LaRue County CES

Title:

Life Skills & Early Childhood Development

MAP:

Enhancing Life Skills and Fostering Youth & Family Development

Agents Involved:

T. Howard, M. Wilmoth

MAJOR PROGRAM 1:

Nurturing Families (general)

MAJOR PROGRAM 2:

Securing Financial Stability (general)

Situation:

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.
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. 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.

Long-Term Outcomes:

Kentucky families and child care workers 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
-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
-Access community resources when needed
-Become volunteers to make their community a better place to live for everyone

Financial Management:
-Maximize or extend resources to maintain or increase financial assets.
-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.

Intermediate Outcomes:

The number of people/parents or childcare workers who:
-Set and used family rules, routines and limited screen time
-Ate family meals four or more times a week
-Made wise decisions about money, time, etc.
-Played and spent quality time with child daily
-Reported child’s developmental progress over time
-Reported using preventive and positive discipline techniques in response to misbehavior, and setting and enforcing logical consequences
-Accessed community agencies and resources when needed or participated in events sponsored by County Early Childhood Council or community outreach activities

Financial Management:
-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
-Examine personal and financial stability on a regular basis (at least annually).

Initial Outcomes:

-Commits to set family rules regarding eating together, limiting screen time, active play and exercise, set routines
-Read with child daily; teach responsibility in use of money, time, etc.
-Describes child’s developmental levels relative to averages
-Uses developmentally appropriate playthings
-Discusses preventive and positive discipline techniques
-Commits to using logical consequences for misbehavior
-Intends to utilize community resource such as the County Early Childhood Council for assistance in achieving high quality early childhood education

Financial Management:
-Teenagers and adults will show increased knowledge and skills related to managing available financial and non-financial resources. (Social marketing and Program participants)
-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.

Evaluation:

Initial Outcome: Kentucky Saves Campaign

Indicator: Promote Kentucky Saves and Moneywise web resources and general Financial Literacy; utilize educational materials from national America Saves campaign.

Method: use newspaper and social media to share financial literacy information

Timeline: All year

Long-term Outcome: Increase number of local students who are kindergarten ready as reported by KY Governor's Kids Now office. And increase level of participation/rating of local child care centers or home in KY STARS quality rating system. Increase parent awareness of appropriate child development needed for success in school readiness.

Indicator: Review annual state Kindergarten Readiness report, compare County's progress with state level. Annually review local child care centers' STARS rating levels.

Method: County Early Childhood Council will budget some annual grant funds (as allowed by state) for mini-grants to local centers to acquire resources needed for progression in the STARS quality rating system. Council will also promote periodic training for child care workers to increase their knowledge in how to teach their students (and parents) to become kindergarten ready. Share monthly Kids Korner newsletter which is created by D5 FCS agents. This will be distributed through County Early Childhood Council members and KERA preschool teacher.

Timeline: Child care trainings are offered periodically throughout the year, (which may be held at LaRue CES), Spring training is held in Elizabethtown at ECTC. Mini-grant applications will be distributed during the winter and awarded in early spring. Newsletter is shared year-round to preschool class room, and quarterly through Early Childhood Council distributions to parents.

Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Local child care workers, center directors and parents of young children.

Project or Activity: LaRue County Early Childhood Council sponsored trainings or educational events

Content or Curriculum: Training instructors or curriculum will be arranged by Early Childhood Council members or regional office of Child Care Council of KY, Inc.

Inputs: The County Early Childhood Council consists of members from: Family Resource Centers, Head Start, Child Care centers, Public Schools, KERA Pre-school, Community Coordinated Child Care, First Steps (Early Intervention), Campbellsville University, Elizabethtown Technical & Community College, Cooperative Extension Service, Dist. Health Dept., STARS rating system, and representatives from state Kids Now Initiative with each member contributing expertise, time and leadership at council sponsored trainings, activities and planning meetings.

Date: Regional training in Spring 2018 at Elizabethtown Technical & Community College. Working on Born Learning Academy to be offered during school year to parents through FRYSC offices. 

Audience: Nationwide Uniform employees

Project or Activity: Financial Literacy

Content or Curriculum: Kentucky Saves campaign info or UK Moneywise newsletters

Inputs: FCS agent offering quarterly classes at employer site

Date: Classes offered during lunch periods on a quarterly basis, year-round

Success Stories