Some of the most important life lessons I learned when I was quite young – not to litter, to be polite, to eat healthy foods – those were just a few of the messages that I carry around with me to this day. I learned the lesson to not litter in school – it’s such an important message that should be taught to all young children. Unfortunately, there are more pressing matters at hand these days, as families struggle to put food on the table and it can be difficult to impress upon young kids about the importance of attending school. These pressing matters mean that some of the important life lessons get left behind in the dust, such as “Where does food come from?”
That’s the question that faculty at CAO Head Start Academy (located in the George K. Arthur Community Center on Genesee Street) are asking these days. Recently, students at the school (students up the age of five) planted a garden on a small, empty plot of land near the entrance of the building. The idea came about when Christine Waikiki, Center Director CAO Head Start, thought that it would be a good idea to replant the seedlings that had taken root in the classroom outdoors in the vacant parcel. “I figured that we already had the seedlings, and the kids were interested to learn about the way they grow,” Christine told me. “So we decided to expand upon the lesson. The children didn’t know much about the healthy veggies, and where they came from – I figured that this would be a good life lesson.”
It was Bill Swift, the caretaker of the school, who took Christine’s idea and ran with it. When Bill was young, he worked on a garden, which meant that he had some knowledge when it came to tending the soil. “From the start I envisioned sunflowers,” said Bill. “I knew that they would grow tall and make the garden look nice. It’s the sign of a daycare place too – I though that this small garden could use some big sunflowers.”
Soon the energy of the garden began to take off. The students planted the seedlings last spring, which took root and grew over the summer. When they returned for classes in September, the fruits of their labor paid off. “They all wanted to see the vegetables,” Christine told me. “These are low income families, many of whom don’t have yards for gardens of their own. This was a big deal for the kids, the faculty and the parents. The students are asking to go out there – to help to water and touch the plants that are growing – corn, sunflowers, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, carrots and watermelon. We have recently signed on with First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign which emphasizes good nutrition and physical fitness. This has spurred Head Start centers across Erie County to up their required physical activity from 1/2 hour per day to 1 hour per day. The initiative will also allow us to serve more fresh fruits and vegetables (instead of canned or frozen options). Lastly, we’ve teamed up with a master gardener – Therese Lechiorre – from Cornell Cooperative and she is going to help us transform some unused land behind our building into a National Wildlife Federation Certified Schoolyard Habitat.”
What started with a small garden has suddenly jump started the school to look even further beyond its walls. The unused land that Christina is referring to is located near a playground. They hope to establish community garden beds, where neighbors can come to plant food. “I took a look at what was happening on the West Side, with all of the community gardens,” stated Therese (Cornell Cooperative). “We’re looking to plant a low maintenance, easy to care for garden beds, utilizing rain barrels, vermiculture, native plants, composting, etc. We would like to establish a Junior Master Gardener Program eventually – we are hoping to grow the program here, and take the students on field trips to see other community gardens in Buffalo. Currently there is no funding for any of this, but the community is helping – this is a grassroots effort. Can you imagine what we could do with some funding?”
CAO Head Start Academy | George K. Arthur Academy | 2056 Genesee Street | Buffalo, New York 14211 | (716)931-5084