Anton Chico Schools

Growing Minds: Outdoor Learning and Garden Education for Anton Chico Students provides all 78 K–8 students in this 100% economically disadvantaged, rural community with hands-on, garden-based learning throughout the school year and a 4-week summer camp. The program includes a Garden Specialist, teacher stipends, and paid student tutors to lead and support outdoor activities that promote academic engagement, science literacy, wellness, and environmental stewardship. By integrating outdoor spaces into daily instruction, the initiative creates a sustainable model that connects students to the land, each other, and their own learning.

The "Growing Minds: Grow & Learn" program targets all 68 K–8 students of Anton Chico Schools, New Mexico, delivering outdoor education with specific focus on New Mexico's landscapes and cultures. Utilizing Outdoor Equity Fund support, the initiative provides experiential learning through quarterly Project-Based Learning explorations and a summer camp, focusing on increasing academic engagement, environmental stewardship, and connection to New Mexico's heritage. It offers year-round, grade-level outdoor studies by developing PBL units around seasonal themes, and culminates with an immersive summer camp focused on gardening, greenhouse management, and local natural resources, thereby fostering lifelong land connection, academic success, and stewardship.