Save the Date!

Growing School Gardens Summit
A Gathering to Inform, Inspire and Invigorate the School Garden Movement

Sunday, April 17- Thursday 20, 2021
Grand Hyatt Denver ~ Denver, Colorado

Created by the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation in Collaboration with Life Lab,
and the School Garden Support Organization Network

Join Us for the Growing School Gardens Summit

Join 400 school garden leaders and educators from across the country at the inaugural Growing School Gardens Summit in Denver to elevate the national school garden movement so that we can create vibrant school gardens for ALL children in the United States. As the first-ever national summit entirely focused on school gardening, this gathering will unite garden and nutrition educators, and organizations interested in collective action to promote sustainable school gardens. Created by the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation in collaboration with Life Lab and support from the School Garden Support Organization Network, the summit will provide attendees with new knowledge, technical skills, and resources, along with a feeling of being welcomed, nurtured and inspired.

Pollinating a Thriving School Garden Community

Inspired by the words of Jane Wei-Skillern, we aim “to build constellations not stars” in the school garden movement. Through this national gathering, we will cross-pollinate each other’s work with peer-to-peer networking, best-practice sharing, and resources to grow and sustain the school garden movement.

Key Areas We Will Explore

  • Teaching in the Garden – Curriculum & Instruction Models
  • School Gardens for Student Wellness & Nutrition Education
  • Assessing & Sharing Program Impacts
  • School Garden Maintenance and Design
  • Resilient Program Models – Sustaining & Institutionalizing School Gardens
  • Professional Development – Training Garden Educators
  • Connecting to Communities Beyond the School Garden Gates
  • Collective Action to Advance the School Garden Movement
Denver Skyline
Hosted in downtown Denver, the Summit is nestled in a community home to more than 200 school and community gardens. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore local gardens and experience a taste of Denver with farm to table meals featuring locally sourced produce.
Pinnacle Room
As people who value nature, community and connectedness, the Summit location on the top floor of the Grand Hyatt Denver will provide scenic views of the mountains, and a warm, open environment conducive to networking, creativity and empowerment.
Talking Healthy Eating
Together, attendees will learn the power of “being networked” and how to leverage and work collaboratively with other organizations to inform the school garden movement at the local, regional and national level.

Registration Information ~ Early Bird Registration Opens in Fall 2020

Space is limited to 400 in-person attendees for the Summit in order to provide conference attendees with a high-value, high-impact gathering. We will also provide distance-learning tracks to allow those unable to travel to participate in the Summit. Please use the form below to express your interest in attending the conference and to sign up to receive registration information.

Yes, I’m Interested! Keep Me Informed on Summit Updates

Timeline Snapshot

June 2020 Summit Advisory Committee Formed & Standing Meetings Established
July 2020 Call for Proposals & Deep Dive Sessions Available
Aug 2020 Workshop & Deep Dive Session Proposals Due
Sept 2020 Workshop & Deep Dive Sessions Confirmed
Fall 2020 Registration Open

**COVID19 Special Information**

In the event that the novel coronavirus impacts gatherings in 2021, all conference attendees will receive a full refund for their hotel accommodations, and the conference will be hosted virtually. All conference planning will take this into consideration, ensuring a smooth transition experience in the event that alternative planning is required.

The Growing School Gardens Summit is supported by the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation. Additional sponsorship opportunities to be announced.

Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation