Extension
It Starts With Us
Fostering Healthy Communities and Families
Fostering Healthy Communities and Families
Amanda Sears, Brandon Sears, Aubrey Clark, Scott Darst, Jessica Hunley
Active Living and Health Promotions General
Family and Consumer Science
Health
Local Food Systems
According to the Kentucky Extension Community Assessment Madison County Report (2019), the highest ranked issue of importance was fewer chronic diseases (diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc.). Additionally, the following issues were ranked with high importance: fewer overweight or obese youth and adults; more sources of buying safe, affordable, fresh local foods; safer use of prescription medications; better use of food safety practices (hand washing, storage, preservation, etc.); more sources for buying safe, affordable, fresh food; and more individual physical activity opportunities.
Youth participants will maintain positive health habits, lower their risk for serious disease and illness, and will lower their risk for physical and emotional distress. Youth will also develop into competent, capable, contributing adults as their important developmental asset needs are met through their participation in 4-H.
Youth will learn safe and responsible use of firearms and archery equipment. In doing so, youth will lower the risk of injury as well as increase their knowledge of handling a firearm in several different disciplines.
Madison County Residents will have increased awareness of our local food economy, practice physical activity and healthy eating, increase their skills and knowledge in food preparation, and increase their average fruit and vegetable consumption.
Families are able to practice parental leadership skills, build personal strengths, interpersonal communication, life skills including wise decision-making, access community resources and improve quality of life.
Youth will adopt and master healthy behaviors that lead to a positive lifestyle, not engaging in risky behavior and handling stress.
Youth will master skills to construct healthy and cost-effective meal plans, as well as select and prepare nutritious foods.
Youth will develop life skills through shooting sports.
Youth will experience a sense of achievement therefore increasing the child’s self-esteem.
Residents will increase the amount of food they purchase locally.
Increase in residents growing their own food in a garden.
Parents and grandparents increase communication and enhance relationships and social support, reduce stress levels, make wiser decisions about money and time management, and use preventive and positive discipline techniques.
Youth will identify safe lifestyle choices, understand risky behaviors and their consequences, and identify healthy ways to handle stress.
Participants will change their awareness, knowledge, opinions, skills, and attitudes needed to make informed choices regarding: Healthy lifestyle choices, Adult weight management, Healthy aging, Aware of importance of daily physical activity, Reduction of chronic disease, Risk of falling, Healthy lifespan behaviors, Empathy, and Age-related family issues such as dementia, failing health, and end-of-life concerns.
Parents will learn about community support services, hold realistic behavior expectations, understand discipline vs. punishment, and practice stress management techniques.
Residents will learn more about where their food comes from.
Residents will know where the two Farmer's Markets are in the county.
Residents learn about gardening.
Outcome: Youth will adopt and master healthy behaviors that lead to a positive lifestyle, not engaging in risky behavior and handling stress.
Indicator: Percentage of youth participants who can identify where germs are located, acknowledge that some germs can make people sick, and know when times in the day when hand washing is needed.
Method: Healthy Habits Evaluation
Timeline: Soon after the conclusion of all cooking programs.
Outcome: Youth will adopt and master healthy behaviors that lead to a positive lifestyle, not engaging in risky behavior and handling stress.
Indicator: Percentage of youth participants who can identify healthy behaviors, who report avoidance of risky behaviors, and identify stress in themselves and others.
Method: 4-H Common Measures Survey: Health
Timeline: Soon after the conclusion of the program.
Outcome: Youth will develop life skills through shooting sports.
Youth will experience a sense of achievement therefore increasing the child’s self-esteem.
Indicator: Percentage of youth who increase in their individual scores.Number of youth who reach their individual goals.
Method: Score sheets and records
Timeline: Annually
Outcome: Participants make healthy lifestyle choices including exercising, drinking adequate water, consuming fruits and vegetables and planning meals.
Indicator: Number of participants who report achieving outcomes.
Method: Surveys
Timeline: After the conclusion of each program
Outcome: Residents will know where the farmer's markets are located, understand the importance of sustainable local agriculture to individual health and financial well-being, and begin to grow, prepare, and preserve food. Increase knowledge and understanding of healthy eating, food safety and food resource management. Participants will also learn about community support services to increase food security.
Indicator:Percentage of farmers market vendors who experience an increase in sales based on Extension programming efforts.
Method: Vendor surveys
Timeline: End of growing season on an annual basis
Audience: Youth ages 9-18
Project or Activity: Madison County 4-H Shooting Sports
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Shooting Sports program
Inputs:Volunteer time, 4-H Agent time, funding, equipment, curriculum
Date: Annually
Audience: Youth ages 5-18
Project or Activity: 4-H Nutrition workshops
Content or Curriculum: Exploring My Plate, Think your Drink, SNAP
Inputs: 4-H Agent time, volunteer time, funding, curriculum, equipment, meeting
Space, Blender Bike
Date: Year Round
Audience: Youth ages 9-18
Project or Activity: Grilling Club
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Curriculum, Kentucky 4-H Livestock Curriculum
Inputs: 4-H Agent time, funding, curriculum, equipment, ingredients
Date: Spring
Audience: Youth ages 9-18
Project or Activity: After School Fitness Clubs
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Curriculum, Spark
Inputs: 4-H Agent time, funding, curriculum, equipment, meeting space
Date: Annually
Audience: Nutrition Education program clientele
Activity: classes and promotions
Content: NEP curriculum
Inputs: NEP resources and incentives, assistant and agent time and travel
Date: Ongoing
Audience: Parents and Grandparents
Activity: Grandparents as Parents group and conference, parenting classes.
