Plant the Seed

“The board chair, treasurer, executive director and bookkeeper review the form 990 to ensure accuracy. Once complete, the executive director also submits the form 990 to givingmatters.com of the community foundation of middle tennessee, for public review.”

“Officers, directors, trustees and key employees discuss potential conflicts of interest whenever relevant during employee interviews, board and executive committee meetings.”

“The board of directors establishes the compensation of the executive director. The board will conduct an annual performance review and approve a salary increase, where recommended, for the executive director in june of each year.”

“The executive director makes recommendations on compensation and the board reviews and approves the recommendations. The executive director conducts annual performance reviews for all employees and then makes recommendations for salary increases, which are subject to board approval.”

“All organization documents are available upon request by the general public.”

“Plant the seed inspires and empowers young-people through garden-based learning - connecting them to the land, their education and one another. Plant the seed provides hands-on garden-based learning within community organizations, such as metro nashville public libraries and within metro nashville public schools. Our programming is fully-integrated into the learning objectives for predominately under-resourced pre-kindergarten and elementary age students throughout nashville. We conduct site assessments at each location, build age-appropriate growing environments, orient teachers and youth development staff to the garden and train them in the ways it can enhance their classroom or youth development programming objectives, and develop and facilitate seasonally-relevant, garden-based lessons for each of our approximately 1,400 students at least once a week. Additionally, plant the seed has developed a 138-page toolkit to guide other pre-k and elementary education programs in establishing garden-based learning that can be integrated into their curriculum, classroom and school.”

“Currently, plant the seed provides hands-on garden-based learning within six metro nashville public schools and is entering a second year partnership with nashville public library branches, growing programming in year two to three partner sites. Our programming is fully-integrated into the learning objectives for approximately 1,400 predominately under- resourced students throughout nashville. At each site we conduct assessments, build site and age-appropriate growing environments, orient teachers or youth development staff to the garden and train them in ways the garden can enhance their classroom or community-based youth program objectives. We also develop and facilitate seasonally-relevant, garden- based lessons for each student at least once a week. Additionally, we have developed a 138-page, 27-lesson garden toolkit to guide other early learning and elementary education programs in how to integrate the garden into their classroom or community youth programming.”