Purpose Built Schools Farm Program

Feeding, educating and engaging PBSA families and their communities.

Find out how student-led farms continue to nourish, empower south Atlanta community.

Feeding the Community

Our school farms are vibrant and participatory local food systems that address the unequal distribution of healthy food in south Atlanta.

Educating the Next Generation of Farm Entrepreneurs

Curriculum-based, hands-on activities on the farms provide students with agricultural knowledge and experience growing their own food.

Creating a Hub of Engagement That Connects Schools and Community

By connecting local resources and organizations to the farm, our farm program helps boost the local economy.

Our vision is for all PBSA families to be food secure and active participants in their local food system.

Our Principles

  • Proximity and access to healthy and culturally appropriate food sources.
  • Families connected to and engaged with food in their community.
  • Local organizations vested in food security.
  • Community decision-making and participation in the food system.
  • Pantries are only a fail-safe; moving away from short term fixes.

Our Impact

  • We empower Purpose Built Scholars to be change agents in their communities.
  • Scholars discover the value of creating and participating in their own food systems.
  • We improve access for PBSA families to healthy, culturally relevant food.

Our Farm Partners

  • Price Middle School Farm
  • Slater Elementary School Greenhouse
  • Urban Recipe Co-Op at Slater Elementary School
  • CORner Store at Carver STEAM Academy
  • The Paideia School
  • Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta
  • Carver Market

Program Highlights

Culinary and Nutrition Education

Students engage in regular cooking and nutrition lessons using produce from the farm.

Planting and Caring for Seeds

From planting to harvesting, students interact with every stage of the growth of produce on the farm. By the end of each season, students are noticeably more comfortable interacting with the natural world.

Design Workshops

First semester students work with a design coach to learn and apply principles of 3-D design to create structures for the farm.

Project-Based STEAM Learning on the Price Farm

Through project-based learning, students explore health and food security issues facing their community. Students research Black food justice advocates and devise plans to introduce more varieties of fruits and vegetables into their diets.

Connecting With The Community Through Farming

We host groups of volunteers to work on the farm and learn about food justice and food security efforts happening in Atlanta.

Social Emotional Learning on the Farm

Angora rabbits, raised by our very own Farmer Sally, are brought to the school as a reward for students. Exposure to our rabbits increases students’ abilities to emotionally self-regulate and react to each other with gentle kindness. Animal therapy has been proven to help participants better cope with health problems, life changes, and mental health difficulties.

Studying Cultural Food

Students interview one another to learn about their individual and shared food traditions.

We are thrilled to invite your child to join us for Pre-K at Purpose Built Schools Atlanta. We still have available enrollment spots for Pre-K. Enroll today for the 2023-2024 school year!

 

Enroll Now!