Extension
It Starts With Us
Author: Christina A. Martin
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Many life skills that used to be taught at home 30-40 years ago must be learned in other ways now. Cooking healthy meals is one of those life skills. With over 20% of youth ages 10-19 considered overweight or obese, Kentucky ranks third in the nation for overweight youth (stateofobesity.org). Learning to prepare healthy foods through proper cooking techniques leads to healthier adults because they can use these skills for a lifetime. Learning to cook also leads to more se
Author: Sherri Farley
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Utilizing the 4-H Food Curriculum "4-H Cooking 101" lessons, a series of cooking lessons for a new audience was planned and implemented at the Campbell County Extension Office. The American Heritage Girls program requested 2 cooking lessons focusing on French and Asian cooking for a group of 18 participants, age 12-15 years old. The leader worked with the 4-H agent to give input on the group. The 4-H agent developed a 3 hour program for each type of cuisine. The youth arrived to
Author: Christy Eastwood
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Each public school child who receives special education services must have an Individual Education Plan (IEP). This legal document is an education plan that addresses the specific needs of each student with multiple disabilities. One aspect of the IEP is community experience/education. A collaboration was formed by the Boone County Cooperative Extension Service with the Walton Verona School District and the Boone County School District to provide classes for the community e
Author: Lacy May
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
The results of the Kentucky Extension Community Assessment survey found that residents of Magoffin County are concerned that the youth of their county lack life skills. In particular many youth lack money management, life decision making skills, and general consumer knowledge. In Magoffin County only 10.1% of the population aged 25 and over have a bachelor’s degree while only 69% have earned a high school diploma. The average salary of a woman in Magoffin County is only
Author: Charles Comer
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Montgomery County 4-H Culinary/Junior Chef team is a state champion again in two different cooking contests in August 2019: State 4-H Culinary Contest and the Kentucky State Fair/Department of Agriculture Farm-to-School Junior Chef Contest. From a 4-H volunteer leader’s perspective as the mentor or coach who has provided guidance to teams of 3-5 teen members each year since 2013, it is a journey with each team she enjoys. Recently, she took time to reflect about the members of this year&rs
Author: Renata Farmer
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
With the growing number of families eating on the run instead of cooking at home, many young adults don’t receive needed basic cooking skills. In addition, approximately 4 out of 5 children do not consume the recommended fruits and vegetables each day. In an effort to encourage more youth to get into the kitchen and to improve their diets Knox County 4-H Agent and FCS Agent teamed up with University of Kentucky Student Interns to offer a three-day cooking camp. Fourteen youth participated
Author: Dominique Wood
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Not all youth learn the same way, but all youth learn. Youth with special learning needs are able to utilize the 4-H experiential curriculum either in-group work or in independent projects. Youth are able to seek and their passions in the 4-H curriculum because in Kentucky 4-H the only limitation to special interest clubs is a qualified caring adult leader. KY 4-H works hard to make any necessary accommodations for youth in order to facilitate equal programming. In the Fa
Author: Paula McCuiston
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
The Hickman County 4-H, FCS and ANR agents collaborated with the Family Resource center for the third year to have our annual Story Walk at our new Rotary Park. The story walk involves reading a story around the walking trail, visiting trunk or treats set up by community businesses and visiting the Farmers Market. The agents also had hands on activities for youth engagement. This effort brought in about 80 people and of those 57 were youth ranging in ages from 1-11. Thirt
Author: Alexandria Bryant
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Babysitting businesses provide a unique entrepreneurship opportunity for middle and high school teens. Babysitting is often the first job experience for teens. The 4-H Babysitting program prepares youth to initiate a babysitting business and create safe, educational, and quality babysitting experiences. In order to prepare local teens, the Breckinridge County 4-H program provided 2 babysitting programs in 2019. A 6-week Afterschool Babysitting Club was held at Breckinridge County Middle School w
Author: Kelly Woods
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
