Decatur Farm To School Program Named A 'Public Health Hero'

The Decatur Farm to School initiative (DF2S) has gotten a lot of attention for bringing healthy food to kids in the City Schools of Decatur.

For instance, several media outlets, including Patch, ran stories when . The program also introduced taste tests in which students ended up liking kale.

Now the program has gained statewide recognition.

On Monday, DF2S was named one of the first “Partner Up! for Public Health Heroes” as part of a new recognition program sponsored by the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Partner Up! for Public Health Campaign.

A press release from the joint program says,

DF2S strives to connect parents, teachers, school administrators, local farms, and chefs in Decatur to improve the lives of kids, their families and the community.

DF2S has facilitated the planning, building and upkeep of school gardens, and supported teachers by offering training in developing curricula to utilize the school garden “outdoor classrooms.”

“Six of the eight schools in our district have gardens and we are reaching more than 3,200 students. Equality is an important part of our mission here at DF2S; we want to impact every student. For many of the students, lunch may be their best meal of the day, and for some, it may be their only. There is still room to grow and we want to make it truly sustainable,” said Myriam Dormer, Youth Programs Manager of the Oakhurst Community Garden Project, of which DF2S is a branch.

Another component of the DF2S program is an intensive teacher training.  The training is composed of a series of courses regarding the farm to school process and incorporating the concepts into classroom curriculum.

“The outdoor classroom model involves this idea of ‘plant-pick-cook-interpret’ and has an environmental education component,” said Dormer

The other inaugural honorees were Good News Clinics in Gainesville and Former Savannah Mayor Otis Johnson.

Here are some other Patch stories about DF2S:

Decatur School Lunches Compare Well