Content: Parenting curriculum
Inputs: Speakers time, supplies and samples, assistant and agent time and travel.
Date: year round
Audience: Extension Homemakers
Activity: Extension Homemaker educational activities
Content: FCS curriculum, volunteer knowledge
Inputs: FCS resources, volunteer hours, supplies, staff time and travel, community resources
Date: year round
Audience: General public
Activity: Homemaker leader Lessons
Content: Leader Lesson Curriculum
Inputs: Leader Lesson Curriculum, Area agents time and travel, newspaper articles, volunteer time, samples
Date: Fall through Spring, monthly
Audience: Extension Homemakers and public
Project or Activity: Local Foods Awareness
Content or Curriculum: maintain list of local growers and products
Inputs: County office staff and agents, farmer’s market vendors, Horticulture and Agriculture Agents
Date: Fall, Annually
Audience: Madison County Residents
Activity: Farmer’s Market Promotion Activities
Content: UK and KDA
Input: County Office and Staff
Date: Late Spring
Audience: Madison County Residents
Activity: Classes about gardening (vegetable and fruit)
Content: UK, other land grant institutions
Input: UK, other land grant institutions
Date: Throughout year
Audience: Madison County Residents
Activity: Educational materials about how beef is produced, processing and its distribution
Content: UK Beef IRM, Extension publications, articles and other exclusives shared through email and other social media
Input: UK Extension Beef Specialists, Agent
Date: Throughout year
Author: Brandon Darst
Major Program: Natural Resources
Madison County 4-H Shooting Sports has traditionally been a seasonal club. The CES Agent noticed that the participants do not participate in other 4-H programs so in order for this group to feel a sense of belonging it was decided to make it an all year club. Once the decision was made the CES Agent recruited a Shooting Sports Coordinator (something that the Madison County 4-H Program has not had in 13 years) and told her of the plan. The CES Agent worked with the Coordinator in forming a
Author: Brandon Darst
Major Program: Natural Resources
"Developing positive experiences in nature at a young age can influence our attitudes and behaviors towards nature as adults. It is important to study these childhood experiences in order to develop environmental awareness and action in the next generation” (Boom, 2019, as cited in Wellborn, para 3). One noticeable aspect on the COVID pandemic is that families seem to be outside a whole lot more. State parks and local parks have been flooded with people trying to get some sense
Author: Aubrey Lawson
Major Program: Family and Consumer Science
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health of our youth has suffered drastically, therefore ways to address mental health and self-confidence is vital. Studies show that learning to cook and prepare your own food can lead to more self-confidence in youth, so the Madison County Extension Service put together a 4-H Baking Club to teach youth to bake in their own homes to help combat youth mental health. There were 12 youth participants that learned a variety of cooking skills through this
Author: Jessica Hunley
Major Program: Kentucky Extension Homemaker Association
Madison County Extension Homemakers have struggled with isolation and lack of networking throughout the pandemic, due to the numerous closures and restricted meetings. Some members of our clubs and the Homemaker Board noted in their conversations, that something they missed the most about not seeing their club members, aside from their trades and crafts, was the social interaction and engagement with one another. Due to parameters set on account of the COVID pandemic, we initiated a
Author: Jessica Hunley
Major Program: Apparel and Textiles (Non-Master Clothing Volunteer)
The COVID pandemic has presented several new obstacles for our local schools systems, one of which being able to keep our kids safe by providing enough facemasks for any children who are in need, for one reason or another. Several Madison County Family Resource Centers in our local schools identified as having a need for child sized facemasks for their students around the county elementary schools, as well as a couple middle and high schools. In partnership with the Family Resource C
Author: Jessica Hunley
Major Program: Family Development General
Over the course of March and into April 2021, as the Madison County FCS agent I have conducted a book swap for homemakers and other clientele to drop off gently used or unwanted cookbooks, crafting books, as well as chapter books. The items donated were left to rest for 14 days for sanitary reasons under COVID protocol and then were put out for public viewing in the project room, for those interested to come back in and "shop" through the donations. Homemakers and clientele
Author: Jessica Hunley
Major Program: Nutrition and Food Systems General
Eastern Kentucky University's Upward Bound program director contacted me in December of 2020 to look into developing and implementing a virtual program that would incorporate cooking lessons with high school Upward Bound students. These students are the ones who would have previously attended classes with our staff in-person during the summer, but due to the COVID pandemic, would no longer be able to have access to these lessons or experiences. The Upward Bound director and I te
Author: Brandon Darst
Major Program: Health
According to Kentucky Health News, Kentucky ranks 3rd in child obesity, a disease tied to a long list of other health issues; treatment requires changes in family lifestyle. On top of the growing rates of childhood obesity, families were forced to navigate through a pandemic. COVID-19 changed a lot of dynamics with families. Parents were reluctant to let their kids play outdoors in fear of them catching the virus. In an effort to get children in Madison County moving and conseq
