Virginia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom

Goal 1: Provide educators with necessary tools and resources to incorporate
agricultural concepts into schools connecting students with the role of agriculture
in the environment, technology, food systems, plant and animal systems and
related careers.

Goal 2: Partner with volunteer and agricultural organizations to provide appropriate
direct-to-child tools and resources to create unique agricultural experiences in their
communities and throughout the state.

Goal 3: Promote the Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom brand to increase program
awareness, use and recognition of program initiatives.

Goal 1 | Benchmark 1: Educators are provided with agricultural materials and knowledge through professional development opportunities directly and indirectly.

Goal 1 | Benchmark 2: Educators and their students are provided with a hands-on connection to agriculture through AITC’s education grant program. Grants will include agricultural experiences, garden, and STEM initiatives.

Goal 1 | Benchmark 3: Educators are provided with agriculturally rich materials that are easily incorporated into core curriculum areas.

Goal 2 | Benchmark 1: Serve as consultant with volunteers and agricultural partners to create solutions for on-sight learning opportunities at special events and agriculture venues.

Goal 2 | Benchmark 2: Develop and promote Agriculture Literacy Week.

Goal 2 | Benchmark 3: Create, curate and disseminate loanable and consumable resources to volunteers upon
request for fairs and ag days containing take home ag related messaging items.

Goal 2 | Benchmark 4: Expand the impact of AITC through the Ambassador program.

Goal 3 | Benchmark 1: Market program initiatives and available resources to education entities, volunteer groups and agriculture partner organization.

Goal 3 | Benchmark 2: Engage stakeholders through social media outlets and press.

Goal 3 | Benchmark 3: Highlight exemplary educators and
longtime program users.

Goal 1
Benchmark 1 | Evaluations:
1. 50,000 children are impacted through their educators’ attendance at professional development events.
2. Educators are provided with opportunities for hands-on agricultural exploration at partner
Benchmark 2 | Evaluations:
1. 100 grants are provided to educators impacting 75,000 PK-12 children.
Benchmark 3 | Evaluations:
1. All Virginia elementary schools are provided quarterly agriculture related content and resources through print
or e-newsletters.
2. New and revised curriculum is disseminated including new garden curriculum and Ag 24/7 themed resources.
3. 25,000 educators are connected to resources, creating a potential for 100,000 children provided with accurate agriculture content.
4. Resources are requested by educators throughout the year through special seasonal programs such as Back-to-School CARE kits.

Goal 2
Benchmark 1 | Evaluations
1. New avenues of impact are identified and explored with agriculture partners such as 4-H, FFA and Farm to School.
2. Regional HUBs identify and grow volunteer and partner opportunities in targeting areas connecting with 70,000 children.
3. A pilot program of agriculture resources appropriate for agritourism, festivals and fairs is researched and tested with connections of relevant resources to 50,000 children.
Benchmark 2 | Evaluations
1. 80,000 children are read to and provided with agricultural information during the event.
Benchmark 3 | Evaluations
1. Volunteers are engaged and empowered by participating in planning initiatives to create new or plan use of existing AITC toolkit resources.
2. Promote virtual resources to provide an awareness regarding careers and consumer needs and environment.
3. AITC materials are used at 100 events impacting 100,000 children.
Benchmark 4 | Evaluations
1. Ambassadors are provided with quarterly training, activities and materials.
2. Add ambassadors in high need areas and targeted HUBs.
3. Obtain results of ambassador initiated activity quarterly with a goal of 100 ambassadors connecting with 25,000 children.

Goal 3
Benchmark 1 | Evaluations
1. Initiative and execute program awareness campaign statewide and regional emphasis.
2. Create marketing materials to elicit responses from educators, partners and funders.
3. Create regionally specific marketing materials specific to regional HUB targets.
4. Increase AITC request for programming by 25% statewide and 50% in regional target HUBs.
Benchmark 2 | Evaluations
1. Average 2 education posts per week.
2. Increase average post engagement by 5%.
3. Partner with internal and external press and media for AITC calls to actions and announcement such as grant awards and ag literacy week.
Benchmark 3 | Evaluations
1. Debut a “Master AITC Educator” program for long time users of the program to serve as regional leaders and provide programmatic feedback.
2.Increase applications for Teacher of the Year by 10%.
3. Spotlight on grant recipients sharing grant outcomes.