Extension
It Starts With Us
Improve Individual and Family Development and Mental Health (FCS)
Promote Healthy Lifestyles
Diane Mason, Lacey Kessell, Liz Evans
Family Development General
Substance Use Prevention and Recovery General
LEAP
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. In 2013, 25 percent of Kentucky children lived in poverty, ranking Kentucky 40th in the nation. 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. County Extension Council, the Boone County Family and Consumer Sciences Advisory Committee and the Boone County Extension Homemaker Council have indicated mental health issues, substance abuse awareness, and family strengtheing are priorities for Boone County Extension to address.
Kentucky families are able to:
•Care for the physical and mental health and well-being of each individual over the long term
Address addiction and substance use issues within their communities
•Foster the optimal development of children and youth
•Practice parental leadership skills
•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
Increase by 1% number of people who:
•Set and used family rules, routines and limited screen time
•Eat family meals together three or more times a week
•Reduce stress levels, make time for selves, and/or made wise decisions about money, time, etc.
•Play and spend quality time with child daily
•Can identify realistic expectations for child’s tasks
•Report using preventive and positive discipline techniques in response to misbehavior, and set and enforce logical consequences
•Practice skills to strengthen and sustain relationships
•Access community agencies and resources when needed
•Engage in community outreach activities
One percent of program participants:
•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.
•Can state realistic behavior expectations
•Can discuss discipline vs. punishment, and preventive and positive discipline techniques
•Commit to using logical consequences for misbehavior
•Intend to contact community agencies for assistance when appropriate
Initial Outcome: knowledge gained in family health and parenting skills are improved
Indicator:
Number of individuals (parents or caregivers) reporting improved personal skills (such as increased personal strengths, interpersonal communication and life skills to strengthen families)
Number of individuals reporting behaviors that foster the optimal development of children and youth
Method:pre post survey and testing
Timeline: one year
Intermediate Outcome:
Number of individuals (parents or caregivers) demonstrating nurturing attitudes and behaviors by caring for the health and well-being of individuals throughout the lifespan.
Indicator: positive parenting and disciplines are exercised
Method: surveys, interviews, observations
Timeline: two years
Long-term Outcome:
Number of parents and/or caregivers who practice one or more parental leadership skills such as parental empathy, proper ways of establishing family rules, and concrete support their child to develop a sense of positive self-worth
Number of individuals actively engaged in collaborations and programs that build community capacity to nurture families
Indicator: better communities and productive healthy families
Method: observations, surveys, data collection
Timeline: four years
Audience: Youth & Families
Project or Activity: Storytime at the Nature Center
Content or Curriculum: Stories with guided nature hike
Inputs: Agents and Boone County Public Library
Date: June, July, August 2022 and 2023
Audience: Preschool Aged Children and Adult
Project or Activity: Laugh and Learn
Content or Curriculum: Laugh and Learn Curriculum
Inputs: handouts, curriculum, crafting supplies
Date: August, September, November, December 2022; February, March, April, May June 2023
Audience: Adults
Project or Activity: Pet First Aid and CPR
Content or Curriculum: AVMA, American Red Cross
Inputs: guest veterinarian, handouts
Date: April 2023
Audience: Adults
Project or Activity: The Power of Flowers
Content or Curriculum: Health and Well-being Benefits of Plants TAMU
Inputs: handouts, flowers, agents
Date: August 2022, September 2022, October 2022
Audience: Adults, Young Adults
Project or Activity: Time Well Spent
Content or Curriculum: UK Curriculum
Inputs: handouts, curriculum
Date: August 2022, September 2022
Audience: Adults of the General Public
Project or Activity: Wits Workout
Content or Curriculum: Curriculum from U of Illinois Extension
Inputs: handouts, curriculum
Date: October/November 2022
Author: Elizabeth Evans
Major Program: Family Development General
Roughly 36% of Kentucky’s population is over the age of 50 and the state has one of the highest percentages of people aged 30 and over raising grandchildren. According to the Kids Count database, in 2021 there were 58,000 or 6% of children in the state of Kentucky being raised by their grandparents compared to 4% overall for the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 104,954 grandparents living with their own grandchildren under 18 years of age. The percentage of gra
Author: Elizabeth Evans
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health - FCS
The Power of FlowersThere is just something about having fresh cut flowers in the home or spending the day outside in nature that can leave individuals feeling a little happier and refreshed. Research has shown that spending time in nature, even for just 20 minutes, can significantly reduce stress hormones. Time in nature has also been shown to decrease inflammation, lower heart rate and blood pressure, reduce anxiety, decrease depression, and decrease fatigue. In addition, Rutgers University co
Author: Elizabeth Evans
Major Program: Child Development Programs
According to the U.S. Department of Education, 64% of fourth graders in Kentucky are not reading proficiently. In Northern Kentucky, only 53% of students were kindergarten ready (Kentucky Center for Statistics, 2019). On the other hand, a positive aspect on early childhood development is when children are educated about community partners, it can provide positive benefits such as a sense of belonging to a place and community, learning who to
Author: Elizabeth Evans
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health - FCS
Stress is something that affects all of us at some point in our lives and if left unchecked can contribute to many health complications including high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity to name a few. According to the American Psychiatric Association, the number of Americans that rated their mental health as fair to poor increased from 31% to 37% at the end of 2022 and stated “More than one in four (26%) reported they anticipated experiencing more stress at the start of 2
