Programs support farm foods, teachers
Making school lessons clearly relevant to the real world is essential to a good education.
Visits to our region by state officials last week drew muchneeded attention to some important programs that benefit people in our communities and across the state.
It started with state Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding stopping by the Leesport Farmers Market in Berks County to commemorate National Farmers Market Week and promote a cellphone app that helps connect Pennsylvania consumers with great places to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.
The FMNP app, which stands for Farmers Market Nutritional Program, shows the locations of farmers markets, their days and hours of operation, contact information, a map and a list of vendors that accept vouchers for the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program and the Women, Infants and Children program.
The information on voucher acceptance is particularly important. While the app is useful for anyone looking for a farmers market in Pennsylvania, it is especially valuable to people in need who want to take advantage of help bringing home fresh produce.
Redding noted that more than 10% of Pennsylvania’s population struggles with food access. State Sen. Judy Schwank, who also attended the farmers market event, noted that at least 16% of Pennsylvania children are food insecure, meaning they might not know where their next meal is coming from.
To help reverse that trend, FMNP offers income-eligible seniors and WIC participants vouchers worth a total of $20 to be used at participating market vendors by Nov. 30.
It’s not a tremendous amount, but it’s bound to help. It’s especially valuble in encouraging people to seek out fresh produce from local vendors, which can be good for their help and their pocketbooks.
Redding noted that nearly 350,000 people have the vouchers, but they don’t always get redeemed. The app will help connect people to vendors that accept vouchers.
For seniors to be eligible for vouchers, they must be 60 years old by Dec. 31 and have an income that does not exceed 185% of the federal poverty level, currently $23,107 per year for a single person or $31,284 for a household of two. Eligible seniors can contact their local Area Agency on Aging for information.
Anyone using WIC can participate in the produce voucher program. One of the goals is to encourage greater participation among WIC recipients.
The other state initiative getting attention in the region — again in Berks County — was the Teacher in the Workplace program. Inside Berks Business, as the program is known, helps local educators better understand the contemporary workplace and what students will need to know in order to succeed at a job.
Department of Labor and Industry Executive Deputy Secretary Robert O’Brien was on hand at the Boscov’s distribution center to see the Berks program in action.
The program has been around for three decades, so it’s hardly new, but the idea behind it is one the Wolf administration is trying to push statewide as part of a broader effort to strengthen Pennsylvania’s workforce. It’s a worthy endeavor.
This year the Wolf administration’s PAsmart initiative is providing $20 million for science and technology education, $10 million for career and technical education and $10 million for hands-on skills training and apprenticeships. The administration has provided $2.6 million this year for 59 Teacher in the Workplace programs across the state.
Inside Berks Business is a joint effort of the Berks County Workforce Development Board, Berks Business Education Coalition, Career Ready Berks, the Berks County Intermediate Unit, local businesses and local school districts. It places local teachers at businesses around the county for four days over the summer. On the fifth day, the teachers get together at a local business for a tour and a chance to share their experiences.
The idea of the program is to give teachers exposure to the skills that students will need to enter the workforce, and to parlay that into helping students plan for the future.
Joe Kollar, a chemistry and physics teacher at Wyomissing Junior/Senior High School, said his experiences in the program enable him to put a real-life spin on material typically constrained to textbooks.
Making school lessons clearly relevant to the real world is essential to good education. Encouraging programs that help make it happen is a positive in Pennsylvania.