are taught in the garden.
27. Is the garden used to teach English-Language Arts?
Yes
No
If you answered "no" to the question above skip to the next question.28. How
would you characterize garden-based English-Language Arts instruction at your
school? (Select all that apply)
Garden-related English/Language Arts concepts are specifically taught in a lesson prior to or
after garden class time.
English/Language Arts skills are reinforced during garden instruction time.
English/Language Arts lessons are taught during garden class time (ie. journaling, composition,
reading, etc.).
29. Is the garden used to teach History/ Social Sciences?
Yes
No
If you answered "no" to the question above skip to the next question.30. How
would you characterize garden-based History/ Social Studies instruction at your
school? (Select all that apply)
Garden-related History/ Social Studies concepts are specifically taught in a lesson prior to or
after gardening garden class time.
History/ Social Studies concepts are reinforced through garden instruction.
History/ Social Studies lessons are taught during garden class time.
31. Is the garden used to teach Science?
Yes
No
If you answered "no" to the question above skip to the next question.32. How
would you characterize garden-based science instruction at your school? (Select
all that apply)
Garden-related science concepts are taught in a lesson prior to or after garden class time.
Science concepts are reinforced through garden instruction.
Explicit science lessons are taught in the garden.
Students create and conduct their own science projects in the garden.
33. Which of the following non-core subjects are taught using the garden?
(select all that apply)
Agricultural Studies
Art
Computer Technology
Environmental Studies
Foreign Language
Health & Nutrition
Home Economics / Cooking
Physical Education
Special Education
Business/Micro Economics
Service Learning/Community Service
None of the above
Other, please specify... ______________________
34. What educational resources and materials are used to teach core academic
subjects when the garden is a learning laboratory? (select all that apply)
Textbooks (specify title): ______________________
Garden-based learning publications (specify title) ______________________
Lesson plans created by you or other educators
Websites (specify organizations and addresses) ______________________
Materials received at workshops or seminars (specify seminars and materials)
______________________
Other, please specify... ______________________
35. Which of the following positive observations have you made in your school
garden participants? (Check all that apply)
Increased environmental attitude/attitudes
Increased community spirit
Increased social skills/behaviors
Increased leadership skills
Improved attitude towards school
Sense of volunteerism
Improvements in health and nutrition
Improved motor skills
Academic gains
Other, please specify... ______________________
36. Describe any negative observations that you have seen in your school
garden participants.
37. Would you define your school garden as part of Farm to School
programming? (Farm to School programs connect schools with local farms with
the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student
nutrition, providing health and nutrition education, and supporting California’s
farmers.)
Yes
No
I don't know
I hadn't heard of Farm to School until now.
38. Does your cafeteria source local produce from farmers?
Yes
No
No, but they want to.
I don't know.
39. Do you align garden education with marketing/promoting fruits and
vegetables in the cafeteria?
Yes
No
Other, please specify... ______________________
40. Which three factors/resources would best support academic instruction in
your garden? (check up to three)
Access to garden-based curriculum/education materials
Teacher training in gardening skills
Teacher training in garden-based learning instruction
Teacher training in outdoor classroom management
Lesson planning time
Encouragement from administrators to use the garden as an instructional tool
Other, please specify... ______________________
41. In the past three years what types of garden-based professional
development has your staff received? (select all that apply)
None
On-site school sponsored
Off-site workshop
Conferences or seminars
Webinars
Online courses
42. What specific professional development topics would you attend or like to
see offered in your area?
Garden enhanced nutrition education
Connecting the garden to Common Core English/Language Arts and Math
Connecting the garden to Next Generation Science Standards
English language learning in the garden
Building a school garden program: Fundraising, community building, budgeting, etc.
Outdoor classroom management
Garden-based learning in early childhood education
Youth empowerment and food justice for teens
Gardening how-to's: Composting, irrigation, etc.
Networking events
Other, please specify... ______________________
43. What types of program evaluation or assessment has been conducted for
your school garden program in the past five years? Skip if you haven't
conducted assessment for your garden in the past five years.
44. During the last academic year what was your annual TOTAL SCHOOL
GARDEN BUDGET (materials and support staff salary/stipend)?
I don't know
$0
$0-$499
$500-$1,000
$1,000-$2,500
$2,500-$5,000
$5,000-$10,000
$10,000-$15,000
$15,000-$20,000
$20,000-$30,000
>$30,000
45. During the last academic year how was your funding divided? (Answer in
percentages). Skip if you don't know or have no funds.
Materials (tools, plants, curriculum, books, hardscaping, etc.)
