Extension
It Starts With Us
Author: Amanda Howard
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
Nutrition Calendar are produced by the Nutrition Education Program every year promoting the consumption of healthy fruit and vegetables. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention 46.2% of adults reported consuming fruit less than one time daily and 24.9% of adults reported consuming vegetables less than one time daily. In an attempt to help improve these percent’s the Magoffin County supplemental Nutrition Education Assistant decided to use theses calendars to create
Author: Amanda Howard
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 44.6% of adolescents reported consuming fruit less than one time daily; 42.7% of adolescents reported consuming vegetables less than one time daily. The Magoffin County Cooperative Extension Service’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance wanted to introduce our local youth to The LEAP curriculum. In the small community of Magoffin County a lot of Preschoolers and kindergartners are not introduced to a variety of fruits and vegetables. Pu
Author: Amanda Howard
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention 46.2% of adults reported consuming fruit less than one time daily and 24.9% of adults reported consuming vegetables less than one time daily. The Magoffin County Cooperative Extension Service’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Assistant partnered with the Agriculture and Natural Resource (ANR) Extension to expand the knowledge of the community on the importance of local grown products at the Farmers Market. The Farmers Mar
Author: Amanda Howard
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention 46.2% of adults reported consuming fruit less than one time daily and 24.9% of adults reported consuming vegetables less than one time daily. The main purpose of the Plate It Up- KY Proud project is to promote locally grown produce and encourage buying from local farmers. The Plate it Up Kentucky Proud program helps consumer purchase, prepare, and preserve garden products grown in Kentucky. Magoffin County SNAP Assistant started pr
Author: Shannon Smith
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
Accordingto data from a 2011 Census study, 32.5% of children ages 12-14 providedself-care during after school hours. If that’s not frightening enough, thenconsider the children that are alone and do not participate in after schoolprograms are at a greater risk of violent crimes, substance abuse, antisocialbehavior, poor academic performance, and dropping out of school. So when approachedby the Bracken County School system on becoming a partner agency with a 21stCentury Learning Center at B
Author: Catherine Jansen
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
Girls Night OutWhen you live in a large city or urban area there are many opportunities for women to get together to bond or learn new skills. Sometimes in rural areas this is not available. A Girls Night Out Crafting Group was started to allow women in Carroll County the opportunity to do this. It is also a marketing tool for Extension and the Kentucky Homemakers Association.The classes meet monthly to learn a new craft skill from September through May. The class attendance range
Author: Melanie Bealmear
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
Girl Scouts Partnership -Our summer “Super Star Chef” program led to a great win -win partnership with the Union County Extension Service office. Twenty Girl Scouts ranging from Brownies to Seniors have been able to combine Badge earning with the University of Kentucky’s curriculum for a great educational partnership.Super Star Chef 2016 brought about the need to recruit low-income students. In an unexpected turn of events the FCS agent with one phone call to the UC
Author: Whitney Morrow
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
With an increase in divorce, unwed parents, and single- family homes, the issue of absentee fatherhood is emerging. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 24 million children in America -- one out of three -- live in biological father-absent homes. Almost thirty percent of families in Carter County are single parent families. According to www.fatherhood.org, having an absent father or father figure plays a role in all social problems that America faces today. Children wi
Author: Jennifer Bridge
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
School readiness has been identified as an area of need in Meade County by the Early Childhood Council and the county preschool program. Research shows positive adult/child interaction is critical to learning and development of motor skills. The family and consumer science program provides unique areas of expertise related to this area. Working with Extension specialist at the University of Kentucky the concept of a community story walk trail was introduced. After much researc
Author: Rachel Hance
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
It is through our valued partnership with the Allen, Logan, and Simpson Community Early Childhood Council that we, the Logan County Cooperative Extension Service, seek to improve school readiness in Logan County by educating, encouraging, and engaging families. Kindergarten readiness means that each child enters school ready to engage in and benefit from early learning experiences that best promote the child’s success. The kindergarten screener measures readiness in five important domains,
Author: Natalie Taul
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
