CITY GARDENS CLUB SCHOLARSHIPS For New York City Public School Educators

Summer 2024 Scholarship Programs applications are closed.

What Did a Plant Ever Do for You?

Explore the beautiful gardens and collections at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and gain an understanding of the value of plants in natural and human history. Through an inquiry-based approach, we will discover how plants are built, how they work, and how they interact with the living and nonliving components of the diverse environments they inhabit. Emphasis is placed on experiential, authentic learning that participants can readily bring back to their classrooms.

Fee includes curriculum materials and resources, plant and potting-up supplies, and access to the Garden.

The CGC scholarship for this Brooklyn Botanic Garden program covers the $250 fees for the course and all necessary materials, as well as the $125 fee for the “P” in-service credits. You must register for both the class through BBG and the P credits through ASPDP. CGC Scholarship application deadline: April 1, 2024.

If you have any questions about the program, please contact Judith Hutton, at [email protected].

Program Provider: Brooklyn Botanic Garden http://www.bbg.org/
Program Location: Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 990 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY
Intended Audience: Pre-K to grade 12 teachers
Date and Time: In person August 19-23 (Monday-Friday), 8:30-5:00pm; two self-paced asynchronous sessions: final assignment is due by Thursday, August 29.
Credits: 45 hours – 3 “P” credits through ASPDP

Program information is the best available at the current time, and may change pursuant to institutional/government/health/safety guidelines.

Sharing Nature: An Educator’s Week

Learn practical approaches and add inspiration to your environmental education curriculum during this action-packed program. Our experienced and enthusiastic instructors share their favorite approaches, methods, and activities for engaging children and adults with nature.

Workshops using techniques in art, music, photography, theater, journaling and other disciplines will be presented. Participate in a host of classic Audubon Camp field trips, including a boat trip to the restored Atlantic Puffin and Tern colony on Eastern Egg Rock, intertidal explorations, and hiking through Hog Island’s unspoiled spruce-fir forest. In a beautiful outdoor setting, these experiences provide a wonderful opportunity to learn new methods of teaching to bring home to your students. We’ll explore citizen science, create inquiry-based lessons on birds and other topics, and demonstrate low and high-tech methods of teaching.

The CGC scholarship for the Hog Island Audubon Camp program covers the $ 1,590.00 tuition fee. Tuition includes meals, Standard Room housing, instruction and all boat trips. Participants must arrange transportation to and from the Audubon dock in Bremen, Maine, at the start and end of the session. CGC Application Deadline: March 11, 2024.

You must register through the Hog Island Audubon Camp. If you have questions or for further information about the Hog Island Audubon Camp, please contact the office at 207-360-7733 or [email protected].

Provider: National Audubon Society, Hog Island Audubon Camp
Course Location: Hog Island Audubon Camp, Bremen, Maine
Dates: July 14,15,16,17,18,19,2024.

Program information is the best available at the current time, and may change pursuant to government/health/safety guidelines.

Foundations in Education for Sustainability 2024

Spend five rich days with colleagues from around the country at an informative and restorative experience that will give you the opportunity to deepen your understanding of Education for Sustainability (EFS). This program is held at Shelburne Farms and is part conference, part workshop, part retreat.

Designed to be dramatic and democratic, the Institute offers teachers the time and space to develop projects of personal interest while providing opportunities to learn from colleagues and other leaders in the field of Education for Sustainability. Interactive sessions will feature a blend of individual work time, peer-to-peer feedback, resource sharing, hands-on learning experiences, and large and small group discussions. Our overall goal is to ensure participants have the opportunity to develop connections between curriculum and community, work and dialogue together, and reflect in an inspiring setting that models sustainability and systems-thinking.

The CGC Scholarship for Shelburne Farms program covers the $750.00 tuition with light breakfast and lunch and the four nights $350.00 accommodation fee. You must register for the course through Shelburne Farms. CGC Scholarship application deadline: April 1, 2024.

If you have questions about the program, please contact the Director of Professional Learning, Jen Cirillo at [email protected] or 802-985-0315. For registration, contact [email protected]

Program Location: Shelburne Farms, 1611 Harbor Road, Shelburne, Vermont
Intended Audience: Pre-K to grade 12 teachers
Course Provider: Shelburne Farms
Date and Time:  Monday, July 8, 2024 to Friday, July 12 2024, All day

Program information is the best available at the current time and may change pursuant to government/health/safety guidelines.

Farm to Table Experience for the Classroom

Join us at Snug Harbor’s Heritage Farm to break a sweat, get your hands dirty and be a farmer for a few days. This is a behind-the-scenes, hands-on opportunity to learn how a farm and compost site operates. You will learn classroom techniques for guiding students in your school garden and create home-school connections. Topics include site design and crop planning, seed germination, greenhouse engineering, harvesting, food waste diversion and composting. Participants should expect to exercise both their minds and bodies throughout the course.

The CGC scholarship for this Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden program covers the $300 fee for the program, related materials and a light snack. CGC Scholarship application deadline: April 1, 2024.

If you have questions and need more information about the program, please contact [email protected]

Course Location: Snug Harbor Heritage Farm, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY
Course Provider: Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden
Intended Audience: Grades 3-8 teachers
Date and Time: July 29- August 2 2024. 8:30 am – 4:00 pm

Program information is the best available at the current time, and may change pursuant to government/health/safety guidelines.

Herbal Wisdom: Exploring Food, Family & Culture

Herbs are versatile, low-maintenance plants that provide flavor, fragrance, medicinal properties and insecticidal abilities. Growing herbs dates far back in history and they have played a critical role in medicine, cooking, religion and health. In this course, we will focus on using herbs to explore botany, nutritional science, culture, and literacy. Participants will gain practical knowledge about growing and using different types of herbs and how they can enrich their curriculum with these easy-to-grow plants.

