Kenton County CES

Title:

Nurturing Families General

MAP:

Nurturing Families

Agents Involved:

Kathy Byrnes, Joan Bowling, Linda Brown-Price

MAJOR PROGRAM 1:

Nurturing Families (general)

MAJOR PROGRAM 2:

Nurturing Parenting

MAJOR PROGRAM 3:

Grandparents and Grandchildren Together

MAJOR PROGRAM 4:

Relationship Smart Plus 3.0

Situation:

Healthy couple and parenting relationships and resulting family stability benefit the well-being of adults and children. The number of children being raised by people other than their biological parents is on the rise in Kenton County. 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. 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. With many of Kentucky's family courts mandating parenting education to families in crisis more such programs are needed. People are living longer. Kentucky's current population of seniors (65+) is 13.3%, a number that is expected to double in the next 40 years due to the aging Baby Boomers (post WWII babies born between 1946-1964). Approximately 25% of Kentucky's population includes Boomers, who, in 2011, started turning 65. Meanwhile, babies born in Kentucky in 2011 are projected to live to be 75 years old (3 years younger than national average). Whether it is the graying of America or extended life expectancies, aging is a lifespan process. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge and celebrate the changes that accompany aging and help individuals, families and communities manage the challenges and discover the positive aspects of life transitions and growing older.

Long-Term Outcomes:

Kentucky 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 self-control, interpersonal communication, life

skills including wise decision-making

• Embrace people from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds

• Reach out with empathy to people dealing with severe stress

• Access community resources when needed

Intermediate Outcomes:

The number of people who:

• Set and used family rules, routines and limited screen time

• Reduced stress levels, made time for selves, and/or made wise decisions about

money, time, etc.

• Identified realistic expectations for child's tasks

• Create a legacy

• Increase communication and enhance relationships and social support

• Work as a family unit to acknowledge and embrace aging issues

• 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

Initial Outcomes:

• 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

• Healthy lifespan behaviors

• Verbalizes realistic behavior expectations

• Lists developmentally appropriate playthings

• Discusses discipline vs. punishment, and preventive and positive discipline

techniques

Evaluation:

Outcome: Improved personal strengths and self-control, interpersonal communication, life skills including wise decision-making

Indicator: Increased positive parent/caregiver and child interactions

Method: Surveys, evaluations, telephone calls, testimonials, informal feedback

Timeline: 4 weeks following end of school/support group yearly meetings and/or classes

Outcome: Adjust and maintain environmental factors to promote independent aging

Indicator: Improved quality of life from change in home environment and increase in physical activity and caregiver knowledge

Method: Observation, informal feedback, surveys, evaluations

Timeline: Two months after the class

Long-term Outcome:

Indicator:

Method:

Timeline:

Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Head Start students, Covington Housing Authority residents, general public

Project or Activity: LEAP

Content or Curriculum: LEAP materials, UK publications

Inputs: UK Specialist

Date: Monthly series August 2017 through May 2018

Audience: Parents and teens

Project or Activity: Relationship smarts series

Content or Curriculum: Relationship Smarts Curriculum Extension publications; UK fact sheets

Inputs: UK Specialists

Date: April 2018

Audience: Relatives/Grandparents Raising Children

Project or Activity: Relatives/Grandparents Raising Children Support Group

Content or Curriculum: UK publications

Inputs: UK publications, Children's law office, Area Development District, FRYC's

Date: Monthly meetings August 2017 through June 2018

Audience: General Public

Activity: Living Well Newsletter

Content: Parenting Financial and Nutrition

Inputs: UK publications

Date: July-June 2019

Audience: Parents

Activity: Parenting Newsletter

Content: Parenting, Financial, and Nutrition

Inputs: UK Specialists, other land grant universities - Extension

Date: October 2018/December 2018/February 2019/April 2019

Audience: Grandparents Raising Children, Parents and Caregivers
Content: Nurturing Families Curriculum
Activity: ABC’s of Parenting Series
Inputs: UK Specialists, local family court officials, Family Nurturing Center
Date: Fall 2017 

Audience: Young Adults and Parents

Activity: Launching Your Child into Adulthood  
Content: Extension Sponsored
Inputs: UK Agents
Date: April 2018

Audience: Extension Homemakers

Project or Activity: Area Seminar, "Healthy Horticulture" - for family activities and mental health

Content or Curriculum: UK Factsheets

Inputs: Kenton, Boone, Campbell Horticulture and FCS agents

Date: January 12, 2019

Success Stories