New York Sun Works Inc

STEM WITH HYDROPONIC FARMING IN THE CLASSROOM

STEM WITH HYDROPONIC FARMING IN THE CLASSROOM

URBAN HYDROPONIC AGRICULTURE IN NYC PUBLIC SCHOOL CLASSROOMS USDA-NRCS-NHQ-UAIP-20-NOFO0001013

NEW YORK SUN WORKS STEM WITH HYDROPONIC FARMING IN THE CLASSROOM

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** NY SUN WORKS IS A NON-PROFIT THAT BUILDS HYDROPONIC FARMS IN NEW YORK CITY K-12 SCHOOLS TO TEACH SCIENCE, URBAN AGRICULTURE, AND CLIMATE EDUCATION. FUNDAMENTAL TO SUPPORTING THE STUDENTS WE SERVE IS OUR THREE-YEAR TEACHER PROFESSIONAL LEARNING PROGRAM, PROVIDED BY OUR TEAM OF EDUCATORS AND HYDROPONIC FARMING PROFESSIONALS. THE TRAINING ENABLES TEACHERS TO CONFIDENTLY IMPLEMENT OUR CURRICULUM AND USE THE HYDROPONIC SYSTEMS EFFECTIVELY AS TEACHING TOOLS, IN TURN SUPPORTING AN OPTIMAL LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR THE STUDENTS AND BUILDING STUDENT INTEREST IN AND ENGAGEMENT WITH URBAN AGRICULTURE AND THE RELATED FOUNDATIONAL SCIENCES. THIS TRAIN THE TEACHER MODEL INCLUDES 16 2-HOUR SESSIONS OF ONE-ON-ONE CURRICULUM AND TECHNICAL FARMING TRAINING IN YEARS 1 & 2, WEEKLY SYSTEMS MAINTENANCE SUPPORT AND FARMING MENTORING IN ALL 3 YEARS, AS WELL AS GROUP PROFESSIONAL LEARNING SESSIONS THROUGHOUT ALL 3 YEARS. FUNDING FROM THE USDA'S PDAL PROGRAM WILL ENABLE US TO:DELIVER OUR 3-YEAR TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM TO 50 NEW PARTNER PUBLIC SCHOOLS, REACHING 50 K-12 TEACHERS WITH A COMPREHENSIVE CURRICULUM AND TECHNICAL HYDROPONIC FARMING TRAINING AND ONGOING MENTORING SUPPORT.OFFER TEACHER STIPENDS TO THE 50 TEACHERS FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, WITH THE GOAL OF INCENTIVIZING TEACHERS TO COMPLETE THE FULL SCOPE OF TRAINING AND PROVIDING A TEST CASE OR ASSESSING WHETHER STIPENDS SHOULD BE INCORPORATED INTO TRAINING MOVING FORWARD.EXPAND OUR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CONTENT TO DEVELOP NEW MODULES AND TRAIN TEACHERS IN A) CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN A FARM-CLASSROOM SETTING AND B) ADAPTING THE CURRICULUM AND CLASSROOM TO SUPPORT HIGH LEVEL SPECIAL NEEDS.

PROPOSAL TO DELIVER URBAN AGRICULTURE EDUCATION TO PRIMARY & SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN SOUTH BRONX, NEW YORK CITY

