Gardening and Cooking Program | Berkeley Unified School District

1005 Parker St, Berkeley, CA 94710
Phone: 510-486-9350

Jezra Thompson, Program Supervisor
jezrathompson@berkeley.net

The Berkeley Public School Gardening and Cooking Program is woven into student life District-wide to ensure the academic, physical, emotional, and social development of all students from preschool through high school. We engage all learners with hands-on instruction as they cultivate positive relationships with the world around them and their peers.

Our goal is to enable and inspire our diverse student body to achieve academic excellence and make positive contributions to our world!

Program Curriculum

We’ve developed a Garden-Based Learning Curriculum, © Berkeley Unified School District, that directly supports BUSD learning and teaching goals. Each lesson is designed to be an interactive teaching tool, co-taught with classroom teachers and garden instructors as leads. These hands-on lessons 1) connect academics to real-world experiences; 2) include all learners; 3) invite curiosity; and 4) provide opportunities for reflection.

Download Complete Curriculum Package:
Complete Curriculum PDF (Color)
Complete Curriculum PDF (Printer-Friendly)

Download Specific Lessons:
Click through the live hyperlinked scope and sequence to download or print out only the lessons that you are looking for.

Hyperlinked Scope & Sequence (Color)
Hyperlinked Scope & Sequence (Printer-Friendly)

Printer-friendly versions are black & white and do not include posters, diagrams, or cards in the Resources section. Please check out the cover page of each link to learn more about the curriculum, including the intention, design, and user guides.

“Garden is a magical place, great that kids get to see it develop over the year, do so many tastings, and activities in the packets are great. Instructor clearly loves her work and showing what she knows to kids.”
– BUSD Classroom Teacher

“We have 4 Garden Specialists who teach in 8 gardens from TK-8th grade. We use the Berkeley curriculum daily in our lessons. We have enjoyed many of the hands on activities and the “workbooks” which we have turned into garden journals. Some of our favorite activities are the water cycle, composition of soil, beneficial and non-beneficial insects (always a hit with the students) and FBI.”
– Garden Coordinator, Ukiah Unified School District.

“I can’t tell you enough how the curriculum has been a help and an inspiration to us. I love to garden, but I don’t have teacher training, so having rubric-based plans and ideas is SO helpful. Keep up the great work.”
– Seeds of Hope, Wilson, NC

“I learned how to check if there are added sugars or natural sugars in your beverage by looking at the ingredients on the bottle.”
– Middle School Student

Career Technical Education in Public Health

Students at Berkeley High School and Berkeley Technology Academy are offered courses in Career Technical Education (CTE) in Public Health; and students at Willard and Longfellow Middle School are offered CTE in gardening and cooking and Growing Leaders electives This year-long course focuses on career and learning opportunities for better understanding diet-related disease and local policy intended to curtail health inequities. Students practice communication and collaboration skills, while building confidence as problem-solvers.

“Facilitating the food pantries has overall given me a great working experience. I really get to use my communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. I also get the opportunity to learn about others’ living situations, lifestyles, and preferences when they choose to share about it and it fills my heart with even more compassion for the people that are able to benefit from it in the Bay Area. In sum, I have a lot of pride to be a part of the food pantries at Berkeley High. I’ve gotten to strengthen and build my relationships with my peers and mentors while also gaining valuable work experience. I’m really grateful to be working with such a great organization and great people!”
– BUSD High School Student

Food Pantries are Available Free to the Public

Program staff and students studying Public and Community Health manage the high school food pantries in partnership with Berkeley Food Network and Growing Leaders. Together, we are able to provide fresh produce, ready made meals, and pantry items for free to our school and City community. Students get real-world experience working with the community on healthy food access and are paid hourly as part of their Career Technical Education internship.

The Berkeley Technology Academy food pantry is in service every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month from 2:30 – 4:00 pm at 2701 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The Berkeley High School food pantry is in service on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month from 3:00-4:00 pm on MLK between Bancroft and Allston Way.

Funding

These projects are funded through a Healthy Berkeley grant with matching dollars from BUSD General Fund, Extended Learning Opportunities from California Department of Education (CDE), Strong Workforce Development Grants from The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO), in partnership with the CDE, and California Department of Food and Agriculture Farm to School Incubator Grant Program. Supporting projects are funded through generous grants from our community and with donations from our community.

Donate Now

Your financial gift will support our work in serving BUSD students in the gardens and kitchen classrooms. We rely on generous donations to provide additional support for innovative projects that uplift students’ learning. You can send your check payable to: Attn: Jezra Thompson, Gardening & Cooking Program, 1005 Parker St Berkeley, CA 94710. In the memo section of the check, please add “Gardening & Cooking Program.”

Volunteer With Us

Volunteers are an important part of our work. Whether it is garden maintenance, instructional support, or event assistance, please consider volunteering your time by visiting the Berkeley Public Schools Fund to fill out the form for volunteering and specify that you’d like to volunteer with us.

Reports and Special Committees

Social Media

Must submit three proofs, one from each of the groups listed below.

All Proofs must be current originals (issued within the last 2 months) imprinted with the name and current Berkeley residential address of the parent/legal guardian. A student can have only one residency for purposes of establishing residency and must be living in Berkeley when submitting forms.

Only personal accounts will be accepted. No care of, DBA or Business accounts.

Group A:

Submit one of the following. Must provide all pages.

Rental property contract or lease, and proof of payment dated within 45 days
Renter or homeowner insurance policy for the current year (no bill, declarations or policy page only)
Current property tax statement
Property deed dated within the last 12 months

Group B: Utility bill

Submit one of the following. Must provide entire bill.

PG&E
Landline phone (non-cellular)
EBMUD
Internet
Cable

Group C:

Submit one of the following. Must provide all pages, cannot be bill.

Current bank statement (checking or savings only)
Action letter from Alameda County Social Services Department
Recent paycheck stub or letter from employer on official company letterhead
Both valid automobile registration and valid automobile insurance
Voter notification or ballot for the most recent past or upcoming election