FARMS FOR CITY KIDS

What FARMS FOR CITY KIDS does

Farms for City Kids Foundation is a Vermont-based non-profit that operates Spring Brook Farm, a 1,000+ acre traditional dairy farm in Reading, Vermont, home to over 100 registered Jerseys (42 milking), a 3,000+ tap Sugar Bush, a greenhouse, garden, and an on-site artisanal cheese house operated by the related Spring Brook Farm Cheese, LLC. The foundation's core offering is a free, week-long residential educational program that brings urban youth ages 8-12 from metropolitan New York, Boston, Vermont, and beyond to the farm, where they rotate through team-structured tasks across the dairy barn, small animal barn, greenhouse, garden, cheese house, and dormitory. Academic content (math, social studies, natural science) is integrated into daily farm activities, and the program also runs a City Kids Adventure Learning summer offering for alumni covering wilderness and survival skills.

The foundation has operated continuously for more than 25 years, hosting over 750 students annually, and is sustained primarily through individual, corporate, and foundation donations. Commercial revenue is generated via an on-farm store selling maple products (syrup, cream, sugar, gift boxes, branded merchandise) with limited hours, while cheese is sold through the separate Spring Brook Farm Cheese, LLC storefront at sbfcheese.org. The organization holds four registered trademarks (Farms for City Kids, Moos from the Farm, City Kids, Lessons for a Lifetime) and is enrolled in the Vermont Land Trust conservation program, providing long-term land use security. Marketing and donor cultivation are driven by the 'Moos from the Farm' blog, active Facebook/Instagram accounts, a YouTube channel launched during the pandemic, an annual fall Open House event, and a formal school application process. The operating team is small (1-10 employees) and includes long-tenured farm and education leadership.

Name

FARMS FOR CITY KIDS

Legal name

Farms for City Kids Foundation

Website

https://farmsforcitykids.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Farms for City Kids Foundation is a Vermont non-profit providing free week-long residential farm education to urban youth ages 8-12 from metropolitan New York, Boston, and Vermont. Operations are funded through donations and on-farm maple product sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Farm-Based Educational Programs

NAICS

Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (444240), Support Activities for Animal Production (115210), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Outdoor / Nature-Based Nursery & Forest Playgroups (EDACACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Farmers’ Markets & Farm Stands (Fresh Food) (CRAHAHAE), Community & Nonprofit Before/After Care Programs (Early Years) (EDACAHAD)

Keywords

• Residential farm education
• Experiential learning programs
• Nonprofit youth education
• Dairy farm operations
• Maple products retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Reading

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Donations and charitable contributions: As a non-profit foundation, Farms for City Kids relies on individual, corporate, and foundation donations to fund operations and provide the educational program at no cost to visiting schools.
2. Maple products sales: The organization operates an on-farm store selling maple syrup (12oz glass bottles from $10, pints at $10, quarts at $18), maple cream (3oz from $4, 8oz from $7, 16oz at $13), maple sugar (3oz at $4, 6oz at $7, 1lb bags at $15), gift boxes (Cozy Maple & Coffee at $30, Vermont Maple Pancake Gift Box at $30), and branded merchandise (16oz ceramic camper mug at $10). Proceeds from maple product sales directly support the Farms for City Kids program. On-farm sales are available with limited hours, not on weekends.
3. Cheese sales (through Spring Brook Farm Cheese, LLC): Spring Brook Farm Cheese, LLC uses the milk produced by the farm's Jersey cows to make artisanal cheeses. The cheese house features a glassed-in viewing area so students can observe the cheese-making process. The cheese is sold through a separate store at sbfcheese.org. The cheese operation is a related entity (separate LLC) that enhances the educational mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Farms for City Kids Foundation operates a free one-week residential educational program at Spring Brook Farm in Reading, Vermont, where urban elementary school students (ages 8-12) rotate through team-structured hands-on tasks across dairy barn, small animal barn, greenhouse, garden, cheese house, and dormitory. The foundation also sells Vermont maple products (syrup, cream, sugar, gift boxes) and branded merchandise through an on-farm store, with all proceeds supporting the educational mission. Cheese is produced and sold via a related entity, Spring Brook Farm Cheese, LLC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Moos From The Farm: A blog/news section of the Farms for City Kids website featuring updates about farm activities, student visits, and seasonal events.
• City Kids Adventure Learning

