In our programs at Cornell Garden-Based Learning we start with a need we have identified, and then gather more info on that need through interviews, listening sessions, and developing an advisory commitee. Form there we cna develope objectives and use that advisory committee to keep getting informed feedback and using the knowledge and prespectives of our colluges/community members. Then we develop a curriculum t meet the objectives and run that by the ad. committee. from there we pilot and evaluate the program. Lastly, we launch the program statewide and make sure to keep evaluating as it is carried out in each county that trials it. We particulrly keep an eye on what support the counites need to carry out the program.

When planning a new program, I first start with a purpose - is there a need? How do I know there is a need? Was there an assessment? Should I do an assessment? Why are we planning the new program.

I like using the Logic Model when planning a program and use the answers to my purpose or assessment to determine the outcomes of the program I am planning. I then work from right to left, completing the logic model.

I like to share the new program/plan with my team early on. We are a small team and each play a role in much of the programming (wearing different hats or sharing hats I guess). For our team it works best to meet in person (or on Zoom) to talk as each team member has a different view or can provide unique input.

How do you approach planning a new program? - When planning a new program, whether a be a blueberry pruning workshop, a small fruit track at a conference, or a twilight meeting, I look back at the year(s) prior and look at the information I have. I want to see how many people attended, recall feedback I got from attendees and collaborators, and recall suggestions for needs or program logistics (seasonality, time of day, etc). Then, I meet with collaborators or my supervisor to iron out details for this year's program, and how I can approve upon the program. Sometimes, to reach my growers, I will ask them in person on field visits what they are looking for in programming, will have post-program surveys, or put a survey in Berry News in order to figure out what could be discussed and/or improved upon.

What strategies do you find most helpful? - Talking to the growers in person casually at farm visits. Something I tried for the first time this year at the ENY Winter Conference within my Small Fruit track is an open dialouge at the end of the session, where farmers are encouraged to ask more in depth questions to the speakers and to problem-solve or discuss amongst themselves. During this time, I verbally asked what sort of programming they'd be interested in, and most if not all of them said weed management. In addition to verbally asking them, a physical copy and QR code survey were available to reiterate their needs, as well as score the sessions. I found that growers more readily told me what they wanted verbally than writing it down. I also noticed that growers who participated more in the session also filled out the survey, which is helpful. I have growers who I find are always willing to help, and I hope they're in my audience to help encourage others to speak about programming needs and support needs. Other growers are some of my most powerful tools to encourage more growers to be communicative!

I usually start by going to Google to research locations and identify the specific people or communities I want to reach. I find using a map the most helpful strategy because I cover the entire state. Mapping things out visually helps me see geographic gaps, avoid overlap, and make sure no region is overlooked. Once I have a clear visual layout, I share the map and initial ideas with colleagues to get their input before moving into more detailed planning.

Key questions I consider/ ask staff to consider:
1. Is there a need and a niche for us to do this work?
2. Do we have volunteers willing to do the work (which will help us to further extend our resources)?
3. Is there staff capacity? 

4.  Is there funding available? (preferably private/foundation)
5. Are there campus resources to which we can link?
6. If working with new audiences, with whom do we need to partner to advertise the program?

The initial idea for a program usually comes from a conversation with a colleague about questions/comments/convos we've had with stakeholders, or from my own "gut" feeling that I keep hearing the same questions from stakeholders, or from past program evaluations ("what topics would you like us to cover in the future?"). From there, I either draw on my knowledge of the topic or contact some subject experts to flesh out ideas of how to address the topic/question. From there, I'll decide the scope (broad, focused, and how many talks/modules), the duration, the setting, etc.

While planning a new program, many of my ideas come from the partners I am serving. I work with many different audiences, so the population and material I deliver will depend upon age, learning ability, interests, and time constraints.
For example: In a school setting, I ask for the grade levels of the students they are asking me to deliver to first and foremost. After that, I may ask about how best to engage the students or if there are any topics the teacher is currently working on that they'd like me to tie into. I had a very successful workshop for a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher recently, and they were talking about food marketing in class. I tied food marketing and shelf placement of products (especially cereal) into the nutrition education concepts I was teaching, and included a hands-on food critic activity at the end.

I also ask other educators on my team what they may do if I'm starting a curriculum I use less often. I've started to see more interest from older adults in my county, so there are activities & curricula for older adults I was simply less familiar with because it wasn't a population I worked with as often before this year.
Our team also frequently does "teach backs" with new curricula. The team will observe one or two educators delivering a workshop and give feedback. I find this the most helpful, just due to the number of people giving input.

