Students plant sprouts at Barack Obama Elementary School in Brookland Park.
Year after year, Richmond-area schools have been getting greener by the square foot. Garden beds filled with blooming vegetables have taken the place of blacktops, side yards and other unused outdoor spaces, thanks to dozens of plots planted by the Richmond-based nonprofit Fit4Kids.
The health-focused organization began 15 years ago with the mission to improve the well-being of local youth through physical activity and healthy eating. The group’s programs include movement-based lesson plans for teachers to incorporate physical activity into the classroom and an after-school program for young girls to try out active hobbies. Its most visible effort, though, is a series of Learning Gardens, which brings gardening and cooking activities to school-aged children in the Richmond metro area.
“They connect the students to fresh, nutritious foods through planting, growing and harvesting fresh vegetables and herbs,” says Mary Dunne Stewart, Fit4Kids’ CEO.
Obama Elementary students at work in the school’s Learning Garden
Built on the grounds of participating schools, Learning Gardens typically include four raised garden beds that act as outdoor classrooms where students plant, nurture and harvest their own food with Fit4Kids gardening specialists throughout the school year. To ensure students can witness the life cycle from seed to harvest, Stewart notes, they mostly plant fast-growing produce such as carrots and sugar snap peas; they also add fragrant herbs to diversify the garden. “These choices also help students learn about different parts of the plant we eat,” she says. “Some are root vegetables, while others provide edible leaves.”
Fit4Kids planted its 50th garden at Henrico County’s Seven Pines Elementary School in August, and the group plans to have sites at 55 area schools before the summer of 2026, Stewart says. Students learn to garden during two 10- to 12-week courses that take place in the spring and fall.
Besides imparting a green thumb, Learning Gardens also engage students through tastings of fresh fruits and vegetables, discussions about healthy diets, and activities such as cooking contests, where students are given surprise ingredients and encouraged to experiment. The program also has the benefit of encouraging discussions beyond the classroom.
“It increases the students’ interest in fresh fruits and vegetables, and they’re letting their families know there are other resources,” says Renesha Parks, chief student wellness officer at Richmond Public Schools. “I’ve seen the kids try fresh broccoli with seasoning, and they absolutely loved it.”
With Learning Gardens at all of Richmond’s Title I schools, Parks says, the program has had a big impact in underserved communities, both on children and their families, and she hopes to see a Learning Garden at every school in the city. “Fit4Kids embodies the things we value at Richmond Public Schools,” she says. “They are a trusted partner within our community.”
Looking forward, Stewart says, she hopes the gardens — and the educational seeds they plant — contribute to turning the tide of child hunger in Richmond, where 1 in 8 children lives in a food-insecure home, according to the nonprofit Feeding America. “We really believe that active, well-nourished children learn more in school, have greater self-esteem and go on to lead healthier, happier lives,” Stewart says.
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