Summary 2023 — California

State Contact

Ms. Becca Whitman
CA Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom
2600 River Plaza Drive, #220
Sacramento, CA 95833-3293
P: 916.561.5625
E: becca@learnaboutag.org
Website

Innovative Programming

California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (CFAITC) hosted a 2-hour webinar that introduced attendees to California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom's new early childhood unit, Life on the Farm. During the webinar, our team of educators guided attendees through the new curriculum that will help introduce young learners to agriculture concepts in a developmentally appropriate, yet accurate way. They visited (virtually, of course!) a few of California's family farms.

CFAITC also hosted a 2-hour School Garden Webinar. During the webinar, educators had the chance to hear from an experienced UC Master Gardener who shared tips and tricks for getting the most out of their school garden. Also, highlighted were the free educational resources that are available to help incorporate their school garden into their curriculum. The event ended with a virtual tour of a school garden, followed by a Q&A session.

CFAITC hosted the annual virtual CA Farm Day which reached 20,000 students across the state and focused on how important weather is to agriculture. This highly successful virtual field trip took students across the state to learn about how weather affects all aspects of agriculture. In addition to the hour-and-a-half webinar, 500 teachers received boxes filled with resources and healthy snacks about California commodities.

Major Program Impacts or Outcomes

California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom conducted a training webinar introducing the new early childhood unit, Life on the Farm.

Impact: CFAITC's comprehensive "Life on the Farm" project has had a significant impact on Pre-K-12 teachers and students.

• Pre-K-12 Teachers: The project impacted 170 Pre-K-12 teachers through unit downloads and engaged 178 teachers in live webinars. The webinar recording received 85 views,.The educators accessing the unit resources have gained valuable insights into incorporating agriculture-related content into their classrooms, enabling them to provide their students with interactive and accurate lessons about farming.
• Students: While specific numbers of students impacted are not provided, we can infer that the 170 downloads and even more webinar views have likely reached (and will continue to reach) a substantial number of students. Learning Outcomes
• Teachers: Participating teachers have learned how to incorporate agriculture into their early childhood education curriculum accurately and effectively, enriching their students' learning experiences and fostering agricultural literacy.
• Students: Young students have learned that we get most of our food from large farms that specialize in growing one type of food. They have learned how crops grow, what farm animals produce, and how farms help the community.

CFAITC conducted a farm-to-school training webinar for Elk Grove Unified after-school educators. Here were the outcomes:

• Participants assessed their subject matter expertise in agriculture both before and after the webinar. The results showed a significant shift, with 44% initially rating themselves as moderately to exceptionally knowledgeable, increasing to 78% after the webinar.
• Furthermore, participants evaluated their access to accurate agriculture-related resources and materials. Before the webinar, 8% indicated having no access to resources, whereas after the webinar, none reported lacking access to resources. After the webinar, 14% reported exceptional access to accurate resources and materials.

Program Leader Biosketch

Judy Culbertson, a 5th generation pear grower, grew up in Courtland, a small town just outside of Sacramento, California. Following high school, Judy graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Business Management.

In 1981, Judy joined the Agriculture in the Classroom program. Today she serves as the executive director for the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. Judy hopes that through the Foundation, every student can gain an appreciation and curiosity for learning about where their food and fiber come from.

The dedication and belief Judy possesses in the value of agriculture and education does not stop with her role with the Foundation. For the last 43 years, Judy has represented the Foundation on a variety of local, statewide and national boards and committees along with dedicated involvement within her own community. Judy is the past chair of the California State Fair Ag Advisory Council, chair fo the Ag Heritage Club and CFAITC is the co-chair of California Agriculture Day, located at the state capitol. She is also a member of the local Delta High School Ag Council and past president of the Sacramento River Delta Historical Society.