In recent years, Grayson County has realized below averagekindergarten readiness rates. In 2016 and 2017 Grayson County only 36.7% and39.6%, respectively, of children entering school were considered “kindergartenready”. Many schools throughout the county began to put efforts towards gettingchildren prepared for school and educating parents on how they can plan inintegral part in their child’s early learning. The Grayson County Family and Consumer Science ExtensionProgram h
Author: Lynn Blankenship
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
Family Lifestyles Television ShowThe Extension Agents for Family and Consumer Science Education, in eight counties of the Mammoth Cave Area that can access the Proclaim Broadcasting network, WPBM TV Channel 31 via cable, dish, digital or antenna television have partnered to take over hosting of the 30 minute, weekly Family Lifestyles television show. Fifty five episodes were taped and aired from October 16, 2017 – October 15, 2018.The eight Mammoth Cave Area Counties that currently ha
Author: Kate Thompson
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
In Northern Kentucky, only 53% of students were kindergarten ready (Kentucky Center for Statistics, 2019). Kindergarten Readiness means the child is academically, socially, and emotionally ready to start school. Another important focus for children to be ready for school is having healthy relationships and strong families. According to the University of Kentucky’s publication, “Family Vitality: Characteristics of Strong Families,” relationships that include good communic
Author: Diane Mason
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
One in three senior adults dies each year due to Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia (Alzheimer’s Association, 2016). Alzheimer’s is an incurable brain disease that causes a slow, progressive decline in memory, thinking and reasoning skills (Alzheimer’s Association, 2016). An estimated 5.3 million Americans of all ages live with Alzheimer’s disease and as many as 16 million will have the disease in 2050 (Alzheimer’s Association, 2016). The cost of c
Author: Denise Wooley
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
Parents want their children to succeed. All the successes in life are built on a foundation of early brain development. Brain research tell us that by the age of 5, more than 90 percent of the make up of the brain is already in place. We can dramatically boost our children’s chances for successes by providing early experiences for a strong foundation for the learning.The UK Cooperative Extension Service partners with the Community Early Childhood Council (CECC) in McCracken County to encou
Author: Brenda Cockerham
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
Each year, Johnson County Family and Consumer Sciences works with the Early Childcare Council to host an event called Parent Expo. This event is designed to support parents and caretakers with knowledge of how to assist preschoolers to become school ready. Out of 42 families who filled out the questionnaires, it was revealed as a result of the program, there was an increased understanding of the definition and checkpoint of what health and physical well-being means; there was an increased unders
Author: Melissa Goodman
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
In 2018, County Health Rankings reported that 33% of the children in Hickman County live in poverty and 35% live in single-parent homes. In 2016, an estimated 13 percent of children in Kentucky have an incarcerated parent, nearly double the national average of seven percent, according to a survey conducted by Kentucky Youth Advocates. Children who live absent from their biological fathers are two to three times more likely than their peers who live with their married, biological (or adopti
Author: Melissa Goodman
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
Quality early learning experiences for all children are a key driver of school readiness, vital to improving high school graduation rates and critical to a community’s economic success. A child’s early years, from birth until school age, are a unique period of growth and development. In fact, 85 percent of the brain’s development happens before kindergarten. Research in neuroscience shows the critical impact that relationships between children and caregivers have on the develop
Author: Ashley Board
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
There is a natural link between nutrition, physical activity and reading. Reading books that focus on preparing and eating healthy foods may motivate children to adopt positive food behaviors that last a lifetime. A research study conducted in Head Start preschool classes by Elena Byrne and Susan Nitzke, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2002), found that the children were more willing to taste a newly introduced vegetable if they had heard a story in which the main character had a positive
Author: Eugenia Wilson
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
The Homeschooling group meets once a month at the Extension Office. This group is open to any home school student and their siblings. Monthly the youth attend and at least one parent (grandparent) for half of the class attend to observe and interact with their youth. Through this socialization there has been growth by the group (the older youth now assist and help with the younger youth) and more parents attend and interact. One youth in particular comes to mind because h
Author: Danielle Barrett
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
