Factors Contributing to a School's Decision to Apply for the California Instructional School Garden Program

Objective: To compare the applicant schools (AS) to non-applicant schools (NAS) residing in the same school districts for the California Instructional School Garden Program and identify barriers to the application process. Methods: A case-control, cross-sectional study design was used to compare resources and school environments. Pearson chi-square and logistic regression were conducted. Results: Public schools throughout California participated (n = 1,662). The response rates for AS and NAS were 43.2% and 48.2%, respectively. Applicant schools had greater access to garden coordinators and parent/community volunteers dedicated to school gardens, and they had other sources of funds/grants to support school gardens compared to NAS (P < .001). Conclusions and Implications: Access to certain garden resources played a significant role in predicting whether schools would decide to participate in the California Instructional School Garden Program.