El Dorado County Ag in the Classroom is a local, grassroots, charitable organization that provides quality agriculture-related educational resources, programs, and training opportunities to increase awareness and understanding of the importance of agriculture in our lives.
El Dorado county residents enjoy many benefits of diverse agricultural operations - farms, orchards, vineyards, timber lands, cattle ranches, olive groves, and many others - that fuel our economy, feed our families, and preserve our beautiful rural landscapes.
Agriculture is part of our daily lives - from the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the homes we live in. Ag in the Classroom provides resources and opportunities for children to gain an appreciation and understanding of the role of agriculture. When students learn about soil, cultivation, food cycles, animals, nutrition, natural resources, and stewardship of the land, they can make informed decisions as consumers and community members as they grow up.
Through programs like Farm Day and Fields of Learning, El Dorado County Ag in the Classroom offers educators, students, and the public opportunities to learn about agriculture in context of local farms, ranches, vineyards, and forests. These quality educational programs and supporting resources 1) Connect students to hands-on agricultural experiences 2) Help students make informed decisions about their food choices and health 3) Promote an understanding of the sustainable production of food, fiber, and shelter and 4) Highlight the significance of our local food supply and agricultural heritage.
Our mission is to cultivate through education an understanding and appreciation of how important and all-encompassing agriculture is in our daily lives.
El Dorado County Ag in the Classroom currently seats a Board of Directors totaling 11 persons. We look for persons energetic about our mission and can bring to the table expertise, experience, and enthusiasm to support our strategic goals. Skill sets may include but are no limited to education, agriculture. non-profit governance and compliance, finance management, human resources, program and project management, etc..
El Dorado County Ag in the Classroom has a deep tradition of support via sponsors for our most tenured and successful programs, such as Farm Day. Numerous grants exist to develop and launch programs, but it is the day to day operational costs and salaries beyond those programs that are limited and inhibiting the growth and reach of the organization. Unrestricted funding needs are critical to keep established programs and projects in flight and the organizational doors open.
The largest inhibitor to schools participating in our programs is transportation. The costs entangled in the contracts of transportation in school districts have all but made field trips prohibitive. Students education is becoming more and more confined to the walls of their classroom and less hands-on and "in the field" due to these limitations. As Ag in the Classroom, like many non-profits, struggles to support day to day operations through extremely limited unrestricted funding, finding financial assistance for the schools who wish to participate in our programming who can not due to transportation costs would be next on our list of funding needs.
Organization name
El Dorado County Ag in the Classroom
2000
Tax id (EIN)
68-0305421
Mission Category
Education
Operating Budget
$100,001-$250,000
Organization Need
Funding: Unrestricted, Funding: Other, Board Members
Demographics Served
Youth & Children, General population
Local Counties Served
El Dorado
Address
2460 Headington RoadEl Dorado County, CA, US