Maintenance Staff
Instruction Staff
Other (list resource(s) and percentage)
46. During this and last academic year who has your school garden received
funds from? (select all that apply). Skip if you have no funds.
School or district funds
Individual donations
Community/business donations
Grants and/or foundations
PTA/PTO funds
Optional: Please list funding organizations: ______________________
Other, please specify... ______________________
47. During this academic year, what support organizations collaborate with your
school garden? (select all that apply)
Non-profit organizations
After school programs
Network for A Healthy California
University partnerships (Such as master gardeners, cooperative extension)
Farms
FoodCorps
Other, please specify... ______________________
None
48. Who provides the most ongoing garden site maintenance? (caring for the
plants, watering, repairs)
Master Gardeners
Parent volunteers
College interns
Other volunteers
Paid garden coordinator (school staff, on school payroll)
Paid non-school support organization staff (not on school payroll, eg. non-profit, afterschool, or
cooperative extension staff)
Teachers
Students
Administrators
Custodian
Other, please specify... ______________________
49. Are there any paid staff that manage the garden or teach in the
garden outside of classroom teachers? Select yes if there are any (school or non
school) support staff that receive any types of funds for garden programming.
Yes
No
If you answered "no" to the question above skip to question 52.50. What is the
hourly pay rate range for paid (non classroom teacher) garden support staff? (if
you have more than one paid staff list the higher paid staff. If garden staff is
paid with an annual stipend, divide the stipend amount by the estimated hours
worked to come up with an hourly rate)
1-5$/hour
6-10$/hour
11-15$/hour
16-20$/hour
21-25$/hour
26-30$/hour
31-35$/hour
35+$/hour
If you answered "no" to question 49 skip to the next question.51. During the
academic year, on average, how many hours per week in total do all paid staff
(NON-CLASSROOM TEACHERS) work/teach in the garden?
0-1 hour
1-2 hours
2-4 hours
4-6 hours
6-8 hours
8-10 hours
10-15 hours
15-20 hours
20-30 hours
30-40 hours
40-50 hours
50-60 hours
60-70 hours
70-80 hours
80-90 hours
90-100 hours
100+ hours
52. During the academic year, on average, how many hours per week in total do
ALL CLASSROOM TEACHERS work/teach in the garden?
0-1 hour
1-2 hours
2-4 hours
4-6 hours
6-8 hours
8-10 hours
10-15 hours
15-20 hours
20-30 hours
30-40 hours
40-50 hours
50-60 hours
60-70 hours
70-80 hours
80-90 hours
90-100 hours
100+ hours
53. Select the three elements that would most benefit your school garden
program overall. (check up to three)
Administration support
Parent volunteers
Garden coordinator staff position
Time scheduled within the school day for garden instruction
Community volunteers
Funding
Technical assistance for gardening
Professional development for school educators
Other, please specify... ______________________
54. Who takes the most responsibility for management of the garden?
(fundraising, planning, coordination)
Master gardeners
Parent volunteers
College interns
Other volunteers
Paid garden coordinator (school staff, on school payroll)
Paid non-school support organization staff (not on school payroll, eg. non-profit, afterschool, or
cooperative extension staff)
Teachers
Students
Custodian
Administrators
Other, please specify... ______________________
55. What is the average number of total hours per week spent by volunteers
working or teaching in the garden?
0-3 hours
3-5 hours
5-10 hours
10-15 hours
15-20 hours
20-30 hours
30-40 hours
40-50 hours
50-60 hours
60-70 hours
70+ hours
We have no volunteers
56. If there is summer maintenance of the school garden, who is participating in
this? (select all that apply)
Paid non-school support organization staff (not on school payroll, eg. non-profit, afterschool, or
cooperative extension staff)
Paid garden coordinator (school staff, on school payroll)
Teachers
Custodian
Administrators
Master gardeners
Students
College interns
Parent volunteers
Other volunteers
Summer programing (Such as camps)
Other, please specify... ______________________
57. If someone was to grant your garden $10,000 for the next year what are the
top two things you would spend that money on? (Select up to 2. Please do not
mark items that you would not spend the money on.)
Physical site (gathering areas, plants, hardscape, irrigation, signage, kitchen, raised beds,
garden tools, compost materials, etc.)
Paid staff
Teacher training
Curriculum materials
Other, please specify... ______________________
58. Is your garden included on the Edible Schoolyard Network Map?In addition
to gathering data on your school garden we are also trying to document the
growing movement using the Edible Schoolyard Network’s mapping tools.
Please add your school garden to the map and be counted in California!If you
have not yet mapped your program on the Edible Schoolyard Network you can
add it now! Follow these instructions to add your garden.
Yes
No
You have finished the survey! Please click submit!