The Ellis Garden
Education Program
The Ellis Early Learning Garden Education Program brings farm-based learning directly into our urban classrooms, teaching children where food comes from, how it grows, and how it connects to health, family, and community.
Since 2024, we have partnered with Somerville-based Green City Growers (GCG) to deliver hands-on urban agriculture and food literacy programming to more than 180 toddler and preschool students across our South End and Jamaica Plain campuses.
Garden Impacts
In 2025, our gardens saw:
Experiential Garden Learning
Each week, GCG’s Farmer Educators visit each center to lead hands-on, age-appropriate sessions that invite children to dig into the full growing process: planting seeds, watering and caring for crops, and harvesting fresh vegetables and herbs. Through these sensory-rich experiences, children build curiosity, confidence, and a deeper connection to the food they eat.