Products and services

• Farms for City Kids Program A free one-week residential educational program for urban youth (typically ages 8-12) that combines classroom studies with hands-on farming experience at Spring Brook Farm in Reading, Vermont. Students rotate through team-structured tasks across the dairy barn, small animal barn, greenhouse, garden, cheese house, and dormitory. The program integrates academics (math, social studies, natural science) with hands-on farm work and is offered at no cost to visiting schools. More than 750 students are hosted each year.
• City Kids Adventure Learning

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 750 students served per year in a free one-week residential program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Farms for City Children (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1992The founders of Farms for City Kids were inspired by and modeled their program after the UK-based 'Farms for City Children' organization, which they visited in 1992. The American program was created to bring the same active learning in a farm setting model to inner-city kids in America.
• Spring Brook Farm Cheese, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpring Brook Farm Cheese, LLC is a related business entity that uses the milk produced by the farm's 42 milking Jersey cows (over 600,000 lbs. annually) to produce award-winning artisanal cheeses. The cheese house features a glassed-in viewing area at two levels, allowing Farms for City Kids students to observe cheese making and learn about chemistry, microbiology, food preservation, economics, and health. The cheese operation directly supports the educational mission by providing a real-world application of the farm's dairy operations.
• Halliday's Buttermilk Pancake MixminorHalliday's Buttermilk Pancake Mix, made next door in Bellows Falls, Vermont, is partnered with the organization's maple syrup and maple cream to create the Vermont Maple Pancake Gift Box sold for $30. This is a product-level partnership for the store's gift box offerings.
• Vermont Artisan CoffeeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVermont Artisan Coffee, crafted by owner Mané, is partnered with the organization's maple sugar and branded ceramic mug to create the Cozy Maple & Coffee Gift Box sold for $30. Their artisan blend ground coffee (medium roast, farm direct, South American and African coffee blend) is featured in the gift box. This is a product-level partnership for the store's gift box offerings.
• Vermont Land TrustcoreOthersSpring Brook Farm is part of the Vermont Land Trust conservation program, which provides long-term land use security and ensures the farm's preservation for agricultural and educational purposes. This is a conservation/land stewardship partnership that protects the operational foundation of the organization.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Farms for City Children: The original UK program that directly inspired the American Farms for City Kids in 1992. Operates week-long residential farm experiences for urban children on working farms — identical mission, model, and target audience, but based in the United Kingdom.
• Shelburne Farms: Vermont-based nonprofit educational farm that hosts school programs, summer camps, and hands-on learning on a working farm. Directly comparable as a Vermont nonprofit farm delivering immersive agricultural education to youth and families.
• Wolfe's Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment: Maine-based nonprofit farm that runs residential farm camps, school field trips, and farmer training programs on a working coastal farm. Directly comparable as a Northeast nonprofit operating immersive youth education on a working farm.
• The Farm School: Massachusetts-based nonprofit that runs multi-day residential programs for youth and adults on a working farm, including a semester-long student program. Comparable as a nonprofit offering immersive residential farm-based education.
• Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture: New York-area nonprofit working farm and educational center that trains young farmers and hosts schoolchildren in hands-on food and agriculture programs. Comparable as a high-profile nonprofit farm combining education, working agriculture, and public engagement.

Broad incumbents

• Heifer International: Large international nonprofit focused on ending hunger and poverty through sustainable agriculture, including youth education programs (Heifer USA, learning gardens). Broader in scope than Farms for City Kids but addresses overlapping themes of agriculture-based education and youth engagement.
• Green Chimneys: New York-based nonprofit that combines therapeutic and educational services with a working farm to support children with special needs and at-risk youth. Comparable in using a farm as a vehicle for youth development and education, though focused on a different student population.

Emerging players

• Sprout Creek Farm: New York-based nonprofit working farm that runs educational programs for schoolchildren and youth, including cheese-making and animal care. Smaller and more regional than Farms for City Kids, but operates a similar educational farm model with on-site cheese production.

Others

• National Farm to School Network: National nonprofit that connects schools with local farms to provide food, nutrition, and agricultural education. Comparable as a connector between urban schools and farm-based experiential learning, though it is a network/advocate rather than a farm operator.
• Vermont Land Trust: Statewide land conservation nonprofit that protects Vermont farmland, including Spring Brook Farm. Not a direct peer, but the conservation partnership is foundational to Farms for City Kids' operating model and several peer farms are similarly conserved.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Farmsforcitykids
• Xx.com/FarmsForCityKid
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/farms-for-city-kids-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FARMS FOR CITY KIDS