Our Purpose & Vision
Through thoughtful programming and local community partnerships, Epperson Oaks Foundation creates meaningful opportunities for children to grow in confidence, develop practical life skills, and experience the pride that comes from purposeful work. By combining agricultural education with inclusive, small-group instruction, we expand access to experiential learning for families seeking enriching alternatives. Our goal is to provide programs that are sustainable, community-supported, and rooted in long-term educational impact.
Children at Epperson Oaks care for animals, tend garden beds, prepare simple farm-to-table recipes, and participate in collaborative projects that connect learning to real life. Whether harvesting vegetables, collecting eggs, or working together to solve problems, students develop responsibility, teamwork, and a lasting respect for the land and one another. By connecting academic concepts to agricultural practice, students reinforce literacy, mathematics, and scientific in meaningful hands on experiences.
Programs
Seeds of Knowledge
Integrated Academics
Seeds of Knowledge blends literacy, mathematics, science, and social development within meaningful agricultural experiences. Through journaling, applied math activities, nature-based science exploration, and collaborative projects, students connect core academic concepts to hands-on learning in a structured, small-group environment.
Soil to Supper
Garden & Culinary
Students cultivate garden beds, explore plant science, harvest seasonal produce, and participate in simple farm-to-table preparation experiences. This program fosters environmental stewardship, food literacy, and practical life skills while reinforcing academic learning through experiential agricultural practice.
Roots & Relationships
Social Growth & Communication
In this inclusive, small-group program, students practice answering questions, engaging in conversation, cooperative play, and teamwork through shared farm responsibilities. Caring for animals, tending gardens, and completing collaborative tasks help children strengthen communication, problem-solving, and peer interaction in a supportive, hands-on setting.
Garden to Market
Entrepreneurship Rooted in Real-World Experience
Garden to Market teaches financial literacy and small-business principles through hands-on farm enterprise. As students grow, harvest, package, and sell products, they learn budgeting, pricing, and profit awareness in real-world ways.
Students develop vital business skills such as creating product ideas and building age-appropriate business plans. Younger learners are introduced through playful market experiences that build early math skills, confidence, and responsibility.
Chick-a-Boom Math
Math that Comes to Life
Designed for ages 4–7, ChickaBoom Math brings early math skills to life through hands-on farm experiences. Using egg collecting, counting feed scoops, measuring garden rows, sorting seeds, and tracking plant growth, students build strong number sense in ways that feel exciting and real.
Instead of worksheets, children learn through movement, repetition, and purposeful farm tasks. By connecting math to caring for chickens and tending the garden, concepts become fun, meaningful, and memorable.