Program importance Ratings
Members of the evaluation team asked Community Gardens clients to rate
the program. SpecificalIy, we asked gardeners the following question: "on a
scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being the highest), how important is the garden
program to you?" Overall, clients gave the program a very high mean rating
of 8.62. Adult gardeners, who usualIV received program benefits for a full
season, gave higher ratings (mean of 8.98) than the youth gardeners, who
usualIy participated in the program for 4 to 18 weeks (mean of 8.00). When
we compared the importance ratings given by European Americans to those
given by the people of color (Asian American, Latino, and African American
clients), we found that the ratings were nearIy identical for both groups
(mean of 8.59 and 8.65 respectiveIy). See Table 3.1.