4-H Chef Schools enabled 30 middle school students to master the art of food preparation. The knowledge to prepare their own food builds confidence and fosters curiosity to get creative in the kitchen, building a lifelong habit of healthier eating. Not to mention the development of life skills such as communication, teamwork and problem solving. Chef School was an eight hour session with middle schools students focused on advanced food preparation skills. The last sessio
Author: Shannon Farrell
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Following the 2019 Clark County 4-H Summer Camp, a discussion that had been had by 2 of the adult female counselors was presented to 4-H Agent Shannon Farrell. One counselor, an employee of Goodwill Industries of KY, and the other, the Clark County 4-H Sewing Leader had brainstormed a partnership between Goodwill and 4-H. The partnership would allow Goodwill to have a larger outreach in the community sharing their mission of helping those with disabilities find and maintain employmen
Author: Bonita Jolly
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
According to an USA Today December 18, 2019 article, Caroline Bushnell, Good Food Institute quoted “2019 was a big year for plant-based meat,” as of October, sales of plant-based meat in the US had reached $946.6 million which is 10.2% than the previous year and predicting it could reach $1 billion in 2020. It appears the millennial generation is the driving force behind the demand. People born between 1981 and 1996 who are 22-37 years of age with children of their o
Author: Mary S Averbeck
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
submitted October 10, 2019According to Family Magazine, 76% of middle school age youth are babysitting either family members or other’s children. Childcare training develops life skills in decision making. The long- term outcome is that youth having babysitting education and practice become more confident parents. Babysitting is often a youth’s first gainful employment experience and money handling skills are exercised. The Kenton County Cooperative Extension
Author: Mollie Tichenor
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Spencer County, with a population of 18,500+ from to the 2017 United States Census Bureau, continues to recognize the need for aid with substance abuse issues. According to the KASPER Trend Report in the third quarter of 2019, there were 645,061 controlled substance prescription usages in the Spencer County community (which is down from 2018). The 2018 Kentucky Incentives for Prevention (KIP) data for Kentuckiana region, where Spencer County is located, revealed a decline in tenth grade st
Author: Alissa Ackerman
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Clay County is a rural area located in eastern Kentucky and accessing fresh, nutritious foods can be a challenge for many families. According to the Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health, “Kentucky ranks 48 in overall prevalence with 37.1% of children considered either overweight or obese.” In order to help with this concerning challenge and council members assessing the needs of the county, the 4-H Agent implemented a 4-H Chefs in Training. The goal of the cooking clu
Author: Christy Eastwood
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Students with disabilities who are preparing to graduate from school can benefit from taking life skill courses. Through learning these essential skills, these students can more readily adjust to the circumstances and challenges of adult life. Life skills instruction develops students’ daily living skills. Research has shown that students with disabilities, who exit high school with proficient life skills, have better post-school outcomes than those students who do not (Roessler, Brolin, J
Author: Glenna Bentley
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
In the spring of 2019, the Lewis County Middle School Counselor ask the 4-H agent to do the program “Reality Store.” The Lewis County Extension Office collaborated with the Lewis County Youth Services Center to offer the program to 183 seventh grade students. It was important to do the program because youth need to learn skills that will help them when they get out of school and need to make decisions on how to spend their money. “Kentucky 4-H believes that all youth should hav
Author: Samantha Gamblin
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Learning to sew is a real-life engineering and construction project. Clinical studies have found that students who learned to sew a simple project showed elevated creativity after the activity. In addition, these individuals who learn to sew may also be developing skills for a fulfilling, stress-relieving hobby. Bullitt County had many youth who were interested in learning to sew. 4-H planned with homemakers to offer a 4-H Sewing Camp during the summer and no school days. After meeting the youth
Author: Sarah Redmon
