FRESNO, Calif. – In a community impacted by food insecurity and limited access to fresh produce, a Fresno school is teaching students that healthy habits can begin long before a doctor’s visit – starting in the garden.
At Golden Charter Academy in west Fresno, students are growing their own fruits and vegetables and learning how to turn them into nutritious meals. The hands-on approach gained momentum this past school year through a partnership with Valley Children’s Healthcare.
The collaboration supports the school’s culinary and garden-based learning program, where produce grown on campus is used in weekly cooking classes. Educators say the initiative is designed to improve long-term health outcomes by introducing children to fresh foods and helping them build lifelong skills for making healthy choices.
“When the kids get to pick tomatoes and their vegetables out of the garden, they have this sense of pride,” said Robert Golden, founder and CEO of Golden Charter Academy. “Like, ‘I grew this. I planted this.’”
Golden, a Fresno native, Edison High graduate and former player for the Pittsburgh Steelers, said the school was built around a mission of environmental stewardship and community impact. Golden Charter Academy encourages students to think beyond traditional career paths and instead focus on solving real-world problems.
“A lot of times the question gets asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’” Golden said. “Here, we’re asking, ‘What problems do you want to solve?’”
The partnership with Valley Children’s was a natural one due to the organization’s focus on preventative health care and addressing the social factors that affect children’s well-being before they have to visit the hospital.
“Organizations like Golden Charter Academy are already doing fantastic work,” said Dr. Carmela Sosa, medical director of the Guilds Center for Community Health at Valley Children’s. “Partnering with them and supporting what they’re already doing is one additional way that we can help keep our kids healthy where they live, learn and play.”
Students participate in weekly hands-on cooking classes using produce grown in the school’s garden. Lessons include nutrition-focused recipe building such as smoothies, wraps, salads and fresh dips, along with seasonal food-themed education. Monthly guest chefs visit campus, and each student receives a kid-friendly recipe book to take home. Families are also invited to community cooking events and healthy tastings.
Children enrolled at Golden Charter Academy largely come from neighborhoods impacted by food deserts and some of the highest pollution levels in the state. School officials say that close to 95% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, making food insecurity a persistent challenge for many families.
“The access and enjoyment of those healthy fruits and vegetables really helps to prevent chronic illness and chronic disease such as diabetes,” Dr. Sosa said. “They’re involved in producing the food they get to enjoy over time, and that connection matters.”
Sloane Campbell, director of the school’s Fun Food Explorers program, said the curriculum exposes students to foods and flavors they often haven’t experienced before.
“We’ve done all sorts of things that most of the kids have never seen,” Campbell said. “It’s really fun to watch them learn new things and try new flavors.”
School leaders say the program is already changing students’ habits. Children now regularly ask for healthier snacks, request to take recipes home and show growing excitement for fruits and vegetables – especially avocados. Many students are teaching their families what they’ve learned in class.
Golden said community partnerships will be critical to sustaining programs that support student health, especially as the school prepares to move to a larger campus in 2026, which will give them the opportunity to accept hundreds of additional students.
“With the support of committed organizations like Valley Children’s, we can continue to provide life-changing programming,” Golden said. “This has been a blessing not only to these kids, but to the whole community.”
