Organizational Equity Commitment
Life Lab is committed to advancing equity and inclusion as we cultivate children’s love of learning, nourishing food, and nature through garden-based education. LEARN MORE
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To Our Esteemed Community:
We are reaching out with an important update on Life Lab, which is undergoing significant changes related to programming and staffing.
Life Lab is a charitable 501(c)3 nonprofit that became financially over-extended when large contracts ended and philanthropic support for program expansion did not keep up. Working closely with our Board of Directors and consultants, we reduced staff to accommodate for programming changes and the pursuit of promising opportunities.
Life Lab is actively pursuing philanthropic funding so we may continue offering exceptional professional development opportunities for educators nationwide while operating summer camps and internships at our Garden Classroom in Santa Cruz, CA.
Three years ago, Life Lab accepted a large, three-year contract to partner with PVUSD to provide garden and nutrition education in 13 elementary schools. Dedicated Life Lab team members were instrumental in instruction, garden and facility support, and program management.
As our contract ends this summer, we are thrilled that PVUSD will continue integrating school gardens into its after-school curriculum. PVUSD will be one of the first in the nation to have credentialed teachers leading after-school gardening programs as full-time teachers. The in-District program will foster learning in the garden, ensuring lasting impact through hands-on learning about science, nourishing food and nature to life. The District is currently recruiting for the program - see available positions here.
Our partnership with PVUSD will continue through July, when Life Lab provides the five-week Semillas to Sunflowers summer program, which includes garden and nutrition education and training at our Blooming Classroom site. This program also includes exploring college life through a field trip visit to the UCSC campus.
As Life Lab’s direct-service contract with PVUSD schools concludes and our organization scales down, we are shifting our focus back to Life Lab’s 45+ years of national impact as a train-the-trainer for garden educators.
For questions related to Life Lab’s restructuring, please contact Whitney Cohen
Life Lab cultivates children's love of learning, nourishing food, and nature through garden-based education.
We know that garden-based learning is important to you. Like a garden, Life Lab needs pollinators to help us grow our programs. Please share our work with friends and family and donate as you are able.
Our
Programs
Drawing on over 45 years of experience in the field, Life Lab is a nationally-recognized leader in the movement for garden-based learning. Through workshops, conferences, and leadership institutes, we have provided tens of thousands of educators across the country with the inspiration and information necessary to cultivate children’s love of nourishing foods, nature and learning through garden education.
Our Partners and Clients
