Health & Safety

Your Child's Well Being at the Farm

Participating children benefit from our thirty years of providing a warm, safe, satisfying experience. Several factors contribute to the overall atmosphere of meaningfulness and security. The Barkers actually live at the farm, sharing the same environment and daily happenings with their visitors. The ratio is one Barker to six visitors. The experience is noncompulsory. Those who come to the farm all want to be there. Half are returning from previous years. As animal lovers the visiting children tend to be a caring and cheerful group.

The policies and ground rules are specific and clear and reflect many, many years of experience. This attention to detail reduces anxiety. The children are carefully oriented with close attention to safety and expectations regarding conduct and interaction with the farm. With these guidelines in place, the children experience a great degree of freedom. Each child experiences considerable empowerment within the goals and guidelines that are set. Thus, they can "claim the farm as their own," derive the most benefit from the visit, and leave with lingering feelings of purpose and satisfaction.

The affirmation of a broad range of ages and abilities further enhances feelings of security. The absence of competition promotes cooperation in all aspects of life at the farm. Discipline problems occasionally occur as they do everywhere, but they are always of a scale with which our small close-knit community can cope. Discussion and an appeal to ones "better self" customarily resolve most issues. The real-life nature of the farm experience appeals to each child's sense of responsibility and results in an atmosphere of trust and commitment.

In practical terms, The Country School Farm, since its inception in 1976, has been licensed by the State of Ohio and follows ACA guidelines. The Barkers have Red Cross First Aid Certification plus thirty years of experience designing a safe and healthy environment. Children are carefully instructed in health, cleanliness and safety matters on Monday morning and, should the need arise, 911 emergency responders are available ten minutes from the farm. We have never, however, had to make the call.

The Food We Serve

Most of the foods we serve at the Country School Farm are home or organically grown. Our free range hens supply our eggs. Our meat comes from home grown stock and includes: sausage, ham and loins, summer sausage, hot dogs and beef. We raise and pasteurize our own milk from our herd of Nubian goats. We churn our own butter and bake our own whole-wheat bread. Our Swiss and baby-Swiss cheese come from the Guggisbergs in the valley and is made from locally-grown milk. Many of the vegetables we eat are harvested fresh from our garden. Our fruit we purchase weekly at the local produce auction and all summer we harvest wild berries. We sweeten with raw, organic honey. Due to the activity level here children develop great appetites and many go for "seconds." There is always plenty to go around. And, although we do serve meat, vegetarians do fine by simply skipping it and eating the other sources of protein available.

Sleeping Arrangements

Since many ask . . .

The farmhouse is roomy, clean, and airy. The children sleep on large screened sleeping porches that wrap around the house. The porches may be seen from the outside in the photo of the house on the Home Page. The children know where the Barkers sleep in the house and can easily access them if necessary during the night.

Boys and girls have separate rooms. Siblings of the same gender sleep in the same room. Only children nine and over may be assigned to upper bunks (which are equipped with guard rails) unless otherwise requested. Although we cannot promise special sleeping arrangements, you may show your preference on the back of the medical form for consideration.