First, participants will explore how to make herbal body care products like salves, face masks and essential oil sprays. Then, participants will cook delicious and nutritious cultural keystones like curries, guanabana, chimichurri, and jerk seasoning. And, finally, participants will also make herbal tonics like poultices, infusions and oxymels. Participants will also learn how to select, plant, grow, maintain, and harvest herbs in school gardens. The final project will comprise of a designed herb garden with 12 herbs and four culturally relevant activities that deepen student learning.

The CGC scholarships for The Horticultural Society of New York programs cover the $225 fee for the program and related materials, as well as the $125 fee for the “P” in-service credits. CGC Scholarship application deadline: April 1, 2024.

If you have questions or need more information about the programs, please contact the Director of Education, Pamela Ito at 917-886-1707 or [email protected].

Course Location: Online
Course Provider:  The Horticultural Society
Intended Audience:  Grades 3-5 teachers
Date and Time: Mondays July 29 – August 3. 930 am – noon
Credits: 45 Hours – 3 “P” credits through ASPDP

Program information is the best available at the current time, and may change pursuant to government/health/safety guidelines.

Urban Agriculture: Science, Justice and Sustainability

This course will focus on best practices for growing vegetables and herbs in New York City Schools. We will share The Horticultural Society’s urban farm recommendations from soil to fork. These will include natural soil amendments, crops for small spaces (both seed and seedlings), integrated pest management practices. harvesting techniques and finally recipes for healthy eating.

In addition to the science of urban agriculture, we will identify sources of fresh produce in our school’s neighborhoods. Participants will assemble raised beds, employ vertical space, install irrigation, solicit local funding, harvest crops and preserve them together. Participants will also design and take steps to start (or expand) their own urban farm in their school while immersing themselves in answers to questions surrounding land acquisition, sustainable agricultural practices and access to fresh, local produce.

The CGC scholarships for The Horticultural Society of New York programs cover the $225 fee for the program and related materials, as well as the $125 fee for the “P” in-service credits. CGC Scholarship application deadline: April 1, 2024.

If you have questions or need more information about this program, please contact the Director of Education, Pamela Ito at 917-886-1707 or [email protected].

Course Location: Online
Course Provider:  The Horticultural Society
Intended Audience:  Grades 4-8 teachers
Date and Time: Monday-Saturday July 22-27. 9:30 am – noon
Credits: 45 Hours – 3 “P” credits through ASPDP

Program information is the best available at the current time, and may change pursuant to government/health/safety guidelines.

Seedlings Summer Institute: Nature and Science for Early Childhood and Elementary Educators

Created for teachers of Grades Pre-K-2, the Seedlings Summer Institute provides a weeklong immersion in nature and plant science with an emphasis on hands-on strategies and management techniques for teaching science inside and outside of the classroom. Teachers strengthen science instruction using inquiry-based activities that bridge curricular connections between math and literacy for early learners.  

The CGC scholarship for this New York Botanical Garden program covers the $250 fees for the course as well as the $125 fee for the “P” in-service credits.  You must register both for the class through NYBG and for the credit through ASPDP.  CGC Scholarship application deadline: April 1, 2024.

If you have questions about this program, please speak with the NYBG professional staff at 718-817-8140 or email [email protected].

Course Location: New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx, NY
Program Provider: The New York Botanical Garden
Intended Audience: Pre-K-5^th grade teachers
Date and Time: Monday, July 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 2024.  9:00 am – 5:30 pm
Credit: 45 hours – 3 “P” credits through ASPDP.  

Program information is the best available at the current time and may change pursuant to government/health/safety guidelines.

Plant, Learn and Grow!  School Gardening 201

Plant, Learn and Grow! Gardening 201 is designed to provide classroom teachers with strategies to support student learning through the integration of a garden project into their curriculum. Whether your school garden is plants on your windowsill or in the schoolyard, participate in hands-on gardening methods to build your background knowledge. Topics include pest management, soil quality monitoring, pollinator interactions and more.

The CGC scholarship for this New York Botanical Garden program covers the $250 fees for the course as well as the $125 fee for the “P” in-service credits.  You must register both for the class through NYBG and for the credit through ASPDP.  CGC Scholarship application deadline: April 1, 2024.

If you have questions about this program, please speak with the NYBG professional staff at 718-817-8140 or email [email protected].

Course Location: New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Blvd. Bronx, NY
Program Provider: The New York Botanical Garden
Date and Time: Monday, August 19, 20,21,22,23,24, 2024.  9:00 am – 5:30 pm.
Credit: 45 hours – 3 “P” credits through ASPDP  

Program information is the best available at the current time, and may change pursuant to government/health/safety guidelines.

The Art of Science

Discover ways to help students experience the wonder of the outdoors through art and science. Hone observational skills and ask questions using the Garden grounds and exhibition as inspiration. Explore how natural forms can provide an inquiry-based framework for learning and art making.

The CGC scholarship for this New York Botanical Garden program covers the $100 fees for the course as well as the $45 fee for the one “P” credit.  You must register both for the class through NYBG and for the credit through ASPDP.  CGC Scholarship application deadline: April 1, 2024.

If you have questions about this program please speak with the NYBG staff at 718-817-8140 or email [email protected].

Program Location: New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx, NY
Program Provider: The New York Botanical Garden
Date and Time:  July 25-26, 2024, 9:00 am – 5:30 pm.
Credit: 15 hours – 1 “P” credit through ASPDP 

Program information is the best available at the current time and may change pursuant to government/health/safety guidelines.

Questions about programs should be directed to the program providers noted in the program descriptions above. Questions about the scholarships themselves may be sent to [email protected].