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Teaching life skills to youth is a valuable lesson they will use the rest of their life. Scott County 4-H saw the need to teach youth how to cook and prepare food. This will allow youth to not depend on fast food or ready-made meals that many rely on in this day and time. Scott County 4-H saw the importance of eating together while talking about their day and trying new foods. The Scott County 4-H Agent marketed for volunteers. Once volunteers were in place, each gave input on how this club woul
Author: Katie Mills
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Hopkins County 4-H partners with Independence Bank to host an annual Farm to Fork dinner. This has proven to be a large success for fundraising, marketing 4-H, and volunteerism from 4-H youth. Over the last three years, Hopkins County has had over 25 4-H members and volunteers to serve and clean up at the Farm to Fork event held at the Ballard Center. Here, the 4-H members and volunteers are able to learn how to properly serve someone at a table setting, etiquette, manners, and
Author: Renata Farmer
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
A recent study by AIPCA revealed that only 13 percent of parents talk to their children about money matters regularly. 3 out of 10 parents never talk about money at all with their children. According to the study, parents are more likely to talk about good manners or about the dangers of drugs and alcohol more than they are about financial literacy. The Knox County 4-H program responded to requests by teachers for financial literacy/work-force prep programs by collaborating with the
Author: Lisa Hagman
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
According to the American Heart Association, teaching youth how to prepare their own food will give them a skill they can use for a lifetime, they will be more likely to eat healthier as adults, and build self-confidence (Cooking With Your Children; Web MD; May 30, 2008.) In an effort to address these issues locally, Hancock County 4-H partnered with the Youth Service Center and offered an afterschool 4-H Culinary Arts Club. There were 11 middle school youth with 6 male members. Our
Author: Raymond Cox
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
The Harlan County 4-H Agent, Program Assistants, Agriculture Agent, and Program Assistants, in collaboration with the Challenge Academy, Harlan County and Harlan Independent School Family Resource Centers conducted the 23rd Annual 3 day 4-H Reality Store was held in November at the Extension Depot to provide youth skills education and a hands-on approach to career choices and financial management. Approximately 450 9th grade students attended from Harlan County High School, the Challenge Academy
Author: Dora Centers
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Knott County KY has a poverty rate of 32.1% compared to the state average of 16.9% and the national average of 11.8% in 2018, according to census.gov. Bachelor degree or higher attainment rate of 12.9%. To address these issues local 4-H provided the “It’s Your Reality” program as a countywide collaborative program with FYRSC, Knott Co Board of Ed, and KCCHS volunteers. This program is highly successful in conveying the importance of educat
Author: Christina A. Martin
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Nutrition education and healthy lifestyles were identified by local leadership councils to be an educational priority for youth to help combat obesity crisis in the state. According to the Trust for America’s Healthy Survey and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Kentucky’s obesity rate for children ages 10-17 has increased to over 21%. Instructing children with the aspects of healthy nutritional choices at a young age is critical to addressing issues of weight. The
Author: Kindra Jones
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
The Grayson County 4-H Agent has worked with the Teen Club leader in an effort to increase the etiquette and manners skills of the teens in the county 4-H program. Basic manners and meal etiquette seems to have gone by the way-side over the years, particularly as technology has increased its presence in the daily lives of the teens. The club leader, formerly a state 4-H officer, has had an increased awareness of the importance of these skills for youth, not only for ‘fancy’ events, b
Author: Toni Humble
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Many students lack financial knowledge and skills to make wise financial decisions. Money management is one of the most important life skills to be learned. The Wayne County 4-H Council once again identified financial knowledge and money managing skills as areas for improvement and need for more programming. Local school systems continued to support activities that dealt with these issues and requested the 4-H Reality Store program.The Wayne County 4-H Agent collaborated with Wayne County Middle
Author: Brian Good
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
