2026 School Garden Leadership Institute

Participant Hub

June 22-27, 2026 - UC Santa Cruz

Participant Timeline

April 30 - Submit Travel Details (1 form per participant), Pre-participation Survey (1 per organization)
May 15 - Partner School Sustainability Surveys Due (see below)
June 22-27 - School Garden Leadership Institute

Partner School Sustainability Survey

Link to School Garden Sustainability Survey

1. How many School Garden Surveys does each Leadership Institute team need to complete?

  • Each team is required to complete surveys with four (4) partner schools.

2. When do the surveys need to be completed?

  • Pre-Surveys: All four schools must complete the pre-survey by May 15, 2026.

  • Post-Surveys: A follow-up survey must be completed by those same schools between March and May 2027.

3. Who are we surveying?

  • Life Lab will request a list of your four partner schools that your School Garden Support team plans to survey. These should be the schools you are directly working with and supporting.

4. How will this information be used?

Life Lab will:

  • Track survey respondents

  • Monitor participation across schools

  • Compile and report survey response data back to each SGSO team as responses are received

The data will help measure growth, sustainability, and impact over time. We will report outcomes to the Leadership Institute funder, Whole Kids, in our grant reports.

5. Can we submit more than four surveys?

Yes! Your team is welcome to submit surveys from more than four schools. Please notif us of the four schools whose data you would like us to loook at. 

For evaluation purposes, Life Lab will only analyze and report data from four schools per team.

6. What if I leave my position before the post-survey is completed?

If there is a staffing transition, your organization should designate another team member to ensure the post-survey is completed between March and May 2027. We recommend documenting your four partner schools and sharing survey expectations internally to support a smooth transition.

7. How will my partner schools know which survey to complete?

When respondents fill out the survey, they will be asked to select you as their School Garden Support Organization from a list.

Please be sure to send Life Lab the exact name your schools know you by, so we can ensure it appears correctly in the survey.

Leadership Institute Draft Agenda

Monday, June 22: Arrive by 3:45, Check-in, Welcome, Optional Evening Networking
Tuesday, June 23: Four Domains of Resilient School Gardens, Building Strong School Garden Culture, Snapshot of Partner School Sustainability Surveys, Solution Sessions
Wednesday, June 24: Exploring Instructional Models, Effective Professional Development
Thursday, June 25: Field Trips: Creating and Maintaining School Garden Sites, Sustaining and Staffing School Garden Programs
Friday, June 26: SGSO Engagement Planning, Team Reflection & Action Planning
Saturday, June 27: Departure, Optional Post Excursions to Redwoods, Farmers Market, Etc.

Helpful Links

 

    • In cases of illness or emergency, a partial refund may be considered on a case-by-case basis, minus a minimum processing fee of $165 per attendee.

    • Cancellations more than 2 weeks prior to the retreat start date may be eligible for a refund, minus a $165 processing fee per attendee. Or registration may be transferred to a replacement participant.

    • Travel expenses are not refundable by Life Lab.

    • Due to our van pool scheduling, if you need to depart outside the suggested flight travel times, transportation to/from the airport is not included, and you will be responsible for making arrangements.

    If you have any questions, please contact us at (831) 400-8577.

Questions? Contact Kelsey Cerdas kelsey@lifelab.org

 
 
 

Hosted by Life Lab and Whole Kids, a project of Whole Foods Market Foundation, in partnership with the SGSO Network.