My process:
1) Assess
- check in with target audiences
- talk to partners
- check public health data for the area
- understand the local community and environment
2) Gather & Advertise
- research/select appropriate curriculum to address wishes/wants/needs
- create a checklist of supplies and tools needed for program
- create & distribute flyers
3) Deliver & Facilitate Discussion around Topic
- share information and resources
4) Evaluate Program
- Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities..
- Gather KASA gained by participants

Assess and Evaluation phases are where I learn most about opportunities and improvements.

I have used a program action plan sheet for many years to help me form a plan for new programming. I typically use this sheet after having discussed the need for such programming with colleagues, the community, my PAC, and executive director. In the sheet we identify a coordinator, program title and date, and any collaborators. We also start to look at the situation (who, what, when, where, why, & how are we hosting it), the objectives, audience, and activities. This gives us a space to write down those things and make sure we are headed in the direction we expect. This also gives me a space to talk about what evaluation tools will be used, identify anticipated measurable impacts, and assess the budget for the program. It also has a checklist for things like income generation, if an MOU is required, anticipated hours of work, number of attendees, and if there is an insurance review required. I can then submit this for review to my PAC and/or supervisor.

This process/strategy is really helpful because I am able to write it and then step back to process and come back to make changes to the plan before fully submitting OR I can submit and talk about it with others and then make changes. It is a living document and can be edited any time the need arises.

As I develop a new program, I always like to do some research to see what other areas/ states have provided in similar programs. This helps me not only build upon my own ideas, but also provides me insight into parts of the programming I had not thought about, so I see a bigger picture. I already have collaboration time in my schedule with one of my colleagues, so she and I bring our ideas to the table, do our own little brain dump around ideas and topics, and then start diving in deeper to how a program might look in our community. Once we have reached a place where we think we are ready to bring that to the community, we then really start planning the logistics. It has been helpful to bounce ideas off each other and bring different perspectives to the table, but also to find areas of commonality that support both of our programs. Together, we also build on our community connectedness- we each know people and resources to help each other in the community. So, a lot of my work is done alone, but I find the most successful programming is done when the brainstorming and decision-making are shared.

Planning a new program approach might include:
-Assessment (needs/gaps and strengths/assets)
-Identifying and compiling resources (quantitative and qualitative data; evidence-based, best and promising practice responses, innovative approaches; supports including funding and partnerships)
-Program planning (goals, measurable objectives and outcomes, activities)
-Evaluation (collecting, tracking, and analyzing objective progress - at specified points and ongoing
-Program improvement and sustainability (refining based on evaluating, working toward sustainability)
With community at the center!

To do:
-Share initial ideas with trusted sources (colleagues, PAC, etc.); adjust and adapt based on valued feedback
-Continue to develop idea and share progress for ongoing edits, improvements, and supports (using above process)
-Communicate program plan to build support

Helpful strategies include:
-Using planning models and tools (i.e. logic model)
-Listening and communicating (understand and meet interests and needs, lift up strengths and assets, build relationships and support)
-Balancing evidence with innovation (using research backed data, infused with local flavor)

Program planning takes some time for me, but generally it starts with some kind of prompt or connection. This can be internal or external connections, usually casual interactions. I do not have a current program advisory committee and with that I have a lot of creative freedom to share information and programming from any topics within natural resources. Once I have landed on at topic, I assess further need and how I can most effectively deliver information on the topic - passive (fact sheets, social media posts...) or active (educational programs, workshops...).
Form there I outline the process usually in a brainstorm or secondary research process and share with colleagues and stakeholders before initiating ads and delivery.

Once the need for a program is identified, it's useful to consider what has been historically done, what was successful and what could be improved upon. Looking for ways to tie the topic to what is happening at both the state and local level and for interesting ways to deliver information on the topic that best suits the region. It should encourage the audience to consider changing the way they think about the topic and how they could make beneficial changes their practices/ behaviors.

When I approach planning a program, I usually base it on information or data that has been collected from the community. A lot of programing comes from conversations with farmers, partners, and feedback from past programs. Being on a regional team, I’ve also noticed that when the same questions are coming from multiple counties, it’s usually a strong indicator that there’s a broader need for that information.

From there, I’ll jot down ideas or outline a rough structure what the goal of the program is, who the target audience is, and what outcomes I’m hoping to see. Once I have that rough framework, I start thinking through logistics like format (workshop, webinar, hands-on), potential partners, and timing. Collaboration is a big part of my process. I usually share early ideas with colleagues across my team or Extension network to get feedback, identify existing resources, and make sure we’re aligning efforts across counties.