According to the 2019 Most and Least Financially Literate States report, Kentucky ranks 45th in the nation for financial literacy. Much of what students learn about finances and consumerism begins at an early age. The University of Kentucky 4-H offers financial literacy programs for youth, aptly named, Dollars and Sense. The Bell County Extension Office recently offered this program to all students in 4th-7th grades at Yellow Creek School. Prior to the program, county extension agents spoke to t
Author: Kaitlyne Metsker
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
In a community needs assessment performed in 2019, it was determined that the youth of Christian County are in need of more youth life skills training (money management, life decision making, etc.) and better family skills in reducing debt, increasing savings, and financial planning. For several years the Christian County Extension Service has provided It’s Your Reality, a financial management program, to youth in Christian County. Students assume the role of the sole financial provider of
Author: Stephen Conrad
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
More and more people are living beyond their means and incurring debt that will plague them for the rest of their lives. We have not been very successful in teaching our youth the value of money or passing along the concept of "saving for a rainy day". Our school system recognizes this trend but has little or no time to spend on money management due to core content obligations. To help them with this need, The Boone County Cooperative Extension Service held a Reality Stores in two midd
Author: Jeremiah Johnson
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
In a community needs assessment performed in 2019, it was determined that the youth of Christian County are in need of more youth life skills training (money management, life decision making, etc.) and better family skills in reducing debt, increasing savings, and financial planning. For several years the Christian County Extension Service has provided It’s Your Reality, a financial management program, to youth in Christian County. Students assume the role of the sole financial provider of
Author: Misty Wilmoth
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
The LaRue County Cooperative Extension Service collaborated with LaRue County High School and eight local businesses to conduct the American Private Enterprise Program (known as APES) for 25 high school juniors and 2 seniors who returned as past participant leaders. The APES Program taught participants about business and economics and included presentations from six local business leaders and tours of two local manufacturing plants, SouthEast DME and Nationwide Uniform. Participants were educate
Author: Louis "Jenie" Carter
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
The story starts with Black Females at Conway Middle School, which is in Southwest Jefferson County. The Student Population is 811. Ethnic Breakdown is 49% White; 37% Black; 7% Hispanic; 6% Other. Of these students 71.6 % receive free & reduced lunch.According to the Conway Middle School Racial Equity Improvement Plan, Black female students have reported feeling less cared for and less supported than any other subgroup. More specifically, Black girls represent 2
Author: Kelly Smith
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
The 4-H Reality Store is an experiential real-life simulation which provides students the opportunity to explore careers and make lifestyle and budgeting choices. Why this story is a success is that this program was delivered at a non-traditional site. Jefferson County 4-H agent, Kelly Smith, partnered with representatives at Boys and Girls Haven, Maryhurst center for children and the Louisville Junior League. The first two partners mentioned are facilities that service childr
Author: Charles Comer
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
“Make half your grains whole” –it’s a simple message but a more challenging habit to incorporate in our diet every day without the knowledge of whole grains and their value in our diet. But according to The Whole Grain Council we are making progress. In a 2015 survey conducted by the Council, nearly two-thirds (64%) of Americans have increased whole grain consumption “some” or “a lot” in the last ?ve years. Almost one-third of res
Author: Christy Eastwood
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
The U.S. Department of Education defines English Language Learners (ELLs) as follows: "A [Limited English Proficient] student, or English language learner (ELL) is defined as an individual who was not born in the United States or whose native language is a language other than English; or who comes from an environment where a language other than English is dominant”.The Boone County School District has nearly 20,000 students, which include 1,200 English Language Learners who speak over
Author: Caroline Hughes
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Robertson County is a small county with few employment opportunities, therefore many families have at least one family member working outside the county. At the end of the day many find there is scant time for anything but fast food, let alone a home cooked meal with family traditions. As I began this semester's after school "4-H Cooking Class" held at the Robertson County School, I considered this and discussed the situation with my volunteers as we chose the lessons w
