A well-known restaurateur, chef, and food writer from Australia, Stephanie Alexander has worked for decades to promote healthy eating and sustainable food production around the world. Recently, she has established a program of grants, called the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program, to help schools promote these same ideals and teach their students about the benefits of growing and preparing food in a healthy way. Her website, and the website of the Kitchen Garden Program, describe the purpose and practical aspects of this program.
Philosophy of the Kitchen Garden Program Design
According to the Kitchen Garden Foundation website, The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden National Program (SAKGNP) works with children from years three to six of elementary school to build and maintain large organic vegetable gardens. By doing so, the program hopes to expose children to what they call “pleasurable food education.” Through this program, the SAKGNP aims to help students develop kitchen and garden skills while allowing them to participate in the pleasures of growing their own food.
History of the Stephanie Alexander Grants
The Program began in 2007 with twenty-five schools, according to their website. Subsequently, forty new schools in Victoria joined in partnership with the government between 2007 and 2010. Recently, twenty-two new schools were added to the program, and received Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden grants in 2009-2010.
Practical Aspects
The Kitchen Garden Program's official website recommends certain guidelines to help schools start their programs. The children who participate in the SAKGNP work at least 40 minutes per week in their gardens (which they help to plan out and construct) and another hour and a half each week in a “kitchen classroom,” preparing full meals based on the vegetables they have grown.
Each garden produces enough food for between 60 and 300 people to eat one meal a week for forty weeks a year. The program strongly recommends that schools allow seven meters of garden space per child for the program, as well as making room for other facilities such as a meeting area or compost heaps. Kitchens should have around five work stations, with around nine square meters for each.
Funding
The SAKGNP's website describes the origins of the program in Victoria, Australia, where the government provided $2.5 million (Australian dollars) for the program’s implementation in 40 government-funded schools. Thus, each school received a grant of $62,500 for two years, with $12,5000 for the construction of facilities and the rest towards staff for the program. Schools are also expected to fund certain aspects of the project. Recently, the government has allowed $12.8 million over four years for up to 190 schools to participate in the SAKGNP.
Applications for Stephanie Alexander Grants
Because competition for the grants is competitive, interested schools must submit applications and participate in several different rounds of the application process. During this process, schools must submit proposals detailing how they plan to make use of the kitchen and garden space and how their current facilities allow for this participation.
While the application and implementation process may be rigorous for Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program grants, the benefits to schoolchildren show in the life skills they acquire. Over the past several years, the hard work and fundraising efforts of the Kitchen Garden Foundation has ensured that Australian children learn about the importance of healthy, sustainable eating.
Sources
Stephanie Alexander: Stephanie Alexander's Homepage
Kitchen Garden Foundation: Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden
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