DESCRIPTION:THIS PROJECT PROVIDES FUNDING TO NY SUN WORKS TO IMPLEMENT ITS PROJECT, WHICH WILL DESIGN, DEMONSTRATE, AND DISSEMINATE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PRACTICES, METHODS, AND TECHNIQUES, THAT WILL SERVE TO INCREASE ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY AND ENCOURAGE BEHAVIOR THAT WILL BENEFIT THE ENVIRONMENT IN NEW YORK CITY URBAN SCHOOLS. THE GRANTEE WILL DO THIS BY DELIVERING A CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM TO 8 SCHOOLS IN NEW YORK CITY (4 IN BROOKLYN; 2 IN QUEENS; 2 IN MANHATTAN), REACHING OVER 1,600 K-8TH GRADE STUDENTS AND TRAINING 8 EDUCATORS. THE PROGRAM WILL BUILD STUDENT PROFICIENCY IN AN INQUIRY BASED, GRADE SPECIFIC WAY ON CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, BUILD UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE OF URBAN AGRICULTURE IN SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT COMMUNITIES, AND EXPAND TEACHER KNOWLEDGE AND INSTRUCTIONAL CAPACITY IN CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, AND URBAN FARMING SO THAT THEY CAN EFFECTIVELY EXTEND LEARNING TO SUCCESSIVE CLASSES. ACTIVITIES:THIS PROJECT WILL INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN HUDSON HEIGHTS, LOWER EAST SIDE, ASTORIA, SUNNYSIDE, BROWNSVILLE, EAST NEW YORK, BERGEN BEACH, AND CYPRESS HILLS AND PROVIDE STUDENTS, AND EDUCATORS, THE SKILLS NECESSARY TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS AND TO TAKE RESPONSIBLE ACTIONS. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED DURING THIS PROJECT PERIOD INCLUDE: 1) WEEKLY, GRADE-SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, STEM, AND CLIMATE INSTRUCTION.; 2) IN-CLASS SEED-TO-HARVEST HYDROPONIC FARMING; AND 3) CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE RESEARCH PROJECTS, 4) HARVEST PROGRAM WHERE STUDENTS BRING HOME THE PRODUCE THEY'VE GROWN IN CLASSROOMS 5) CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE RESEARCH PROJECTS 6) WEEKLY MENTORING IN HYDROPONIC FARMING FOR EACH SCHOOL'S DESIGNATED HYDROPONICS TEACHER 7) ONE-ON-ONE CURRICULUM SUPPORT SESSIONS AND GROUP PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS FOR EACH SCHOOL'S DESIGNATED HYDROPONICS TEACHER . THE WORKSHOPS AND MENTORING WILL EXPAND TEACHER KNOWLEDGE AND INSTRUCTIONAL CAPACITY IN CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND URBAN FARMING SO THEY CAN CONFIDENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY EXTEND THE LEARNING TO SUCCESSIVE CLASSES OF STUDENTS. SUBRECIPIENT:SUBRECIPIENTS WILL FACILITATE THE PLACE-BASED LEARNING ASPECT OF THE PROJECT. THEY ARE: NEWTOWN CREEK ALLIANCE, HUNTERS POINT PARK CONSERVANCY, LOWER EAST SIDE ECOLOGY CENTER, NYC H20, AND GROW BROWNSVILLE. NEWTOWN CREEK ALLIANCE WILL ARRANGE FIELD TRIPS FOR STUDENTS FROM TWO SCHOOLS TO PARTICIPATE IN ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP ACTIVITIES AND LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY, HABITAT, AND HUMAN IMPACT ON THE NEWTOWN CREEK AND SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT. HUNTERS POINT PARK CONSERVANCY WILL PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCHOOLS FROM LONG ISLAND CITY AND THROUGHOUT NYC TO BRING IN SCHOOL FIELD TRIPS FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN ABOUT URBAN ECOLOGY, NATIVE HABITATS, CLIMATE RESILIENCY AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, AND THE NATIVE SPECIES OF NEWTOWN CREEK AND THE EAST RIVER NYC H20 WILL ARRANGE FIELD TRIPS FOR STUDENTS FROM TWO SCHOOLS TO PARTICIPATE IN ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP ACTIVITIES AND LEARN ABOUT WATER ECOLOGY IN NEW YORK CITY. LES ECOLOGY CENTER WILL PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL FIELD TRIPS FOR LOCAL STUDENTS TO VISIT OUR FOOD JUSTICE GARDEN IN THE LOWER EAST SIDE TO EXPLORE URBAN FOOD AND WASTE SYSTEMS AND LEARN TO BE STEWARDS OF OUR URBAN ENVIRONMENT. GROW BROWNSVILLE WILL FACILITATE FIELD TRIPS FOR STUDENTS FROM TWO SCHOOLS ON THE NETWORK OF ENERGY COOPERATIVES AND URBAN FARMS. OUTCOMES:IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT THIS PROJECT WILL RESULT IN THE FOLLOWING DELIVERABLES: FOR THE EDUCATION PROGRAM: AT LEAST 40 WEEKLY INSTRUCTIONAL SESSIONS PER SCHOOL THROUGHOUT SCHOOL YEAR (320 SESSIONS ACROSS ALL 8 SCHOOLS), COVERING ENVIRONMENTAL, CLIMATE, AND FOUNDATIONAL SCIENCES THROUGH THE LENS OF URBAN FARMING; 4 HARVEST DISTRIBUTIONS TO STUDENTS AND FAMILIES PER SCHOOL (32 TOTAL) TO SUPPORT FOOD SECURITY AND ENGAGE FAMILIES IN SUSTAINABILITY CONCEPTS THROUGH DISCUSSION CARDS AND TAKE-HOME ACTIVITIES; 8 HYDROPONIC

** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** URBAN AGRICULTURE, WHICH IS DEFINED AS THE GROWING OF FOOD IN AND AROUND CITIES AND ITS INTEGRATION INTO THE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND ECOLOGICAL FABRIC OF AN URBAN SYSTEM, IS INCREASINGLY RECOGNIZED AS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF A SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEM. WHETHER THROUGH COMMUNITY FARMS OR, WITH THE ADVENT OF HYDROPONIC TECHNOLOGY, INDOOR COMMERCIAL FARMING SPACE, URBAN AGRICULTURE PRESENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO GROW LOCAL, EASILY-TRANSPORTABLE FRESH PRODUCE THAT FACILITATES ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOOD, IMPROVES FOOD SECURITY, AND CREATES SKILLED JOBS FOR LOCAL RESIDENTS.BUILDING A WORKFORCE SKILLED IN THE NUANCES OF URBAN AGRICULTURE - BOTH SOIL-BASED AND HYDROPONIC - IS CRUCIAL TO GROWING THIS SECTOR. NEW YORK CITY IS A PRIME LOCATION FOR EXPANDING THE FIELD: THE CITY ALREADY HAS A STRONG NETWORK, PRACTICE, AND CULTURE OF URBAN FARMING, FROM THE MORE THAN 700 COMMUNITY GARDENS THROUGHOUT FIVE BOROUGHS, MANY OF WHICH BEGAN ON ABANDONED BUILDING LOTS AND NOW ARE PROTECTED, TO A RAPIDLY-GROWING COMMERCIAL FARMING INDUSTRY. IT ALSO HAS ROBUST COMMUNITY-BASED MOVEMENTS AND LOCAL POLICY INITIATIVES CENTERED AROUND FOOD SECURITY, LOCAL FOOD ACCESS, AND THEIR INTERSECTION WITH ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. NEEDED, HOWEVER, ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS TO FORMALLY TRAIN AND BUILD THE SKILLS THEY NEED TO PARTICIPATE EQUITABLY IN THIS GROWING SECTOR.NY SUN WORKS, A NON-PROFIT LEADER IN K-12 SUSTAINABLE URBAN AGRICULTURE EDUCATION IN NYC, IS WELL-POSITIONED TO ADDRESS THIS NEED. WE BUILD HYDROPONIC CLASSROOMS IN CITY SCHOOLS, PAIRING THEM WITH OUR GRADE-SPECIFIC CURRICULUM AND COMPREHENSIVE TEACHER TRAINING, TO TEACH SCIENCE, SUSTAINABILITY, AND CLIMATE EDUCATION THROUGH HYDROPONIC FARMING. STUDENTS MASTER SEED-TO-HARVEST HYDROPONIC FARMING AND GROW HUNDREDS OF POUNDS OF FRESH PRODUCE TO SHARE WITH THEIR FAMILIES WHILE ALSO DIVING INTO CORE SCIENCE CONTENT, SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE EDUCATION. WE CURRENTLY SERVE OVER 300 SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, REACHING 120,000 STUDENTS IN THE 2023-24 SCHOOL YEAR, WITH A FOCUS ON SUPPORTING STUDENTS IN HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. IN 2022, WE ALSO LAUNCHED THE CITY'S FIRST CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE (CEA) WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, WHICH WAS DEVELOPED WITH FUNDING FROM USDA-UAIP AND FOLLOWS CORNELL UNIVERSITY'S