The teenage pregnancy rate in Knox County is among the highest in the state of Kentucky- at a rate of 71 teen births per 1,000. To address this population, Knox County Cooperative Extension Service partnered with the Promise Neighborhood Grant through Berea College to offer a bi-monthly after-school program for young parents and their children. Parenting for Success incorporates education lessons from Nurturing Parenting Keys to Great Parenting, LEAP, Family Mealtime, and Moneywise. Participants
Author: Janey Cline
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
The Extension Agents for Family and Consumer Science Education, in eight counties of the Mammoth Cave Area that can access the Proclaim Broadcasting network, WPBM TV Channel 31 via cable, dish, digital or antenna television have partnered to take over hosting of the 30 minute, weekly Family Lifestyles television show. Fifty five episodes were taped and aired from October 16, 2017 – October 15, 2018. The eight Mammoth Cave Area Countie
Author: David Weisenhorn
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
“School-readiness” is a broad term that refers to multiple precursor cognitive, physical, and social-emotional skills that indicate young children are prepared to learn and thrive in the school environment. A wide body of research shows a strong foundation in school readiness is indicative of school success. Emerging research also indicates that there is a synergistic effect when early learning activities activate physical and cognitive skills simultaneously, as opposed to doing so i
Author: David Weisenhorn
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
Since 2011, Family and Consumer Sciences Extension has served over 500 military families through the Military Teen Adventure Camp (MTAC) program. Research has revealed the high levels of stress that many military families face during times of deployment and during reunification post deployment. MTAC served families by providing an opportunity for service members and their teenage child(ren) to connect prior to deployment and reconnect after returning from deployment in the great outdoors. These
Author: Kenna Knight
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
Pendleton County kindergarten readiness for our youth falls well below the state average. Pendleton County kindergarten readiness percent in 30.4% and while the state is 51.1%. As a result of this the Pendleton County Early Childhood Council, which the Family and Consumer Science agent is activity involved in decided to plan an early childhood carnival event. A survey held the day of the event by the adults attending with their children indicated:54% mentioned being able to have fun
Author: Madison McAlmond
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
Nicholas County FCS Extension in collaboration with the Nicholas County Family Youth Resource Center provided a program on family traditions. Strong families play an important role in the community and contribute to society overall. For a young child, for example, positive development depends on a parent’s ability to nurture, teach and provide. Despite life’s physical, financial or even emotional barriers, families who establish positive interactions, including a sense of belonging,
Author: Benita Peoples
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
Harrison County 1st Annual Grandparents as Parents Seminar: Parenting AgainSeptember 27, 2018According to Kyyouth.org, new data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that Kentucky continues to have the highest rate in the nation of children in the care of relatives. In 2016-2018, nine percent of Kentucky children were being raised by a relative, which is more than double the national rate of four percent. The latest data shows the number of children being raised by a relative nearly doubled fr
Author: Christy Stearns
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
The Clinton County Cooperative Extension Service sponsored a Community Baby Shower for 63 pregnant women and parents of infants up to age three months in partnership with the Clinton County Community Early Childhood Council. The goal of the Community Baby Shower was to provide information to families on child health and developmental needs as well as connecting families to appropriate services. Participants visited resource booths and participated in educational sessions led by various community
Author: Kendyl Redding
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
The Family and Consumer Sciences Agent attended a state in-service taught by the creator and founder of Stories, Songs, and Stretches: Creating Playful Story times with Yoga and Movement, Katie Scherrer. Stories, Songs, and Stretches is an evidence – based program designed to teach children ages three to six physical, emotional, and mental benefits through the use of yoga and movement. Each class provides proven, effective skills for healthy child development. The Famil
Author: Kerri Ashurst
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
The purpose of this grant is to provide life skills programs for homeless and unstably housed youth in Jefferson County, Kentucky. The primary goal is for target youth to increase the number of critical life skills they possess to become more self-sufficient. This project aims to provide life skills education (e.g., workforce prep, communication & conflict resolution) to homeless or unstably housed youth ages 12 to 22 years. Findings for the long-term outcomes delineated on this grant are as
Author: Kerri Ashurst
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
