New York City Metro Teacher Outreach
Agriculture in the Classroom events, programs, and resources specific to K-12 teachers in New York City.
Brittany Hoover is the Urban Agriculture in the Classroom Educator based in the New York City metropolitan area. Brittany leads professional learning workshops for K-12 teachers, exposes teachers to the NYC food and urban agriculture systems, and develops programs to connect food and agriculture with core academic content.
Email | 607-255-9307
Upcoming workshops
Digging In: An Immersive Food and Farm Tour
From New York City to Upstate New York
Two-Day Farm Experience
Wednesday, July 31st & Thursday, August 1st, 2024
This unique summer bus tour offers educators a firsthand look at Upstate New York farms. Through guided tours, interactive discussions, and hands-on activities with experienced farmers, teachers will gain a comprehensive understanding of the journey food takes from field to table and the direct connection these farms have to NYC teachers and students.
Goal of Tour
- Deepen understanding of food production in New York State.
- Provide inspiration to integrate agriculture concepts into curriculum or programming.
Tour Experience
This unique summer bus tour offers educators a firsthand look at Upstate New York farms. Through guided tours, interactive discussions, and hands-on activities with experienced farmers, teachers will gain a comprehensive understanding of the journey food takes from field to table and the direct connection these farms have to NYC area teachers and students.
Benefits for Attending
- Learn from agricultural experts and gain valuable insights into food production practices.
- Discover ways to connect agriculture to various areas of your curriculum or programming.
- Gain a deeper appreciation for the role Upstate farms play in feeding New York City and beyond, and learn how New York City impacts Upstate farms.
- Experience a variety of farmers and learn about the food they grow, animals they raise, and the storage and distribution of their products.
Impact on Students
By participating in this workshop, educators will be equipped to:
- Build students' agricultural literacy – how food is grown and raised locally.
- Identify engaging lesson plans that incorporate agriculture across different subjects.
- Foster a connection between students and their food sources.
Included in the tour
- Double occupancy hotel accommodations
- Checking in Thursday evening
- Checking out Friday morning
- Round trip bus ride
- The bus pickup spot is 570 Lexington Ave
- Educators are not able to drive themselves
- Meals and refreshments
- Up to 16 hours of CTLE professional development credit
- Educators who fully participant will receive a $200 grant to use in the 2024/2025 school year for a project!
The following educators working in NYC, or Westchester, Suffolk, and Nassau counties are eligible to attend:
- Certified Pre-K through 12 teachers; all subject areas. Teachers should currently teach in a New York school and be planning to teach in the 2024-2025 school year. (*Certified agriculture educators are not eligible for this tour)
- School librarians
- Other school personnel who support and work directly with teachers
- University professors teaching pre-service teachers
- Cornell Cooperative Extension Educators currently implementing Agriculture in the Classroom programming
Instructional Resources for Teachers
Metro-Based Resources
Learning Standards Connections to AITC Lessons
Material Donations
Some of the resources have limited availability, past deadlines, or specific eligibility. Consider reaching out to the organization for more information. Know of any resources other teachers should know about? Reach out! bh592@cornell.edu
Seed donations
The company asks for a brief letter to describe your project including:
- What your organization or company objectives are.
- Where you are taking the seed, or where the seed or produce grown from it will be distributed.
Additionally, there are no costs for the seeds but a fee for shipping and handling is required.
The company has a registration form to nominate your own school or community garden to receive free seeds.
Library card holders can fill out a membership form and choose up to 4 packets per person per month.
Soil and compost donations
Learn about compost and see the section for "How to Get Compost".
Donates soil to community and school gardens and makes deliveries in Brooklyn and Queens, but has partners who may be able to deliver in other boroughs. Submit an online form to request a soil or topsoil delivery.
Community gardens, nonprofits & city agencies can request an appointment to pick up bulk compost or to have pallets of bagged compost delivered to their location for free.
For other ways to get donations, consider these tips:
- Contact local businesses such as garden centers, hardware stores, nurseries and farms.
- Reach out to community organizations that have focus on urban agriculture.
- Online Platforms such as Freecycle or social media groups
- School grants and fundraisers
- Garden associations and botanical gardens
- Parent and community involvement
- Local government and city programs
