Equitable and Edible Farm School at Enfield

By Marjorie Z. Olds

Aparent reports "Beautiful things are happening with children and food at the Equitable and Edible Farm School at En eld.” In the few years Christa Nunez and her family have been in our community, we have been amazed at how many new engaging, sustainable programs Christa has fostered for people of all ages. Christa’s focus always includes kids and schools.

“It’s important to focus on what is happening at schools and to ll the everyday lives of children with fun and delicious opportunities to explore their interests, learn new things about new and wonderful people from all over the world. We can help kids get comfortable with interacting with and caring for plant and animal life, get the wind in their ears in ample free play, and get lled with yummy, nutritious, satisfying foods…What we learn sticks deeper and for longer when we are enjoying ourselves and pursuing what we are jazzed about. If we want to make big paradigm-shi ing changes in our education system, we have to do it on the ground, hand-in-hand with the learners, while supporting teachers in achieving their own classroom goals, in ways that support their personal growth and engage their classrooms.”

For two years Christa and her team have worked at the Equitable and Edible Farm School at En eld in En eld, New York. Created with much community support, children from elementary school through high school have been enthusiastic participants and counselors in this wild and wonderful school program.

“We have been growing and harvesting food, cooking together, caring for the chickens, experimenting with recipes from Ghana and the Dominican Republic. Celebrations are frequent… En eld Elementary School’s Celebration of Learning at the Farm brought families and friends together to meet Chacha, our lead farmer, culinary educator & musician at Equitable and Edible Farm School at En eld, and savor his Ghanaian delicacies.” e curriculum includes nature, animal husbandry, growing/cooking/preserving/ bottling food, to name a few highlights.

As the En eld community has embraced the Learning Farm, the faculty and sta at En eld Elementary School have been busy with Christa, creating a curriculum. e Equitable and Edible Farm School at En eld Elementary School is a pilot program for the children of En eld. Christa described the collaboration of folks who have come together to make this new curriculum possible: Aileen Grainger and Keith Harrington of En eld Elementary and Mary Grover, Chief Inclusion O cer of ICSD. e Equitable and Edible Farm School at En eld is very excited that their new curriculum may become available in other local schools in the future.

Christa tells us that all of these planned activities are aligned with the objectives of NYS’ mandatory curricular program Common Core. And the Common Core goals of equity and sustainability are the foundation of the daily plans. So helpful to live our beliefs in our daily lives, rather than just talk about them. Kids get it.

What one learns and does in rst grade, is the foundation for what is o ered in the second grade in this curriculum. And on up…As young people turn into teenagers, they will become the coaches and guides for those younger friends coming up behind them… Already that is happening in the En eld program.

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