Extension
It Starts With Us
Fostering Healthy Communities and Families
Fostering Healthy Communities and Families
Amanda Sears, Brandon Sears, Aubrey Lawson, 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: Jessica Hunley
Major Program: Family Development General
Over the course of several weeks from mid July to early August, I partnered with the South Madison Family Resource Center Director to bring Laugh and Learn playdates to two local elementary schools. This program focused on kindergarten readiness and targeted students who would be enrolling in Kindergarten this fall, as well as children who were eligible to enroll in Preschool as well. The students were engaged in activities that encouraged social skills, gross motor skills, fine motor skil
Author: Brandon Darst
Major Program: Health
According to the State of Childhood Obesity: Helping all children grow up healthy, In Kentucky, 23.8% of youth ages 10 to 17 have obesity, giving Kentucky a ranking of 1 among the 50 states and D.C.This is such an alarming statistic as Kentucky’s percentage keeps growing. The CES decided to be creative and find ways to get youth outdoors and moving. The CES decided to invent a 4-H Disc Golf Club for middle and high school students. The CES has recruited two adults that have exper
Author: Amanda Sears
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health - CED
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, three in five rural adults (61%) say the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted mental health in rural communities a lot or some. Unfortunately, there is a stigma around mental health that can often prohibit people from seeking help. Half of rural adults (48%) think people in their local community attach at least a fair amount of stigma to mental health issues.The Madison County Horticulture Agent worked with the Madison County Farm Bureau Women’s
Author: Jessica Hunley
Major Program: Champion Food Volunteers
In June, as the FCS agent, I collaborated with Victoria Faoro, Champion Food Volunteer in Madison County, to deliver a lesson to clientele that would present new and current information about Asian Style Cooking. This lesson focused on recipes unique to East and Southeast Asia, preparation techniques, adaptations, and general cooking suggestions that included food safety and current nutritional recommendations for a balanced diet. The program introduced the participants to a variety of recipes a
Author: Brandon Darst
Major Program: Camping
This year Madison County 4-H was blessed to be able to camp at full capacity. After not camping in 2020 due to COVID, then 1/2 capacity in 2021, we were concerned if we would be able to camp with the numbers we used to have over the years. We knew it was going to be a rebuilding year so we prepared for the worst but worked hard to be able to fill up the camp. Historically, Madison County has been able to camp by ourselves because we can fill it so that was our goal. And the Madison County CES, w
Author: Brandon Darst
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health – 4-H Youth Development
We always concentrate on the physical impact COVID has had on our youth but we tend to overlook the mental impact. We are talking about childhood trauma like we have never seen before because the impacts effects youth in different ways. According to Sage Journal, "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health of children and adolescents is multifaceted and substantial. Survey studies regarding child and adolescent mental health amid COVID-19 indicated that anxiety, depression,
