Extension
It Starts With Us
Financial Stability
Healthy Communities
Hull, Rex, Stewart
Family Development General
Communications and Expressive Arts
Kentucky consistently lags behind other areas of the United States in key household economic indicators, including: personal income, population living below the poverty line, unemployment, and revolving debt. These indicators, especially unemployment numbers became more exaggerated during the period of the Great Recession. However, at present economist are cautiously optimistic regarding future economic forecasts. It is important to acknowledge the impact of current economic conditions on family financial management. The goal of the Securing Financial Stability Initiative is to help Kentuckians understand and respond to changing economic conditions, while promoting healthy financial behaviors across the lifespan.
•Maximize or extend resources to maintain or increase financial stability.
•Number of individuals reporting improved family financial stability and economic well-being.
•Number of individuals who avoided breaches in personal or financial security.
•Improved the quality of their life resulting in a stronger family.
•Adopt one or more short, mid and long term financial planning strategies.
•Practice one or more resource management behavior(s) resulting in increased savings or investments
•Apply practical living skills to advance education or employability.
•Examine personal and financial stability on a regular basis (at least annually).
•Teenagers and adults will show increased knowledge and skills related to managing available financial and non-financial resources
•Participants will increase understanding of consumer rights and privacy protection measures.
•Teens and young adults will simulate life situations to recognize importance of education and employability skills.
•Participants will identify short, medium and long term personal goals and objectives related to maintaining and improving their financial stability.
Initial Outcome: Participants have increased their knowledge and vocabulary regarding personal and family finances.
Indicator: Participants attending a program, online session or mail out session
Method: evaluations
Timeline: 1- 3 months
Intermediate Outcome: Increase of families working to become financially independent.
Indicator: Participants have applied knowledge gained from Extension programs to become more financially secure.
Method: evaluation, observations, personal interviews and follow up calls.
Timeline: 6 months- 1 year
Long-term Outcome: More families financially secure.
Indicator: Participants report applying two or more skills and more financial stability in their families.
Method: evaluation, observations, personal interviews and follow up calls.
Timeline: 2-3 years
Audience: Gallatin County Food Pantry Participants, Gallatin County Senior Center
Project or Activity: Plan, Eat Move Financial Education
Content or Curriculum: Plan, Eat, Move resources, Stretching Your Holiday Dollar, Managing in Tough Times Curriculum, Nutrition Education recipes and resources and other UK publications
Inputs: FCS Extension Agent, 3 Rivers Health Department, Gallatin County Food Pantry
Date: Each month beginning June and July, 2022--23
Audience: 7th graders
Project or Activity: 4-H Reality Store
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Curriculum
Inputs: Extension Staff, Teachers, Volunteers, School
Date: Fall 2022
Audience: 5th graders
Project or Activity: Dollars and Sense
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Curriculum
Inputs: Extension Staff, Teachers, Volunteers, School
Date: Spring 2023
Audience: 5th Graders
Project or Activity: Economic Fair
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Curriculum
Inputs: Extension Staff, Teachers, Volunteers, School
Date: Spring 2023
Audience: Youth all Ages
Project or Activity: Piggy Bank
Content or Curriculum: Money Wise, Kentucky Saves
Inputs: Extension Staff, Teachers, Volunteers, School, local banks
Date: Fall 2022
Audience: High School
Project or Activity: APES
Content or Curriculum: UK
Inputs: businesses, volunteers, UK, extension staff
Date: 2022-2023 school year
Author: Ronda Rex
Major Program: Build Engaged and Empowered Communities – General
Gallatin County Cooperative Extension Service and the Three Rivers Health Department collaborated with the Gallatin County Food Pantry each month to create videos for the Food Pantry. In each video, Ronda Rex, Agent for Family & Consumer Sciences and Ashley Smith, Community Health Strategist focuses on tips and tricks for cooking and baking demonstrating Plan, Eat, Move and Nutrition Education Program recipes. One hundred forty recipes in both English and Spanish are distributed
Author: Ronda Rex
Major Program: Community Vitality and Leadership -FCS
The problem: According to the Education Data Initiative, “the average cost of college in the United States is $35,551 per student per year, including books, supplies, and daily living expenses. The average cost of college has more than doubled in the 21st century, with an annual growth rate of 7.1%. The average in-state student attending a public 4-year institution spends $25,707 for one academic year. The average cost of in-state tuition alone is $9,377; out-o
