Extension
It Starts With Us
Building Strong Families
Improve Individual and Family Development
Shane Bogle, Rhonda Jewell, Ashley Board
Child Development General
Family Development General
Aging-General
Camping
The ever changing landscape of the family and the consumer highlights the need for a responsive and innovative family development program while also providing the basic needs that all families have as they navigate life’s many challenges. Healthy couple and parenting relationships and resulting family stability benefit the well-being of adults and children.
People are living longer. According to the 2019 Census Data, Kentucky’s current population of senior (65+) is 16.4%. In Caldwell County, the current population of seniors is 17.8% As the largest and fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, older adults influence everything from consumer behavior health-care cost. While we may be adding years life, there is concern about life quality.
96,000 children in Kentucky live in kinship care. Kentucky ranks first in the nation for the most children in kinship care in the country. Kinship care providers need support.
According to the 2019 Early Childhood Profile, only 64.1% 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 classes and drop out of high school than more advantaged children.
Caldwell County Extension can help individuals and families establish healthy lifestyle behaviors and relationships throughout the lifespan.
*Increase the number of children who are "kindergarten ready" in Kentucky.
*Improve academic success for children in Kentucky.
*Individuals improve health span through lifestyle choices and behaviors related to overall health and well-being.
*Increase opportunities and access to more preschool learning activities outside of the home.
*Increase number of children who are kindergarten ready in Caldwell County.
*Increase number of learning activities experienced at home.
*Increase child and parent social-emotional skills such as heightened self-awareness, responsible decision-making, and self-management.
*Individuals of all ages adapt healthy lifestyle choices, including diet, physical activity, no smoking/binge drinking.
*More households prepared for caregiving.
*Individuals understand the importance of developmentally appropriate play to their child's academic success.
*Increase child's ability to express emotion.
*Improve child's gross motor skills.
*Improve child's early literacy skills including phonological awareness, print awareness, and vocabulary.
*Establish realistic expectations for child behavior and explore changing relationships within families.
* Individuals understand the importance of lifestyle choices and behaviors throughout their lifespan on their overall health, well-being, and life quality.
*Individuals learn that caregiver preparation is important.
*Individuals learn about resources to enhance life quality, safety, and to support aging families.
Initial Outcome:Learn about prevention and how to adapt healthy lifestyles; Parents learn fun age appropriate activities to aid in child's healthy development
Indicator: Number of individuals/families reached with information to improve healthy lifestyle choices specifically related to aging; Number of parents who expressed learning new activities to engage their children at home
Method: survey
Timeline: ongoing
Intermediate Outcome: Adapt healthy lifestyles related to aging and longevity; Increase child and parent social-emotional skills
Indicator: number of individuals/families/caregivers who adapted behavior; number of children who increased ability to express emotion
Method: survey
Timeline:ongoing
Long-term Outcome: Kentucky's overall health span increases; Increase number of children who are kindergarten ready in Caldwell
Indicator: Number of programs and policies identified, adapted, created, and evaluated to promote healthy aging in KY; Kindergarten readiness number
Method:Kentucky Health Facts; Kentucky Governor's Office of Early Childhood Kindergarten Readiness Profile
Timeline: ongoing
Audience: Homemakers, Seniors, Community members
Project or Activity: Keys to Embracing Aging
Content or Curriculum:Keys to Embracing Aging
Inputs: Extension Agents
Date:TBD
Audience:Homemakers, Seniors, Community members
Project or Activity: AARP Prepare to Care
Content or Curriculum:AARP Prepare to Care
Inputs: Extension Agents
Date:TBD
Audience: Preschoolers and families
Project or Activity: Laugh & Learn Preschool Playdate
Content or Curriculum: various
Input: Extension Agents
Date: 2023-2024
Audience: Preschoolers and families
Project or Activity: Stories, Songs, and Stretches
Content or Curriculum: Stories, Songs, and Stretches
Input: library, Extension Agents
Date: 2023-2024
Audience: Kinship Caregivers; Community Members
Project or Activity: various
Content or Curriculum: Parenting a Second Time Around, Life Story/Memory Banking, Traditions
Input: FRYSC, Extension Agents
Date: TDB
Audience: Farm Families
Project or Activity: Women in Agriculture
Content or Curriculum: various
Input: Extension Agents
Date: TBD
Audience: Farm Families
Project or Activity: Stress Management for Farm Families
Content or Curriculum: various
Input: UK Specialists, Extension Agents
Date: TBD
Audience: Cloverbuds (ages 5-8)
Project or Activity: Cloverbud Family Camp
Content or Curriculum: various
Input: 4-H agents and volunteers
Date: Summer 2024
Audience: Cloverbuds Club (ages 5-8)
Project: Cloverbud Club
Content or Curriculum: Parent volunteers and 4-H agent
Date: 2023-2024
Audience: Parents, Drug Court Participants
Project: Active Parenting
Content or Curriculum: Active parenting, Nurturing parenting
Date: TBD
Audience: Drug Court Participants
Project: Building Healthy Relationships
Content or Curriculum: Relationship Smarts
Date: TBD
Author: Ashley Board
Major Program: Child Development General
The CDC recommends that preschool age children be physically active throughout the day for growth and development. Children and adolescents age 6-17 should participate in 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity each day. Research shows that among U.S. children ages 2- 4, nearly 14% were overweight and 13.5% were obese. Less than ¼ of children age 6-17 participate in 60 minutes of physical activity every day. Young children need help to deve
Author: Ashley Board
Major Program: Family Development General
University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS) programs are designed to reach audiences across the lifespan. Many individuals in the 20-50 age range need the skills taught by Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS) agents, but do not attend traditional programming due to other commitments, life phases, or real or perceived stigma. To reach these individuals, FCS agents in Caldwell, Christian, Hopkins, and Livingston knew they must pivot and offer research-based in
Author: Ashley Board
Major Program: Family Development General
The quality and diversity of family relationships play a significant role in shaping health and well-being across the life course. Today, family life is changing in unprecedented ways—from single parenting, same-sex marriage, marriage without children, relatives raising children, to delayed retirement, caregiving, and living longer. Investing in child development and positive parenting fosters healthy relationships, enhances social emotional skills, and promotes healthy behaviors across th
Author: Shane Bogle
Major Program: Tornado Response and Recovery
Extension offices help their communities with a plethora of normal day-to-day issues. But occasionally a once in a lifetime event happens that tests the resolve of rural communities and places some organizations at the forefront of life changing action. On December 10, 2021, Caldwell County was one of the counties that experienced the devastating tornado outbreak that ravaged 11 counties in Kentucky. Caldwell Extension was on the ground with local officials providing resources, leade
Author: Rhonda Jewell
Major Program: Community Vitality and Leadership – 4-H Youth Development
The primary goal of the Cloverbuds program (youth ages 5-8) is to promote children's healthy development - mentally, physically, socially and emotionally. Cloverbuds also encourages creativity and learning through play. The 4 -H Cloverbud program provides an excellent opportunity for youth to reach their highest potential because of experiences and exposure.There has been a large increase in interest in 4-H for youth ages 5-8 in Caldwell County the past several years. A volunteer
