Extension
It Starts With Us
Promoting individual and family development through effective communications, appreciating individua
Cultivating Life Skills from Cradle to Grave
Kenna Knight, Shelley Meyers, Lindie Huffman
Sustainable Agriculture
Nurturing Families (general)
Arts Engagement
Communications and Expressive Arts 4-H Core Curriculum
Situation: 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. 26% of Pendleton County youth are in single parent families. In 2013, 24 percent of Pendleton children lived in poverty, and the ranking for Kentucky was 48th in the nation. 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. 2014/15 data for Pendleton county shows 60% kindergartners are not ready to learn, 56% or fourth graders were not proficient in reading and 9 % of high schools students are not graduating on time. Local data also reveals youth that use tobacco are 17% above the national average for all grade levels, 13 % of adults report drinking excessively, while 40% of our twelve grade students report using alcohol regularly. Bully is also on the rise as well as teen suicide rates. All this information leads to the need of building strong life skills throughout all stages on our resident’s life span.
Long-term Outcomes:
Kentucky families, including youth are able to:
•Care for the physical and mental health and well-being of each individual over the long term
•Build personal strengths and self-control, interpersonal communication, life skills including wise decision-making.
•Reach out with empathy to people of diverse cultural, ethnic, racial groups and those experiencing severe stress
•Foster the optimal development of children and youth
•Practice parental leadership skills
•Access community resources when needed
•Become volunteers to make their
community a better place to live for
everyone
Intermediate Outcomes:
The number of individuals who:
•Set and used 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, long range plans, substance abuse, treatment of others, daily activities etc.
•Played with child daily
•Reported child’s developmental progress over time
•Identified realistic expectations for child’s tasks
•Reported using preventive and positive discipline techniques in response to misbehavior, and setting and enforcing logical consequences
•Practice skills to strengthen and sustain relationships and be successful in life endeavors
•Accessed community agencies when needed
•Engaged in community outreach activities
Initial Outcome:
•Commits to set family rules regarding eating together, limiting screen time, active play and exercise, set routines
•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
•Intends to participate in volunteer activities
•Teach Life Skills to youth in all grade levels
•Provide alternative activities for youth to participate in
Evaluation:
Long-term Outcomes:
Kentucky families, including youth are able to:
•Care for the physical and mental health and well-being of each individual over the long term
•Build personal strengths and self-control, interpersonal communication, life skills including wise decision-making.
•Reach out with empathy to people of diverse cultural, ethnic, racial groups and those experiencing severe stress
•Foster the optimal development of children and youth
•Practice parental leadership skills
•Access community resources when needed
•Become volunteers to make their
community a better place to live for
everyone
Indicator: KIP Survey, Attitude and Behavior Survey, Gallop Survey, Number of students involved in beneficial activities, School data from testing and graduation rates, kindergarten readiness data, Child well-being key indicator data
Method: observation and reviewing data annually or as new data is released
Timeline: annually
Intermediate Outcomes:
The number of individuals who:
•Set and used 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, long range plans, substance abuse, treatment of others, daily activities etc.
•Played with child daily
•Reported child’s developmental progress over time
•Identified realistic expectations for child’s tasks
•Reported using preventive and positive discipline techniques in response to misbehavior, and setting and enforcing logical consequences
•Practice skills to strengthen and sustain relationships and be successful in life endeavors
•Accessed community agencies when needed
•Engaged in community outreach activities
Indicator: KIP Survey, Attitude and Behavior Survey, Gallop Survey, Number of students involved in beneficial activities, School data from testing and graduation rates, kindergarten readiness data, Child well-being key indicator data
Method: observation, youth participating in activities and reviewing data annually or as new data is released
Timeline: throughout the year
Initial Outcome:
•Commits to set family rules regarding eating together, limiting screen time, active play and exercise, set routines
•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
•Intends to participate in volunteer activities
•Teach Life Skills to youth in all grade levels
•Provide alternative activities for youth to participate in
Indicator: KIP Survey, Attitude and Behavior Survey, Gallop Survey, Number of students involved in beneficial activities, School data from testing and graduation rates, kindergarten readiness data, Child well-being key indicator data, number of individuals reporting change in knowledge, opinions, skill or aspiration related to parenting or personal relationships
