FAQs- Frequently Asked 
Questions

The CT FTS Institute is a comprehensive year-long professional learning opportunity for Connecticut school teams to develop and refine their farm to school programs. At the retreat, you can expect to build relationships, skills, and a collaborative action plan for your school which you will take with you into the upcoming school year. With the support of a coach, teams spend the school year putting their plans into action and strengthening their capacity to impact classrooms, cafeterias and communities, with change that lasts. The Institute is a direct opportunity to improve the health of students and strengthen the agricultural economy by bringing farm fresh local foods into school cafeterias statewide!

Yes! As we get closer to our summer retreat in June 2025, we may be seeking trainers, speakers and coaches. Interested? Fantastic! Email us: ctftsinstitute@gmail.com

Teams selected for the FTS Institute are given support for an entire year. At the summer retreat teams are joined by an experienced coach that supports the team to develop an action plan inspired by workshops and the work of other schools. During the school year, team members implement and adapt their plans with the support of their coach.

The 2025 Summer Retreat will June 17 & 18th at Auerfarm in Bloomfield, CT. During the summer retreat, teams get inspired by and learn from leaders in farm to school, build relationships across the team, gain new skills, and develop a year-long action plan for FTS programming. The CT Farm to School Institute planning team and a network of FTS partners provide support via team time, workshops, and learning journeys during the retreat. During the year, as the team implements their action plan, they work with their coach to assess and adapt to successes and challenges. Learn more about the summer retreat, by taking a peak at last year's recap, here!

With the support of a coach, teams spend the school year putting their plans into action and strengthening their capacity to impact classrooms, cafeterias, and communities with change that lasts. In the spring, teams regather with their peers virtually to share successes, how they adapted to challenges, and begin planning for future years of FTS programming.

Every team participating in the Institute has a designated, experienced Farm to School coach that will be matched with them based on their geography and/or specific needs their team may have in building up their program. Coaches are supported by the Connecticut Farm to School Institute Coach Liaison, in order to provide the best support possible to their teams during the summer retreat and throughout the year. Coaches facilitate the development of the action plan and make connections to any technical assistance a team could use as they implement their plans. Coaches keep teams informed of learning opportunities and professional development that can strengthen their practice. They can help infuse creativity into the planning and implementation process by offering insights, suggestions, and feedback regularly. Most of all, coaches guide their team, rather than do things for them—they listen, reflect, evaluate, rethink and support the implementation of the action plan.

Teams will create a meeting schedule with their coach and implement their action plans during the 2025-26 school year. Throughout the school year, participants can engage in workshops or training opportunities as they work together to bring their action plan to life! During October, Institute Teams are required to participate in CT Grown for CT Kids Week during National Farm to School Month. Coaches will assist the teams in brainstorming the perfect event or activity for your school. A Mid Year Virtual Gathering or Activity may be requested and an End of the Year Celebration will occur in May 2026 where we will gather and celebrate your success!

Spring 2025: Upon your notification of team selection, each team member will be required to register and commit to attending BOTH days of the Summer Retreat. A $600 Registration Fee (per team) is due within 45 days of notification of selection (Scholarships are available, please contact us for more information on eligibility). Your team will be paired with a Coach and will meet with the coach during April/May. Each team must meet your coach on a date set by you and your team prior to the summer retreat. This meeting is for coach introductions, and time to complete your personalized FTS Rubric and draft your values statement, so we can hit the ground running at the summer retreat. Summer 2025: Attend our summer retreat, June 17th & 18th, 2025 at Auerfarm (in Bloomfield CT), to dive into farm to school action planning, network with peers around the state, and explore farm to school possibilities. Note: Lodging will be provided for participants who live beyond 30-45 minute drive to Auerfarm. Fall–Winter 2025–26: Teams will meet regularly throughout the school year with your coach as you implement your action plan. Participants will support program growth and improvement through data collection, evaluation, and storytelling. Halfway through the school year we may reconvene for a virtual mid year gathering. Spring 2025: Prepare a year two Action Plan with the support of your coach, and regroup with your cohort to share your progress and reflections in a year-end gathering, May 2026.