INDOOR FARMING PROGRAM FRAMEWORK. THE PROGRAM EQUIPS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH TECHNICAL SKILLS, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE, AND WORKFORCE READINESS TRAINING WHILE BUILDING PATHWAYS FOR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES TO PARTICIPATE EQUITABLY ON NEW YORK'S GREEN ECONOMY.WITH THE SPECA GRANT, NY SUN WORKS WILL BE ABLE TO: 1) UPGRADE OUR CURRENT URBAN AGRICULTURE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CURRICULUM TO MEET COMMUNITY COLLEGE-LEVEL COURSE STANDARDS; 2) SECURE CPL (CREDIT FOR PRIOR LEARNING) APPROVAL AT THE ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE LEVEL FROM LAGUARDIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE, A TWO-YEAR COLLEGE WITHIN THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NY SYSTEM; 3) TRAIN 12 CEA SCIENCE TEACHERS IN THE RE,VISED CURRICULUM; 4) REACH AN ESTIMATED 650+ STUDENTS OVER THE COURSE OF THE GRANT CYCLE WITH EXPANDED CEA TRAINING; AND 5) ASSESS STUDENT OUTCOMES, INCLUDING STUDENT POST-SECONDARY MATRICULATION RATES, TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF THE CPL OPPORTUNITY ON STUDENT DECISIONS TO PURSUE POST-SECONDARY OPPORTUNITIES AT LAGUARDIA.THESE INITIATIVES WILL SUPPORT SEVERAL KEY AGRICULTURE POLICY PRIORITIES BY ENHANCING URBAN AGRICULTURE EDUCATION CURRICULA; DECREASING BARRIERS TO AND ENCOURAGING INTEREST IN POST-SECONDARY STUDY IN THE SUSTAINABLE URBAN AGRICULTURE FIELD, PARTICULARLY FOR STUDENTS FROM LOW-INCOME HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED POPULATIONS; AND, BY FACILITATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR POST-SECONDARY STUDY, GROWING THE PIPELINE OF SKILLED WORKERS ENTERING THE FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL SECTORS. THESE INITIATIVES FURTHER ADDRESS THE OVERARCHING NEED TO SUPPORT EQUITABLE ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS FROM HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES. INTRODUCING STUDENTS TO POSTSECONDARY PROGRAMS AND PROVIDING CREDIT FOR PRIOR LEARNING WILL DECREASE BARRIERS TO ENTRY AND SUPPORT ONGOING STUDENT SUCCESS (FOR EXAMPLE, STUDIES SHOW THAT CREDIT FOR PRIOR LEARNING INCREASES STUDENT PERSISTENCE AND IMPROVES STUDENT OUTCOMES IN POSTSECONDARY PROGRAMS). IN ADDITION, THE TRAINING WE WILL PROVIDE TO HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS IN CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION AND HYDROPONIC FARMING SKILLS WILL BUILD TEACHERS' SKILLS AND EXPAND THE PROGRAM'S REACH TO SUCCESSIVE COHORTS OF STUDENTS EVEN AFTER THE GRANT CYCLE CONCLUDES, SUPPORTING URBAN AGRICULTURE EDUCATION OVER THE LONG-TERM. ?