GiR scheduling, communication, and program structure questions

[Kristin Arext]

Hi all,

Thanks for raising these questions — many of them really resonate with our experience partnering with schools.

On communication and scheduling:
One thing that has helped us reduce back-and-forth is establishing a single point of contact at each school (often a garden lead or instructional coach) and using a shared planning tool early on. Some partners use a simple Google Sheet with pre-set lesson “windows” (rather than exact dates) aligned to classroom schedules, which gives both sides flexibility while cutting down on individual emails. We’ve also found that offering schools a few pre-built scheduling models (for example: weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly visits) can make decision-making easier during a hectic start to the year.