Farm to school efforts are most successful and long-lasting when teams take the time to build commitment and capacity of a diverse set of stakeholders. The following stakeholders are mandatory for a successful application: nutrition/food service staff, teacher, administrator Additionally, school staff, teachers, family members, nurses, farmers, and community partners are welcome additions to any FTS team. We encourage and seek diverse teams that contain members of different racial and gender identity, experience levels, and program roles. Consider inviting people who are already FTS champions as well as key decision-makers and implementers who have yet to become involved but could provide valuable insights or connections when it comes time to implement your action plan. Your school may already have a group that has been working on FTS or wellness, or there might be a committee that has worked on these efforts in the past but possibly needs a “refresh” with some new planning and new team members. For the Summer Retreat, a school team is typical 4-5 members, where a district team could be 5-7 members. ALL REGISTERED MEMBERS OF YOUR TEAM ARE REQUIRED TO ATTEND BOTH DAYS OF THE SUMMER RETREAT. A FTS committee can be larger during the school year and many teams will add to the team upon returning for the school year. A FTS Committee is a great way to invite students to the planning during the school year!

When: Summer retreat June 17 & 18, 2025. Program hours are tentatively planned for 8:30-4:00 pm. each day with a short reception on June 17 from 4:30-5:30 pm. Where: The retreat takes place at Auerfarm, a 120-acre 4-H Education Center in Bloomfield, CT. Auerfarm is committed to engaging all ages in learning about farming, science, and the environment. What: Two days of professional learning, networking, planning and fun! Lodging: overnight local hotel accommodations will be provided on June 17th for attendees that require a 30-45 minute commute. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and light snacks will be provided each day.

Share! Once a final draft of the action plan is ready, teams share their plan with members of their school or program’s administration and any other stakeholders. Do! Institute schools are expected to commit to implementing their Farm to School Action Plan and establishing systems to track progress throughout the year. Meet! Teams will establish regular meetings that include their coach (monthly is recommended), with the focus on assessing progress, communicating and celebrating successes, and changing course as needed. Celebrate and Continue! 🤗 At the end of the Institute, all teams will celebrate their successes and share ongoing challenges through a webinar with other teams. Teams will also have a final opportunity to work with their coach to create an updated action plan and rubric for the following year.

We define Farm to School as a comprehensive strategy that connects learning and experiences in the Classroom, Cafeteria, and the Community (the 3 Cs). The goal is to help learners establish a lifelong positive relationship with food while supporting a more just food system. The strategies used to achieve this shift are: serving healthy local food, improving nutrition, providing hands-on food systems based learning opportunities, and developing meaningful relationships between community partners, educational settings and youth. Farm to school supports youth in connecting the dots of where their food comes from and how their food choices impact their bodies, the environment, and their communities at large. Familiarize yourself with the model, by checking out the following resources created and distributed by VT FEED: Cafeteria Classroom Community Action Planning Guide Staying Power Full appendix All the above resources plus many more can be found on VTFEED's FTS Planning Toolkit webpage, found here.

The rubric is designed to help Farm to School (FTS) teams get a systems-wide view of their farm to school program. This will inform action planning and identify what next steps might be taken to deepen the program and give it greater staying power. It can also be used to identify readiness for farm to school grants and needs for technical assistance. A collaborative, multi-stakeholder review will lead to the most accurate picture of current practices, and can encourage more strategic action planning. An editable version of this document will be provided to participants.

The CT Farm to School Institute is organized by the CT Farm to School Collaborative, New Britain ROOTS and FoodCorps with funding from USDA 2025 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Award and Ritter Family Foundation. The Connecticut Farm to School Institute Planning Committee is a group of committed farm to school practitioners who convened around this idea in 2019, during the Connecticut Farm to School Action Planning process. The Institute is modeled after the Northeast Farm to School Institute, based in Shelburne VT. For any questions concerning the Institute please email Project Director, Lisa Lenskold at : institute@ctfarmtoschool.org