Food and Nutrition Programs

Time Sensitive: Farm to school consultation, resources and professional development available for School Food Authorities & Early Education Centers

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), is launching "Digging Deeper: A Farm to School Comprehensive Pilot," which aims to advance comprehensive farm to school programming, including local food system education and local sourcing in Child Nutrition Programs, through a two-year immersive pilot program.

"Digging Deeper" will provide a pilot cohort of school food authorities (SFAs) and early education centers with farm to school consultation, resources - such as nutrition educators, curriculum, and school garden materials - as well as tailored professional development to meet the individualized farm to school goals of participating institutions.

Participation Benefits:
Participating institutions of "Digging Deeper" will have the opportunity to choose two of the following interventions to participate in during school year 2025-2026 and/or school year 2026-2027:

1. Integration of a trained DTA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) educator for a food literacy lesson series (typically 4–6 lessons) in identified classrooms

2. Building or renovation of up to two growing spaces (e.g. school gardens or indoor growing space) and school garden professional development for educators

3. Tailored culinary training for front-line nutrition professionals paired with local procurement consultation for nutrition managers, directors, and/or business managers to increase the integration of local food in Child Nutrition Programs

Participating institutions will receive farm to school consultation, professional development, and materials valued at a total of $12,000. Additionally, professional development made available through the pilot program may provide:

• Nutrition professionals up to 8 hours of professional development that meets USDA's professional standard requirements;
• DESE educators one Professional Development Point (PDP);
• Early education educators 10 professional development hours

Note: pending DESE's application and award of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s 2025 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant, SFAs and early education centers will participate in the "Digging Deeper" pilot at no cost. If funding is not awarded, the scale and scope of the "Digging Deeper" pilot is subject to change.

Approximately 5–6 eligible SFAs and early education centers will be invited to participate in this two-year pilot.

DESE invites qualified SFAs and early education centers to express interest in participating in "Digging Deeper" by submitting a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the institution's authorized signatory (e.g. superintendent or executive director).

Qualifications:
School Food Authorities (SFAs)
Participating SFAs should meet the following criteria:

1. Operate the USDA's National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
2. Have a minimum of three schools
3. Have a minimum of two schools that are area eligible
4. Serve students anywhere between Pre-Kindergarten and 12^th grade
5. Have a minimum of one school that prepares food on-site and has access to basic kitchen equipment (refrigeration, freezer storage, knives, cutting boards and oven)

Early Education Centers:
Participating early education centers should meet the following criteria:

1. Licensed by the Department of Early Education and Care's Child Care Program licensing.
2. Operate the USDA's Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
3. Serve children between birth and five years of age
4. Have a minimum of three program sites
5. Have a minimum of one site that prepares food on-site and has access to basic kitchen equipment (refrigeration, freezer storage, knives, cutting boards and oven)

Institutional Commitment:
Participating institutions will be asked to:

1. Identify 4–5 institutional stakeholders to serve as a Farm to School Advisory Team.

   1. Note: stakeholders could include, but are not limited to teachers, nutrition professionals, administrative staff, custodians, students, parents, and community partners

2. Participate in a goal setting and strategic planning process led by a Farm to School Consultant.

3. Coordinate the staff capacity, staff compensation (when applicable), and administrative buy-in to integrate two farm to school interventions between the start of SY 2025-2026 and the end of SY 2026-2027 (refer to the intervention list on page one of the memo).

4. Participate in a pre and post assessment conducted by the Farm to School Consultant which will seek to evaluate the success of the selected farm to school interventions. The assessment scope will be determined by institutional stakeholders in the goal-setting and strategic planning process.

How to Express Interest: Sample Memorandum of Understanding Template
Submit a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on your district or institution letterhead using the template provided. Ensure the MOU is signed by your institution's authorized signatory (superintendent or executive director).

To complete, update the highlighted components of the MOU template, which will outline:

1. Background on or interest in farm to school activities

2. Name and contact information for the primary contact and project manager

3. Acknowledgement of the pilot program commitments on behalf of the SFA or early education center

MOUs will be accepted through December 13, 2024.

Submit the MOU via email to Maggie Nowak, Local Food System Specialist at margaret.c.nowak@mass.gov

For questions, please contact Maggie Nowak at 781-338-6475 or margaret.c.nowak@mass.gov .

Thank you for considering this opportunity,

Robert Leshin
Director, Office for Food and Nutrition Programs