Author: Samantha Gamblin
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Bullitt 4-H offered healthy eating lessons for 16 elementary school classes. Our objective for the program was to stress the importance of healthy foods. We did this by creating Healthy journals for the students to fill out during the month. We had the students read the book Eating the Alphabet out loud to the class. The students were asked to name some healthy foods. Some of their answers were: salad, grapes, yogurt, ice cream, pizza, burgers, and pretzels. Students were also given a char
Author: Ralph Hance
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Facing an energy crisis and rapidly changing economic conditions, the value of a dollar and a good education is even more important today. Young men and women, preparing to enter the workplace, are ill prepared to face the challenges of living on their own. Reality Store is designed to give students a “wake-up call” to the real world. For the past Fifteen years, the Trimble County Extension Service has taken the lead in collaborating with the Trimble County School system, educators,
Author: Joe Maynard
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
As we progress in to the 21st century a number of factors have gained prevalence within Family and Consumer Science driven by the increase of online and mobile shopping, the rise of video based at home tutorials, and the shifting family structures as evident by 17% of stay-at-home parents being fathers. The ever-changing landscape of the family and the consumer highlights the need for a responsive and innovative FCS program while also providing the basic needs that all families have as they navi
Author: Renata Farmer
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
According to the CDC, empty calories contribute to 40% of daily calories for children and adolescents and most do not consume the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables.In a world full of hectic schedules, fast food and convenience, the challenge for families and children to eat healthy is difficult. At the request of the Knox County Family Resource Centers, the Knox County 4-H program chose to address this in our county by implementing a “Taste of the Week” program. The p
Author: Lawrence Caudle
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Unfortunately, there are some youth who are not born with the privilege of living within a stable home, or even a home at all. According to the 2018-2019 Homeless Student Count by the Kentucky Department of Education, Jefferson County School District reported 5178 kids, preschool through 12th grade are homeless. Youth being homeless means that they are not learning the skills they would otherwise possibly obtain in a stable household. To assist in combating this issue, Jefferson County 4-H partn
Author: Stacey Potts
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
The Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service collaborated with the Youth Service Center at Daviess County Middle School to offer a six-session 4-H Cooking Series using approved 4-H Teen Cuisine curriculum. The Youth Service Center Director identified and recruited twelve free-lunch students to participate. The director recognized these students did not always eat well at home for various reasons. Student comments included that “they don’t cook at home”, &l
Author: Chanda Hall
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
In Jefferson County, there are limited occasions for inner-city youth to participate in hands-on cooking programs. Improving cooking skills and knowledge of foods helps to promote healthy eating habits. According to Thomas & Irwin, food and cooking skills/food preparation are important for several reasons related to health, knowledge, empowerment, engagement, culture, food security, and fun. An engaging cooking skills program targeting youth builds self-efficacy, food knowledge a
Author: Stephen Conrad
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Teachers have communicated a need for help with financial education lessons for 5th grade students. The teachers state they are pushed for time and resources in preparing their students for this portion of the state test. To help with this need, The Boone County Cooperative Extension Service offered a series of lessons on money and economics for 100 5th graders. Topics covered were needs vs wants, scarcity, money, opportunity costs and delayed gratification, comparative shoppin
Author: Mary Anne Garnett
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Revamping a long running traditionChristian County Mary Anne Garnett In a community needs assessment performed in 2019, it was determined that the youth of Christian County are in need of more youth life skills training (money management, life decision making, etc.) and better family skills in reducing debt, increasing savings, and financial planning. For several years the Christian County Extension Service has provided It’s Your Reality, a financial management program, to youth