Method: observation, youth participating in activities and reviewing data annually or as new data is released, pre and post surveys of program efforts, community feedback and visual witnessing
Timeline: throughout the year
Audience: Audience: Families, pre-school, seniors, youth, volunteers
Project or Activity: Acquiring basic Life skills as related to Family and Consumer Science programs and activities that will include:
•Quilt Club (monthly) FCS
•Adult Sewing (weekly) FCS
•Adult Scrapbooking (monthly) FCS
•Holiday Open House (November) FCS
•Winter Wonderland (November) FCS
•Sewing Expo (April) FCS
•Cultural Arts Classes (quarterly) FCS
•4-H Sewing (weekly for October- April) 4-H
•4-H Crocheting (biweekly for October- April) 4-H
•Project Days (fall and spring break) 4-H
Content or Curriculum:
•Homemaker Leader Lessons
•UK publications
•USDA Material
Inputs: FCS Agent, 4-H Agent, Volunteers, Program Assistant, Schools
Date: Dates are indicated above
Audience: Families, pre-school, seniors, youth, volunteers
Project or Activity: Build personal strengths, interpersonal communication and life skills to strengthen youth and families programs or activities to include:
•Homemaker Leader training (August) FCS
•FOR (Friends of Rachel) Club Middle School (August-May) FCS
•Recipe for Life (August – November) FCS
•Operation Preparation (December) FCS, ANR, 4-H
•Community Block Parties (September, May) FCS, ANR, 4H
Truth or Consequences (Fall) FCS, 4-H
•Food, Cultural and Plants (Fall and Spring) -4-H, FCS, ANR
•Plant a Promise (Oct and April) FCS, ANR
•Sticker Shock (May) FCS, 4-H
•TEG (October, March) FCS
Student Athlete Prevention Sessions - (each sport season) FCS
•Anti-bullying/Suicide Prevention (Fall) FCS, 4-H
•Photography (September- July) 4-H
•Clover Buds (monthly) 4-H
•District Middle School Retreat (December) 4-H
•Teen Summit (March) 4-H
•Teen Conference (June) 4-H
•Southern Regional Teen Leadership Conference (September) 4-H
•District Teen Retreat (January) 4-H
•Issues Conference (November) 4-H
•Livestock Judging (Jan-June) 4-H
•Skillathon (Jan-Feb) 4-H
•Young Riders (Sept- July) 4-H
•Rabbits & Chicken Club (Sept-July) 4-H
•Wool Fest (October) 4-H, FSC
•Reality Store (Fall) 4-H
College Ready Fair (Fall) FCS, 4-H
•4-H Recognition Banquet (October) 4-H
•County Fair and livestock shows (July) 4-H
•Fashion Show (April) 4-H
•Capitol Experience (March) 4-H
•Shooting Sports; Archery (biweekly) 4-H
•Shooting Sports; Shotgun (April-September) 4-H
•Shooting Sports; .22 Rifle (April- September) 4-H
•Sprouts – May to November (ANR)
Content or Curriculum:
•Homemaker Leader Lessons
•UK publications
•USDA Material
Inputs: FCS Agent, 4-H Agent, Volunteers, Program Assistant, Schools, Champions Coalition and collaborators, Community Service Alliance
Date: Dates are indicated above
Audience: Audience: Families, pre-school, seniors, youth, volunteers
Project or Activity: Strengthen family nurturing attitudes and behaviors by caring for the health and well-being of each individual throughout the lifespan program and activities to include:
•Recipe for Life (August- November) FCS
•What’s for Dinner (Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov, March, April, May, June) FCS, ANR
•Community Block Parties (Sept,May) FCS, ANR
•Plant a Promise (Oct and April) FCS, ANR
•AG Reality Day ( April) FCS, ANR, 4-H
•Prevention Presentation for Student Athletes (quarterly) FCS
•Community Baby Shower (May) FCS
•Delivering Valentines (February) 4-H
•Teacher Appreciation Breakfast (August) 4-H, FCS, Ag
•Good Start and Ready Fest (August) 4-H, FCS
*Senior Bash (May) ANR, FCS
Content or Curriculum:
•Homemaker Leader Lessons
•UK publications
•USDA Material
Inputs: FCS Agent, 4-H Agent, Volunteers, Program Assistant, Schools, Champions Coalition and collaborators, Community Service Alliance
Date: Dates are indicated above
Audience: Home Horticulture and Consumer
Activity: Home Horticulture Programs
•Summer Reading Program: JMG – May – August (ANR, FCS)
•Kitchen Gardening – April (ANR)
•Planning the Garden that is Right for You – February (ANR)
•Herb Gardening – March (ANR)
•KY Plate it Up Sampling – All Year (ANR, FCS)
•Container Gardening – February (ANR)
•Utilizing Raised Beds – May (ANR)
•The Meat of the Matter: Purchasing Local Meats – August - November (ANR)
•Plant Propagation Series – November (ANR)
•Rain Barrel Workshop – May (ANR)
•Rain Garden Workshop – May (ANR)
Content or Curriculum:
•Lawn and Gardening & Horticulture
•vegetables production
•home fruit production
•landscape design
•landscape management
•beneficial insects
Inputs:
•Extension Community Education Garden
•SNAP-ED
•Monarch Watch Station Grant
•Leader
•Extension and other UK Extension Specialists
•County Agricultural Board
•FSA
•local producers and general public
•Certified Volunteers
Date: All year
Author: Kenna Knight
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
Pendleton County kindergarten readiness for our youth falls well below the state average. Pendleton County kindergarten readiness percent in 30.4% and while the state is 51.1%. As a result of this the Pendleton County Early Childhood Council, which the Family and Consumer Science agent is activity involved in decided to plan an early childhood carnival event. A survey held the day of the event by the adults attending with their children indicated:54% mentioned being able to have fun
