Extension
It Starts With Us
Nurturing Families
Family Wellness
Linda Combs
Nurturing Parenting
Nurturing Families (general)
With the unemployment rate in the county on the rise up to 15.6% through 2015 and early 2016, community leaders through surveys, council meetings, and one-on-one face meetings have directed Extension programming to focus on areas dealing with: family relations, drugs, unemployment, motivating children to succeed, peer pressure, helping aging baby boomers learn to adapt to the aging process and financial management. Many of Knott County families struggle with one or more of these problems. 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. Knott County’s population of seniors is 13.4% a number that is expected to increase due to aging baby boomers.
The American Community Survey estimates that between 2009-2013 in Knott County:
• 26.4% (+/-1.5) of households included one or more persons age 65 and over.
• 362 (+/-144) grandparents lived with and were responsible for their own grandchildren.
• 52.0% (+/-10.3) of children under 6 years and 54.8% (+/-8.0) of children 6-17 years had all parents in the labor force.
In Knott County:
• 23.7% (29.6%-18.6%) of adults ages 18+ reported they did not receive sufficient social-emotional support between 2006-12.
• 97 children were determined to have been victims of child abuse or neglect in 2013.
• 36.8% of those registered to vote did so in the 2014 General Election.
Knott 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
•Practice parental leadership skills
•Build personal strengths and selfcontrol, interpersonal communication, life skills including wise decision-making.
•Embrace people from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds
•Access community resources when needed
The number of people who:
•Established and followed 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 using preventive and positive discipline techniques in response to misbehavior, and setting and enforcing logical consequences
•Practice skills to strengthen and sustain relationships
•Accessed community agencies and resources when needed
•Engaged in community outreach activities
•Intends 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.
•Describes child’s developmental levels relative to averages
•Verbalizes realistic behavior expectations
•Lists developmentally appropriate playthings
•Discusses discipline vs. punishment, and preventive and positive discipline techniques
•Commits to using logical consequences for misbehavior
•Intends to contact community agencies for assistance
Initial Outcome: Knott county families will make better choices with parenting and family life decisions.
Indicator: fewer abuse cases reported
Method: pre and post evaluations, observation
Timeline: on-going
Intermediate Outcome: structured family life
Indicator: fewer abuse cases reported, fewer school discipline problems
Method: pre and post evaluations, observation
Timeline: on-going
Long-term Outcome: families will use social services less and support each other
Indicator: fewer foster children
Method: observation and data from social services
Timeline: on-going
Audience: Knott County drug court
Project or Activity: lifeskillls
Content or Curriculum: UK FCS extension curriculum
Inputs: FCS agent
Date: on-going
Audience: preschool/headstart parents
Project or Activity: lifeskill classes
Content or Curriculum: UK FCS extension curriculum
Inputs: FCS agent
Date: on-going
