Running head: GARDEN GRANT FUND PROPOSAL 1

Children’s Storybook Garden and Museum Garden Grant

Ryne Little

Children’s Storybook Garden and Museum – Hanford, CA

GARDEN GRANT FUND PROPOSAL 2

Children’s Storybook Garden and Museum Garden Grant

The Children’s Storybook Garden and Museum, located in Kings County of California, offers a

special Summer Camp Program where children can increase their reading skills, learn about

healthy and organic foods, and participate in physical activities. There are two major problems

faced by children in the California. One is childhood obesity. Childhood obesity has been

steadily increasing in recent years. A study conducted by Tabitha Blasingame notes, “Globally,

childhood obesity is on the rise. It has more than quadrupled in adolescents since 1980,”

(Blasingame, 2017).

The second major problem faced by children in California is illiteracy. According to the

California Board of Education, “49.13% of students failed to meet grade level reading

requirements,” (Roark, 2019). An article published in The Hanford Sentinel states that Kings

County in California has one of the lowest literacy rates in the state (The Sentinel, 2018).

Recently, a strong correlation between low education and obesity has been discovered. The CDC

stated, “childhood and adult obesity is reduced the higher level of education a person has,”

(CDC, 2019). Additionally, Blasingame determined that, by increasing education in children,

they will make better choices for their health (Blasingame, 2017).

With the help of the Garden Grant Fund, the Children’s Storybook Garden and Museum would

be able to combat these two major issues. Whole Kids Foundations mission is to, “…support

schools and inspire families to improve children’s nutrition and wellness. Given the right

opportunities, kids will get excited about fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other

nutritious whole foods,” (Whole Kids Foundation, 2020). This mission lines up perfectly with
GARDEN GRANT FUND PROPOSAL 3

the goals of the Summer Camp Program. The funding from the grant will go exclusively towards

the development and administration of the Summer Camp Program.

By analyzing the two major problems faced by children in California, the Children’s Storybook

Garden and Museum plans to create a new focused curriculum for the Summer Camp Program.

This curriculum consists of two objectives. The first objective is that 70% of all participants in

the Summer Camp Program will raise their reading skill levels by one grade level by August

15th, 2020, and the second objective is that 70% of participants in the Summer Camp Program

will lose two points on the Body Mass Index scale by August 15th, 2020. Figure 1 is a Scope of

the Work Form that has been developed to display what the objectives are, how they will be

measured, and what constitutes a success.

If the Children’s Storybook Garden and Museum were to receive the Garden Grant, the grant

funds would be distributed as follows:

 $1,200 – Materials for raised gardens (wood, soil, seeds, seedlings, and
small trees)
 $600 – Additional reading materials (books)
 $200 – Workshop and Class Development (paid time for education
specialists to develop new and effective curriculums)

By allocating the grant funds as stated above, the Children’s Storybook Garden
and Museum would be able to effectively meet the objectives in line with the
mission and purpose of the Whole Kids Foundation Garden Grant.
GARDEN GRANT FUND PROPOSAL 4

References

Adult Obesity Prevalence Maps. (2019, October 29) Center for Disease Control. retrieved from

https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/prevalence-maps.html#age

Blasingame, T. (2017, June 26) Addressing Childhood Obesity with Education. Journal of

Childhood Obesity 2:11. doi: 10.21767/2572-5394.100032. retrieved from

https://childhood-obesity.imedpub.com/addressing-childhood-obesity-with-

education.php?aid=19540#corr

Literacy in Kings County. (2018, September 27) The Hanford Sentinel.

https://hanfordsentinel.com/opinion/letters/literacy-in-kings-county/article_0cd646ee-

1ee8-5f21-bd7c-ce97614e6fbd.html

Thurmond, T. (2019, October 9) State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Announces Results of

Statewide CAASPP Assessment Tests and Supports Action to Address Disparities.

California Board of Education. Retrieved from

https://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/ne/yr19/yr19rel68.asp
GARDEN GRANT FUND PROPOSAL 5

Appendix
Figure 1