Sustainable Landscapes

Sowing the Seeds of Change in Danbury Schools

Gardens welcome students, employees, and visitors at all Danbury schools, thanks to the many community partnerships, including UConn Extension’s community nutrition, Master Gardener, and 4-H programs. Students have opportunities for experiential learning through the gardens, including planting, watering, and caring for the plants. This fosters their education and nutrition awareness as they harvest produce from the garden and help prepare healthy meals.

Anne Mead ‘06 (BGS), the director of family, school, and community partnerships for Danbury Public Schools is a UConn Extension Master Gardener volunteer and collaborates with UConn Extension’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) in her work with Danbury Schools. Mead’s mother was a 4-H leader, and they bring aspects of UConn 4-H throughout the school garden initiative.

“I came into the district with a farm and garden approach to schools, and we have gardens at many schools now. We have a Farm to School Institute team and are implementing the 3C’s: classroom, curriculum, and cafeteria.”

In addition to the skills and knowledge she has gained as a Master Gardener volunteer, Mead also appreciates the community connections Extension programming provides. She helps families who visit the Master Gardeners at the farmers market, providing resources and recommendations on types of vegetables to grow and scaling up their garden each year. She continues volunteering with the program and helping people with gardening and food choices, in addition to her role with the schools.

Mead’s building in the Danbury School System is connected to the elementary school building, in 2025, she received a grant from the Connecticut Master Gardener Association to add a pollinator garden for butterflies and insects on their playscape. She also serves on the district’s health and wellness committee, and they are developing healthier snacks, cutting down on highly processed, sugar-laden foods, and adding more fresh fruits and vegetables to the menus. The 3- to 5-year-olds participate in making the meals and then filling their plates.

The gardening and nutrition projects are one aspect of Mead’s work with Danbury Public Schools, but the impact is far-reaching. “We hope to see much better nutrition,” Mead shares. “Gardening with the students is a time without a lot of competition and very little technology, they can be themselves in the garden. The parents are participating too, and it’s building a sense of community with the youth and families.”

Read the full article at s.uconn.edu/danbury.