Dr. Ashurst became a Federal Coach for USDA's Children, Youth and Families at Risk (CYFAR) Professional Development and Technical Assistance (PDTA) Center as of January 2019. This is a multi-state subcontract with the University of Minnesota and Pennsylvania State University as the national leads. She was assigned to oversee 6 grants - New York 1, New York 2, Vermont, West Virginia, Michigan, and New Jersey. Since that time, Ashurst has had monthly Zoom meetings with every state; has complet
Author: Kerri Ashurst
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
Dr. Ashurst became the national co-chair in Fall 2018 for the Youth Experiencing Homelessness National Subcommitee, one of the 7 subcommittees of the "Access, Equity and Belonging Committee" (AEBC), a national priority through USDA, National 4-H, and Extension Committee on Policy.Ashurst co-chairs the multi-state subcommittee, currently including Extension personnel from 13 states that are conducting programming for youth who are experiencing or at high risk for experiencing home
Author: Ashley Board
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
According to the 2017 Early Childhood Profile, only 63.4% of children in Caldwell County are ready for kindergarten. “School-readiness” is a broad term that refers to multiple precursor cognitive, physical, and social-emotional skills that indicate young children are prepared to learn and thrive in the school environment. Children who start kindergarten with delayed development and fewer assets are by far more likely to repeat grades, get tracked into lower-tier clas
Author: Joyce Doyle
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
It is a fact that people are going hungry in all communities in Kentucky, and Carroll County is certainly one of those counties. According to the “Dare to Care” article, Carroll county children ages 18 and under have a 23.8% or 250 children have a child food insecurity. With that being said, the Family School Resource Officer at Cartmell Elementary school contact the Carroll County Cooperative Extension office and ask if we could offer some type of food program for the ch
Author: Danielle Barrett
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
According to the 2017 Early Childhood Profile, only 38% of children in Knox County are ready for kindergarten. “School-readiness” is a broad term that refers to multiple precursor cognitive, physical, and social-emotional skills that indicate young children are prepared to learn and thrive in the school environment. Children who start kindergarten with delayed development and fewer assets are by far more likely to repeat grades, get tracked into lower-tier classes and drop out
Author: Alethea Price
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
Providing opportunities for families to interact with each other and bond over a shared activity is a creative way to build strong families. The bread making series was a free, hands-on cooking program that took place on Saturday mornings in March and April of 2019. This class was designed to teach the basics of baking by making bread. Topics discussed included how to read a recipe, measuring, and baking terms and techniques specific to bread making. Each class included information on types of f
Author: Jennifer Bridge
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
“Drugs are taking over our county and destroying families!” This phrase seemed to be a common everyday saying. To address this issue the Meade County Extension Council, Extension Homemaker Council, local extension agents, local officials and extension specialist worked together to bring awareness to myths and reality. The first step in the process was to bring key individuals together to explore the reality of the drug and opioid epidemic
Author: Kerri Ashurst
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
Camp Kesem is a nationwide community, driven by passionate college student leaders, that supports children through and beyond their parent’s cancer. They are the largest national organization dedicated to this unique population. Currently there are 105 Kesem chapters in 40 states led by 4,500 college student leaders. Dr. Kerri Ashurst serves as the UK Chapter Student Advisor for Camp Kesem, formed in late 2016. Camp Kesem KY had their first camp in July 2017 with 19 children attending and
Author: Kerri Ashurst
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
The purpose of this grant is to provide life skills programs for homeless and unstably housed youth in Jefferson County, Kentucky. The primary goal is for target youth to increase the number of critical life skills they possess to become more self-sufficient. This project aims to provide life skills education (e.g., workforce prep, communication & conflict resolution) to homeless or unstably housed youth ages 12 to 22 years. Participants completed an adapted common measures pre-survey (
Author: Kerri Ashurst
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
The purpose of this grant is to provide life skills programs for homeless and unstably housed youth in Jefferson County, Kentucky. The primary goal is for target youth to increase the number of critical life skills they possess to become more self-sufficient. This project aims to provide life skills education (e.g., workforce prep, communication & conflict resolution) to homeless or unstably housed youth ages 12 to 22 years. Findings for the short-term outcomes delineated on this grant are a
Author: Kelly Mackey
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
Growth mindset is an important quality for success. I developed a program working with the AIMS Upward Bound program. A four part workshop was developed for 1st generation college students. The workshop focused on tips for being successful in college and setting SMART goals. The participants learned how to set SMART goals and practiced techniques for mental clarity and mental wellness. Each participant then created a vision board for the goals that wanted to attain in key areas of their life. Th
