Programming
The programming cycle
Programming is cyclical: assess needs and interests, define the target audience, write goals and measurable objectives, design format and staffing, price and promote, deliver, then evaluate and feed results back into planning. Needs assessment draws on surveys, focus groups, registration and waitlist data, community input sessions, partner knowledge, and trend analysis.
Concepts to know
Goals are broad aspirations; objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Outputs count activity (participants, sessions, contact hours); outcomes describe change (skills, behavior, health, satisfaction). Formative evaluation improves a program while it runs; summative evaluation judges it after it ends. Also know inclusion and ADA accommodations, developmental appropriateness by age, risk management and waivers, partner roles and revenue splits, and pricing tied to cost-recovery targets.
Traps
The most common error is treating attendance as proof of outcomes, or accepting a goal ("increase youth fitness") in place of an objective. Watch for items that swap formative and summative evaluation, that skip evaluation because a program sold out, that assume a program successful with one group suits another, and objectives that carry no measure or no deadline.
Worked example
Weak: "Provide a good summer camp." Stronger: "By August 31, at least 80% of campers ages 6–12 (n = 120) will demonstrate three or more new outdoor skills on a counselor-observed checklist, and 85% of families will rate the program good or excellent on the post-program survey."
Rule of thumb
If you cannot describe how you will measure it, it is not an objective - rewrite it until the measure and the date are both visible.