I often analyze the gaps in service and care, through seeing what services are offered, and hearing from participants and the public (in and out of work) of what they want, or what would be helpful. I have heard from families about the challenges of cooking at home, the needs of methods and skills to cook more quickly, with less stress, to provide healthy meals for their family. Finding means for families to cook the meals with flavor that they relate to, with methods that produce less stress, can offer a sense of solace. Stress is often the barrier to attempting to prepare healthier meals. The Instant Pot is a safe pressure-cooking device that I had used for a couple years. It allowed me to make one-pot dishes, with all the same flavors of my meals, in less time. I knew this cooking device would be tremendous in saving time and stress for families. I related my experience to that of many fellow community members. I knew friends who also used the Instant Pot and mentioned how well it worked for them.

Having conversations have been the most helpful and the path of least resistance for me to connect with others and understand larger problems and shared concerns. I like to speak with colleagues, management, community partners at events, participants in the middle of class, and people in my personal circles of the gaps that I and they see in service in opportunity. I have a service-oriented mindset, and I see primarily through that lens. This is just a job, or a role, it is my responsibility to humanity and to my community to ensure that needs are met.

Since NYCORE is a statewide program I work directly with CCE educators in the counties, partner organizations, farmers, and other stakeholders to create new programs or expand existing ones. Funding availability also helps drive new programmatic activities as well as when we need to directly respond to environmental issues or health crises (e.g., PFAS contamination and high path avian influenza outbreaks).
Networking, building relationships, and listening to community needs are all critical when prioritizing program needs.

When I have a new idea for a program, I like to take a crowdsourcing approach where I try to track down similar efforts and talk to the people involved in leading them, as well as people who would have an interest or other relevant experience to the program. I am someone who like to shop a new idea around to numerous people over some time and let it evolve through that process. That usually involves a number of phone calls, which I typicallly make while compulsively pacing up and down the hallway or around campus!

I find a thorough initial fact-finding phase such as this so helpful, as a new idea is rarely truly "new" and there is no need to re-create the wheel or repeat pitfalls that others might be able to warn you about first.

"How will this benefit the audience?" Is our unspoken motto. So, when we decide to start a new program (or update one), it often stems from a need from our audience that our program can help fill or facilitate.

What I find most helpful is talking with our advisory panel (made up of local Highway & DPW Superintendents, Association Members, State Agencies and Cooperative Extensions) about what they need from us, we always state the sky is the limit and then rein them in to things that we can do.

In approaching planning for a new program, I typically think to start with a need based assessment of what the area/ targeted audience is looking for. Well now, I would want to identify my targeted audience (based on my role I would aim for farmers in the region). What are they looking for? Is there some recurring theme or issue that has been brought to my attention. Collaborate with colleagues. See what has been done in the past. Is there a pool of resources that I can use?

Most helpful strategies include brainstorming and bouncing ideas off of anyone in or outside of the organization. From a scientific stance sometimes that includes lit reviews and seeing what research had been done on the topic. Feedback is always helpful to self evaluate and determine relevance of a new program. It also helps when I get some interest in the hypothetical program while in the developing stages, serves as motivation and drive for followthrough with the program.

Coming into a program that has been heavily established prior to my involvement, I feel like I have relied on the established foundations for programming (ie established lessons and timelines through Leah's Pantry or Stay Strong, Stay Healthy through Missouri Extension) and trying to build connections that I haven't heard come up in conversation or that I know would be an area that would be needing programming (thinking local libraries during the summer at this current time).
Transitionally, I have been asking with the knowledge I have, how can I assist in filling a community-based need? Is there collaboration that can happen across the sectors within my CCE? Is there a program in another CCE that is could be sustainable within our county that is not currently there, could collaboration happen within that space? Lots of question asking and research on programs that are available within my area to avoid over-lapping of services.

When it comes to planning a new program, there are a lot of initial things that come to mind. Firstly, what originated the idea of such new program - was it a specific need or request in/from the community? If so, what currently exists in the community around the topic, and how well does it address the wants/needs of the community in terms of content, representation, accessibility and reach? Are there any gaps in what the existing programs bring that something new can address in a way that is relevant and supportive? If there are not current programs or partners doing the related work, who can I try to bring in and talk to? I think collaboration at every level is important, not only from professionals in the relevant field, but from the community themselves. It is equally as important to do as much research as you can as well, not only to ensue your ideas are in alignment with, representative of, and accessible to the community, but to recognize your own potential limitations and find ways to bring in support that can best address such and move forward with.

I like to bounce ideas around based on conversations in and out of my office. I really like using AI to help organize and skim thoughts as well, especially when starting to form structure to programs that spark interest.