Extension
It Starts With Us
Nurturing Families
Nurturing Families
FCS
Family Development General
Child Development Programs
Family Development General
Healthy couple and parenting relationships and resulting family stability benefit the well-being of adults and children. Co-habiting, same-sex, divorced, widowed and single households are the new majority. Children who live absent from their biological fathers are two to three times more likely to be poor, to experience educational, health, emotional and behavioral problems than their peers who live with their married, biological (or adoptive) parents. According to KY by the Numbers, in Carter County in between 2013-2017, 559 grandparents were responsible for their grandchildren and 110 children were determined to have been victims of child abuse or neglect. In 2013, 25% of Kentucky children lived in poverty, ranking Kentucky 40th in the nation. Carter County unemployment rate and children living in poverty is even higher than the state average. In Carter County 62.6% of students are eligible for free lunch. Children who live in poverty are more likely to have learning disabilities and developmental delays. Furthermore, 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 of high school than more advantaged children. The Carter County Family and Consumer Sciences Advisory Council identified this area as the greatest need in our county and identified programs to provide more education in these areas.
Carter County families are able to:
Care for the physical and mental health and well-being of each individual over the long term
Foster the optimal development of children and youth
Build personal strengths and self control, interpersonal communication, life skills including wise decision-making.
Embrace people from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds
Reach out with empathy to people dealing with severe stress
Access community resources when needed
Become volunteers to make their community a better place to live for everyone
Parents will:
Set and used family rules, routines and limited screen time
Ate family meals four or more times a week
Reduced stress levels, made time for selves, and/or made wise decisions about money, time, etc.
Played and spent quality time with child daily
Reported child’s developmental progress over time
Identified realistic expectations for child’s tasks
Practice skills to strengthen and sustain relationships
Accessed community agencies and resources when needed
Engaged in community outreach activities
Parents will:
Commit to set family rules regarding eating together, limiting screen time, active play and exercise, set routines
Intend to manage stress; make time for self; listen, talk, bond with family members; read with child daily; teach responsibility in use of money, time, etc.
Describe child’s developmental levels relative to averages
Verbalize realistic behavior expectations
List developmentally appropriate playthings
Commit to using logical consequences for misbehavior
Intend to contact community agencies for assistance
Intend to participate in volunteer activities
Initial Outcome: Build Personal Strengths, interpersonal communication, and life skills to strengthen families
Indicator: Number of parents or caregivers reporting improved personal knowledge
Method: Pre and Post Test
Timeline: after first lesson
Intermediate Outcome: Foster the optimal development of children and youth
Indicator: Number of families able to identify realistic expectations for child.
Method: Pre and post test
Timeline: after the program is complete
Long-term Outcome: Build Community capacity
Indicator: Number of families who accessed community resources and decreased the need for intervention.
Method: Community assessment
Timeline: 1-4 years
Audience: Parents, Caregivers, and Children
Project or Activity: Playdate Program
Content or Curriculum: Laugh and Learn Playdate
Inputs: KY CES publications, FCS Agent, program assistants, specialists, and Community Partners
Date: Monthly
Audience: Fathers, Father figure, and children
Project or Activity: Day Out With Dad
Content or Curriculum: Father's Reading Everyday
Inputs: National Fatherhood Initiative, Community Partners (FRYSC, Drug Free Coalition, Carter County Schools, and volunteers),
Date: September
Audience: Families
Project or Activity: Child Abuse Prevention Event
Content or Curriculum: UK Publications, National Fatherhood Initiative
Inputs: Community Partners, Agencies, FRYSC
Date: April
Author: Whitney Morrow
Major Program: Child Development Programs
Laugh and Learn PlaydatesPer the Early Childhood Profile only 42.8% of Kindergarteners were considered kindergarten ready in 2022. Parents identified the need to have positive child development activities for age’s birth through five years. There are no other programs in Carter County available for young children and they felt they had limited opportunities to develop social skills. In April, 2013 the Carter County Cooperative Extension Service Family and Consumer Sciences began a program
