This study was conducted to explore preschool children's engagement in gardening and cooking activities and to incorporate their perspectives on these activities through digital photography. Additionally, the study explored how connections between home and school could be fostered through a cooking activity at home. Eighteen four-year-olds in two…

In North Carolina, rural communities experience high rates of chronic illness due to health inequities exacerbated by the decline of major industries. Community gardens increase access to fresh produce and opportunities for physical activity and may offer additional benefits. These benefits can be difficult to measure as they are often unplanned…

Many counties of Western North Carolina have high levels of food insecurity that may be addressed by training communities to grow, prepare, and preserve their own food. A curriculum was developed and tested in 2016 at a Section 8 housing development in Polk County, NC. Research investigated successful community agriculture projects and assessed…

As part of a larger study designed to explore the gardening practices and educational needs of North Carolina chefs who cultivate restaurant gardens, the chefs' desired areas of knowledge and preferences for delivery of educational material were identified. As a result, a plan for North Carolina Cooperative Extension to use in developing…

The perceived benefits of outdoor learning have influenced recommendations and policies alike in early childhood education, yet one component (garden education) in Head Start preschools is inconsistent and researchers do not yet know why. The purposes of this qualitative interview study were to explore preschool teachers' experiences and…

Extension agents' use of demonstration gardens was studied to determine how gardens are employed in horticultural programming, perceived benefits and challenges of using gardens for Extension programming, and desired competencies. Gardens are primarily used to enhance educational efforts by providing hands-on learning experiences. Greatest…

Urban agriculture initiatives are on the rise, providing healthy food while teaching a land ethic to youth. In parallel, increasing numbers of university graduates are obtaining Extension work requiring the effective communication of science in a diverse, urban, low-income setting. This study evaluates a pilot service-learning program, the…

The Grounds Services Unit at Duke University has implemented a new program that involves a process of self evaluation, which embraces the concept of perpetual and continuous improvement. The Quality Appearance Program (QAP) embellishes and expands upon the Quality Assurance Program concept, but with a twist to grounds management improvement…

North Carolina Family Impact Seminars (NCFIS) include annual seminars, briefing reports and follow-up activities designed specifically for state policymakers, including legislators and legislative staff, the governor and executive branch staff, and state agency representatives. The Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University convenes the…

This document consists of a teacher's guide for a competency-based course on homestead and gardening skills designed for North Carolina's 11th- and 12th-grade students, and a list of competency test items applicable to the course. The teacher's guide contains course specifications, a list of competency statements, a sheet describing each unit of…

The school farm is a small plat of ground at or near the public schoolhouse, cultivated by a volunteer association, in the interest of the public school. The purpose of the school farm is threefold: (1) to give the school a new meaning as a factor in the socialization of rural life; (2) to vitalize school life by the introduction of new practical…