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Our Mission
Wellness in the Schools (WITS) is a 501(c)(3) grass roots organization dedicated to children's environmental health, nutrition and fitness in the NYC public schools.

Overview
The idea for Wellness in the Schools (WITS) grew out of a common interest shared by a group of concerned New York City public school parents. We united in the conviction that healthier bodies make healthier minds, and that, conversely, unhealthy school environments interfere with student health, school attendance and academic achievement.

In order to provide healthier places of learning, we tackled three major issues within schools: Children's Environmental Health, Nutrition, and Fitness. With these areas in mind, we started with three pilot schools. During the 2005-2006 school year, we introduced several pilot programs. School by school, we will continue to promote healthier places of learning as we bring our pilot programs to scale.

Our goal is simple, we want our children to have the best possible environment in which to learn. Our programs currently only serve NYC public schools.



About the Greenhouse Project

 The Greenhouse Project is a pilot program to construct environmental science laboratories on the rooftops of NYC public schools. The idea was conceived by NYC parents and educators who discovered that environmental science education is lacking within the NYC public school system, and that many schools have vacant roof-tops which could serve as ideal spaces for hands-on learning facilities. A Greenhouse Project Laboratory will typically be built as a traditional greenhouse to accommodate an urban farm and environmental science laboratory. Grade school children will grow food, while learning hands-on about nutrition, water resource management, efficient land use, climate change, biodiversity, conservation, contamination, pollution, waste management, and sustainable development. To facilitate a hands-on learning environment, the Greenhouse Project Laboratory will include solar panels, a hydroponic growing system, a rainwater catchment system and a weather station.

The pilot Greenhouse Project Laboratory will be constructed on the roof of Manhattan School for Children (PS 333). The teachers at PS 333, along with their partners at NYSunworks, are developing a curriculum which will be available to all schools, including those outside the NYC public school system. The plans and curriculum will provide a prototype for all public schools to use and implement. The Greenhouse Project has approvals from PS333 with architectural plans in place, as well as cooperation and support from the School Construction Authority (SCA). In addition, PS333 has set aside funds to finance a full-time environmental science teacher.