Author: Cathy Sparks
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
Many high schools across the state have eliminated family and consumer sciences programs from the curriculum altogether, while others have cut back on the programs drastically. Five years ago, our county cut the all of the sewing programs from the family and consumer sciences program completely. As a result, there have been many young women in our community who have expressed interest in sewing to us, thus promoting the teaching of beginner's sewing, by the two local quilt guild
Author: Anna Morgan
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
In Kentucky, “School readiness means that each child enters school ready to engage in and benefit from early learning experiences that best promote the child’s success”. Kentucky has broken school readiness down in five domains: physical and motor development; social and emotional development; approaches to learning; language development; and cognitive development. A child's readiness score is determined by measuring a student’s cognitive, physical and language develo
Author: Lynnette Allen
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
In Kentucky the need for early childhood development and school readiness continues to be identified. Due to limited early childcare programs in Breckinridge County, there are only 400 slots in licensed and certified childcare facilities. With this limitation, many local young children are not in structured learning environments; therefore, Breckinridge County Community Early Childhood Council (BCCECC) once again applied and was successful in receiving funding ($6,800) for early chil
Author: Eugenia Wilson
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
Stories, Songs, and Stretches!® is a startup dedicated to enhancing early learning through embodied play. Through this program you can intentionally weave together books, songs, mindfulness, and yoga-inspired movement to create joyful play experiences that engage the whole child – body, heart, and mind. This class involved three preschool classes at Fairview elementary and approximately 52 students participated in all three sessions. The youth learn to calm themselves, focu
Author: Shannon Smith
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
For the second year, the Bracken County Extension Office collaborated with the local Family Resource Youth Service Center (FRYSC) to offer “A Day with Dad.” The focus of this event is to offer an opportunity for fathers to spend quality time with their children. Often times bonding, experiences between parent and child are focused on the mother as the primary caregiver. However, studies have shown that children are more successful when fathers take an active role in
Author: Christy Ramey
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
What's in the Doctor's Bag was a training I attended which was offered by the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. The program takes the diagnostic tests and instruments that are used at the physician's office and addresses each one with a story and a fun presentation. The goal of the program is to relieve the stress of the visit for both the child and the parent or caregiver. The FCS agent in Simpson county was involved with a local Day Care
Author: Alethea Price
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
The Boyle County Community Early Childhood Council has undergone numerous changes in leadership over the past few years. For a period of about two years, there was minimal activity going on with the CECC in Boyle County. The Chair position had not been filled when the previous person stepped down, resulting in the CECC chapter missing the opportunity to apply for the grant during that cycle.In 2017 the FCS agent took on the role of CECC Chair in order to rally the council and apply for the Gover
Author: Heather Cheek
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
The life of the high school senior is full of “adult” decisions: selecting a college, picking a major, choosing a career path, and moving out! Although today’s adolescents are technologically advanced compared to prior generations, they sometimes lack basic practical living skills. After being approached by school officials with this very same concern, the Bracken County Family Consumer Science Agent and 4-H Youth Development Agent decided a crash course was needed.
Author: Melinda McCulley
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
For the past several years, Family and Consumer Sciences Extension has sought innovative ways to retain our established audiences with timely and relevant information while reaching new and unique audiences at the same time. The Talking FACS (Family And Consumer Sciences) podcast has accomplished both these goals. Fifty-two regular episodes were produced and broadcast during the year, along with eight special edition episodes, for a total release of 60 shows. Show topics address fami
Author: Tyrone Atkinson
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
In March 2019 a contract was received by the National Military Family Association (NMFA) to do perform a curriculum revision of Operation Purple Camp. Operation Purple Camp is a residential week long camping program for military youth across the country who have have family members injured/ill/or wounded in military service. The curriculum had not been updated in over 10 years and Tyrone Atkinson and Kerri Ashurst (FCS Extension Military Program leaders) were sought out as for camping and
