CREATING IMPACT ASSESSMENT TOOLS FOR A GARDEN EDUCATION PROGRAM

Land to Learn is a nonprofit organization dedicated to growing food justice and community wellness through education. Its SproutEd Program brings garden education to students in grades K-2 in the Newburgh, Beacon, Kingston, and Garrison areas of New York State. Lacking easy-to-use and adaptable assessment tools to measure the program’s impact, Land to Learn engaged a team to construct effective and efficient impact assessment tools for its limited staff to use and sustain over time. To gather data in support of the organization’s short- and long-term goals, the team conducted educator interviews, researched case studies and best practices in garden education, and piloted tools with participating school districts. The team created a final report that includes a case study analysis, literature review, logic model, and recommendations for usable impact assessment tools that meet the organization’s needs.