Author: Ryan Spicer
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
According to the 5-A-Day program developed and promoted by the USDA, citizens are encouraged to increase fruit and vegetable consumption to 5-9 servings daily. Although community members may understand the importance of consuming more fruits and vegetables, access to these foods can be difficult, especially in Eastern Kentucky. Breathitt County Extension Agent for 4-H Youth Development, in partnership with county Extension Agents and staff, Robinson Center for Appalachian Resource Sustainability
Author: Leslea Barnes
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
According to the the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the 3.2 million youth ages 16 to 24 who graduated from high school between January and October 2019, 2.1 million (66.2 percent) were enrolled in college in October. Choosing a college is an exciting but stressful process for many teens. Finding the “Right Fit” for college encompasses many factors, including academics, extracurriculars and campus culture, to name a few. This year, the Kentucky Youth Seminar offered more than
Author: Jennifer Cole
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
When COVID-19 hit the Commonwealth, 4-H agents in Kentucky were not used to such alternative programming. The need to social distance impacted all 4-H programs. For Pulaski County, 4-H agent Jennifer Cole switched programming to virtual learning via social media (Facebook and Instagram), Google Classroom and their county website and to weekly Grab N Go kits. One 4-H core area that was offered during this time was Family and Consumer Sciences.Grab n Go kits were offered for eigh
Author: Esther "Susan" Turner
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Building the capacity of volunteer leaders within counties is critical for the sustainability of a community infrastructure that supports long term commitment to strengthen families, youth and communities. Monroe County Cooperative Extension has two volunteers who have completed the Master Clothing Volunteer program. Both of these ladies work with adults and youth to develop and build their sewing skills. Youth and adult programs have been offered in basic sewing and machine knowledge thr
Author: Paula Jerrell
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Ballard County promoted the weekly Baking Challenge provided by Cathy Weaver of Jessamine. We had eight weeks of cooking challenges. Youth made oatmeal muffins, corn muffins, scones, brownies and more from the food and nutrition curriculum. Youth learn measuring techniques for dry ingredients and liquid ingredients and how to follow a recipe. A video was done by FCS Agent Sarah Drysdale and 4-H Agent Paula Jerrell on how to measure liquid and dry ingredients and posted th
Author: Aubrey Lawson
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Madison County 4-H sponsors youth to attend the Kentucky 4-H State Teen Conference each summer if the teen agrees to lead a 4-H program through Madison County Cooperative Extension Service for the community such as a day camp or monthly club, the council just requires that they lead at least 6 educational hours of programming. One Madison County High-School Student attended the conference in 2019 and began plans for his workshop soon after the conference ended. This teen had an interest in cooki
Author: Aubrey Lawson
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
The University of Kentucky Nutrition Education Program partnered with Madison County Cooperative Extension Service to bring the Super Star Chef program to youth in Madison County. The program included a three-day program where 17 youth ages 9-12 learned the basics of nutrition and cooking while having fun. Studies have shown that children who help cook at home are more likely to enjoy fruits and vegetables than those who do not cook. This program exposed youth to a variety of cooking techniques
Author: Michael Rose
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
According to the 2019 Community Needs Assessment, the top two priority issues for Adair County were more youth life skills training (money management, life decision making) and better family skills in reducing debt, increasing savings, and financial planning. To help in these areas all 3rd, 4th and 5th-grade youth participated in the Dollars and Sense Program.Adair County had over 580 youth who participated in the Dollars and Sense Program. There were 20 adults and 20 youth volunteer
Author: Joanne Bankston
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Dr. Joanne Bankston, professor and State Extension Specialist at Kentucky State University (KSU) developed and presented four financial education classes remotely to students who are enrolled in the Upward Bound Program. The Upward Bound Program is a federally funded TRIO program that provides support to participants whose goals are to receive a college degree. It is comprised of both a rigorous academic and summer component. Students must be low income and/or first generation.
