Connecting schools and communities: A look at place-based learning and equitable access in SF Bay Area outdoor environmental education

Farm and garden programs can make science real for students. But a program only helps students who can get there, afford it, and feel at home once they arrive. What do community educators do about this?

The researchers interviewed 21 educators and managers from nine Bay Area nonprofits. These organizations run garden and farm programs ranging from field trips to paid teen internships, and several focus on low-income neighborhoods in Oakland, San Francisco, and San José. The interviews took place in fall 2020, early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The researchers found:

1. Shared spaces brought people together. Community gardens, farm events, and farmers markets gave students and neighbors reasons to meet. In one garden, older gardeners worked to keep the space safe because they knew children used it. The children, in turn, looked out for the gardeners' plots.
2. Families' knowledge became part of the lesson. One educator asked students what plant, tea, or food someone had given them when they were sick. She treated elders and students as equally valuable knowledge holders. Several organizations grew crops local families actually eat, such as collard greens. Students also interviewed family members and heard from guest speakers.
3. Indigenous knowledge came through partnerships. One organization's staff trained with a local tribal community, learning activities such as shelter building and food gathering. Others taught about native plants and their traditional uses. Four organizations opened sessions by giving thanks to the land and those who care for it.
4. Practical support opened doors. All nine organizations relied on grants. Three offered some programs free, and five used sliding-scale fees, often based on how many students at a school get free or reduced-price lunch. Bus stipends, transit cards, and a "walking school bus" helped students get there. Seven organizations translated materials, and two offered sign language interpreters and captions. One educator ran an entire overnight camp in Spanish for girls who had never seen the ocean.
5. Staff time was the limit. Small teams often couldn't keep up with demand, so outreach to new schools slowed or stopped. Few organizations tracked which schools they were missing.

What this means for your practice:

• Invite home knowledge. Open with a question about family remedies or foods. Treat parents, grandparents, and elders as experts, and invite them in as guest speakers.
• Grow what families eat. One farm asked people what they cook at home, then grew those crops.
• Use shared spaces. Partner with community gardens or farmers markets so students learn alongside neighbors.
• Lower the cost. Use sliding-scale fees tied to free lunch rates, and seek grants or hold fundraisers to cover buses.
• Solve transportation. If your site is close, try walking students over. If it's farther, look for transit cards or bus stipends.
• Speak families' languages. Translate outreach materials into the most common local languages, and hire staff who share students' languages and cultures.
• Visit before the trip. One organization visited classrooms first to prepare students and ease fears about unfamiliar outdoor places.
• Track who you reach. The authors recommend mapping which schools and neighborhoods you serve and which you miss.
• Join forces. The authors suggest networks of schools and organizations that meet through the year to share training and reach new schools.