Request for Proposals

Evaluation of the Farm to School BC program

Deadline for Proposal Submission: August 10, 2018

Contact Person: Richard Han, Provincial Manager

Click here to read the entire request for proposal

The Public Health Association of BC is seeking proposals for qualified and experienced individuals or companies to conduct an evaluation of the Farm to School BC program (F2SBC).

The Program

Established in 2007, Farm to School BC (F2SBC) is a K-12 school-based, healthy eating program administered by the Public Health Association of BC (PHABC), which brings healthy, local, culturally appropriate and sustainable food practices into classrooms. By linking schools to their communities and mobilizing stakeholders, the program empowers students, builds school capacities, strengthens community relations, fosters food literacy skills, and strengthens local food systems.

Three core elements of Farm to School BC are:

Healthy, local food
Hands-on learning
School & community connectedness

Farm to School BC activities look different in every school, school district, community and region. From microgreens, school garden beds to beekeeping, tower gardens and aeroponic systems, the programs are driven and maintained by a Farm to School team identified at each
school and community.

Currently, there are five established Farm to School BC Regional Hubs across the province

Capital Region (School Districts 61, 62, 63, 64)
Kamloops Region (School District 73)
Nanaimo North Region (School Districts 68, 70)
Northwest Region (School Districts 54, 82)
Vancouver Region (School Districts 38, 39)

The regional hubs are coordinated by local Community Animators and supported by a network of stakeholders including public health dietitians and community partners. F2SBC provides grants to schools within and outside the regional hubs to help them plan and implement F2SBC activities. To date, 163 schools have received funding to implement and sustain their respective Farm to School program.

Program Objectives

To increase fruit and vegetable consumption amongst participating school aged children (K-12).
To increase student knowledge about the local food system, local foods, and nutritional health.
To enhance student skills in the areas of food procurement, processing, and cooking.
To strengthen local farm, school, and community partnerships.
To develop promising practice models that are self-financing, eco friendly and have the potential to be implemented elsewhere.

Research Project Details

Evaluation on Students’ Health and Learning Outcomes: August 2018 to December 2019 An evaluation to be conducted in the 2018/19 school year to determine impact of F2SBC on evidence-based healthy eating indicators and assess health outcomes (including but not limited to):

Willingness to try fruit and vegetables of participating students
Students’ preference for fruits and vegetables grown at school
Students’ intention to eat fruits and vegetables
Increased daily consumption of fruit and vegetables for students aged 12+ years
Students in grades 3, 4, 7, 10 and 12 reporting that at school, they are learning to care for their physical health (for example, getting healthy food and exercise)
Better social and emotional health of participating students
Increased school connectedness
Awareness of healthy local food
Sustainability of the F2SBC programs funded through F2SBC since 2014

Methods

A mix of quantitative (e.g. surveys) and qualitative (e.g. focus groups, interviews) can be used to assess the impact of F2SBC on participating students and schools. Because the program is customized by schools to meet their unique needs, the evaluation approach and tools need to be developed to fit the F2SBC model as implemented in BC public schools. Please refer to the attached request for proposals for a full list of schools participating in the program since 2014 and for potential metrics to consider in the evaluation.

Proposed target groups

Students (including but not limited to Grades 3, 4, 7, 10 and 12)
Teachers
School administrators
Dietitians
Community partners

Research project term

The successful applicant must be available to start planning for this evaluation as soon as confirmed by PHABC (late August 2018) and willing to work with an Advisory Group to finalize evaluation design and tools.