Author: Ruth Chowning
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
With the Kentucky “Healthy At Home” initiative during this pandemic, the Extension Agent of Bullitt County partnered with the Extension Agent of Garrard County to offer an online Needlework class. With the resurgence of heritage skills, Needlework can be a way to learn new skills of the mind, heart and hands. Handwork develops focus and concentration. It encourages following a process in order to complete a project. It enhances critical thinking and math skills. It in
Author: Kaitlyne Metsker
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
In July 2019, Mrs. Glass, a Special Education teacher at Christian County Middle School reached out to me for assistance in developing lesson plans and curriculum enrichment for her new Life and Social Skills class. She identified several topics that she wanted to cover throughout the school year but indicated that she was willing to add or change the topics depending on what the students needed. A topic that has been added since the beginning of the year was Empathy. Through observation of her
Author: Owen Prim
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
According to the National Council on Economic Education, a high percentage of youth do not understand the concept of money and are not being taught financial information to the degree needed. To meet these needs, the Campbell County Cooperative Extension Service 4-H Program collaborated with the Newport, Dayton and Fort Thomas School Districts to conduct 4-H Reality Store Programs. The 4-H Reality Store is an active, hands-on activity designed to give youth a taste of what it is like
Author: Kimberly Schrader
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Youth today are in a world where a simple click can purchase anything on the internet. However, the COVID – 19 Pandemic created an economic recession across the commonwealth, due to the job loss of many closed businesses and industries. This left many families reducing unnecessary home expenses. Whitebread and Bingham (2013) state that children have already developed basic money habits by age seven. Due the reduction in the family budget, and money habits developed at an earlier age,
Author: Lora Stewart
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Thousands of schools have closed their doors in March due to COVID-19 leaving many parents juggling working remotely, homeschooling their children, as well as everyday house hold chores. These challenges parents are facing at home are unprecedented. For many years, Gallatin County Extension has offered several 4-H Cooking Camps throughout the summer but this year due to COVID-19 this was not possible. So the Gallatin County 4-H Council thought “outside the box” to offer a
Author: Susan Campbell
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Anderson County Clover Chefs was planned, implemented and evaluated by the Cooperative Extension Service. It is an after school cooking club. The club meets once per month and at each meeting the participants prepared one or two recipes and received a nutrition lesson. Due to the age of the participants, it was required that an adult assistant accompany the child to the workshop. Within days of the club being advertised, there were thirty four youth registered. Before the end of the program year
Author: Vicki Wynn
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
When families have after-school activities, late workdays, and lots of homework, it’s no wonder few families eat dinner together. Studies have long shown that family meals are an important part of healthy living. According to recent surveys, less than half of today’s families in the U.S. actually sit down to a meal on a regular basis.“Manners for the Real World” stresses the importance of mealtime, and everyone pitching in to help pull it together. The local library and U
Author: Sarah Redmon
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
When Covid-19 struck and programs were asked to come to a halt to all in person programming. 4-H Youth Development Agents had to come up with different ways to interact and reach the youth in their county. Scott County 4-H Youth Development Agent along with other 4-H agents in the District started a virtual 4-H Baking Challenge on Facebook. The Scott County 4-H Youth Development Agent provided recipes for beginners and advanced bakers each week for seven weeks via the Sc
Author: Kimberly Ragland
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
In the 2015-16 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the national obesity rate for children ages 2-19 was 18.5%. In 2017, the Centers for Disease Control reported Kentucky youth in grades 9-12 had a 20% rate of obesity with an additional 16% of youth categorized as overweight. Kentucky is notoriously inactive, ranking 50th in the CDC’s 2017 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System with 34.4% of adults reporting no physical activity or exercise other than their regul
Author: Dianna Reed
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
In March of 2020, the Johnson Cooperative Extension Service along with government officials, local leaders, school personnel and community members were challenged to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and offer ways to be of service and offer programming to our communities and clientele. As a result, the 4-H Youth Development program provided participation opportunities through the Johnson County 4-H Photography Contest, and the Kentucky 4-H Wildlife Photo Challenge offered by Ashley Osborne,
Author: Staci Thrasher
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
According to the American Heart Association, teaching youth how to prepare their own food will give them a skill they can use for a lifetime, they will be more likely to eat healthier as adults, and build self-confidence. (Cooking With Your Children; Web MD; May 30, 2008.). In March 2020, Fleming Schools switched to a Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI) format due to the Coronavirus Pandemic to finish their course work. During the period of "NTI" and virtual learning, the Fle
Author: Madalyn Hale
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
When the COVID-19 global pandemic forced Kentuckians into quarantine youth and families began spending more time at home, minimizing opportunities for youth to engage in typical extracurricular activities. Due to this situation the Kentucky 4-H Program began the Kentucky 4-H Virtual Experiences on social media platforms. The goal of the Kentucky 4-H Virtual Experiences was to maintain ways for youth and families to engage with 4-H projects, events and activities while learning new life skills th
Author: Rachel Guidugli
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
As our world grapples with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic it is imperative that non-formal youth development professionals redefine programming to continue to intentionally meet the developmental needs of youth through new platforms that adhere to national and state guidelines. Prior to the start of the global pandemic research showed that ninety-five percent of a person’s learning related to science occurs outside of the classroom (Falk and Lynn, 2010). With this staggering statistic
Author: Catherine Weaver
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Kentucky 4-H Bake-A-LongCathy Weaver Rachel E. Noble As our world grapples with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic it is imperative that non-formal youth development professionals redefine programming to continue to intentionally meet the developmental needs of youth through new platforms that adhere to national and state guidelines. Prior to the start of the global pandemic research showed that ninety-five percent of a person’s learning related to science occurs outside of the
Author: Julie Brown
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kentucky has the fifth-highest rate of obesity in the nation. About one-third of U.S. adults (33.8 percent) are obese. Approximately 17 percent (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents ages 2-19 years are obese (Data from the National Health and Examination Survey). To combat high obesity rates for elementary and middle school children the Warren County 4-H Youth Development agent partnered with the Warren Co
Author: Paul Adkins
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the Bullitt County Public Schools’ Food Service Department found themselves preparing and delivering over 6,000 meals to children qualified for the free and reduced lunches throughout the county. As the food service program began the process, the Food Service Director identified the need for a fun but educational flyer to be include with the meals. Since the food service employees were focused on preparing the food, the Bullitt County Extension Service o
Author: Isaac Hilpp
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
Situation: During the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced a stay at home order in the state of Kentucky that would extend through the remainder of the 4-H program year. 4-H as with all educational organizations faced the opportunity to create engaging and meaningful online content for youth to participate in. Educational response: Kentucky 4-H launched the daily virtual experiences and brown bag programs in response to stay at home orders and the closing of public
Author: Bernita Cheirs
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
The 4-H Cloverbud program is designed to be noncompetitive, educational, activity-based, cooperative learning centered, safe, developmentally age appropriate, and success-oriented. By allowing children between the ages of 5-8 to participate in a positive learning experiences, it helps them to build life skills at a younger age.The 4-H Cloverbud program began in 2018 in Fulton County averaging around 8 Kindergarteners – 3rd graders. Club meetings happen once a month after school at the Exte
Author: Eric Comley
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
The importance of financial education is self-evident. Exposing young people, as early as possible, to a healthy understanding of the most basic framework of financial decision-making, budgeting, record-keeping, and establishing personal values when it comes to money. According to an article by Elizabeth Johnson and Margaret Sherraden in Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, Overall, education, as viewed through the capabilities lens, is important not only because it permits a person to flour
Author: Chanda Hall
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
The COVID-19 global pandemic forced families into quarantine and required them to spend more time at home, minimizing opportunities for youth to engage in typical extracurricular activities. According to the After School Alliance (ASA), the after school field is an essential response to the coronavirus pandemic. The ASA states that innovative program services support youth families and communities in several ways. Virtual programs provide safe, enriching activitie
Author: Brittany Osborne
Major Program: 4-H Family and Consumer Science Core Curriculum
According to Dissertation research submitted by Iowa State University, "The subject of clothing relates to almost every other subject taught, such as history (how political conditions were an influence on fashion), physics (how sewing machines worked), chemistry (how fabric 16 can protect against heat or cold, microscopic examination of fibers, textile testing), physiology (how the body moves in clothes), as well as drawing and design." This year, McCracken County 4-H There&r
