Targeting Life Skills and Family LivesPlan of Work

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Clark County CES

Title:
Targeting Life Skills and Family Lives
MAP:
Enriching Family Lives
Agents Involved:
Madalyn Hale, Levi Berg, Shonda Johnston, Carrie Spry, Aubrey Lawson
MAJOR PROGRAM 1:
Horticulture, Consumer and Home
MAJOR PROGRAM 2:
Financial Education - General
MAJOR PROGRAM 3:
Nutrition and Food Systems General
MAJOR PROGRAM 4:
Communications
Situation:

In the current economy, the security and management of basic human needs of food, clothing and shelter dominate the needs of families as they work to improve their lives. There are many skills necessary for individuals and families to acquire in order to strengthen their family life. By utilizing Extension programming individuals and families can build personal strengths and develops life skills such as cooking, sewing, food accessibility, financial management, relationship building, and academic success. Clark County Extension will promote programming such as Master Gardener, Health and Wellness Ambassador, Character Education, financial education, Community Life skills, Farmers’ Market, home horticulture, summer youth enrichment activities, and early education programming so that families can develop strong values, make wise decisions and encourage a supportive, educational environment.

Long-Term Outcomes:

-Improve quality of life for families

-Families 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, and development of life skills.

-Improve academic success for children in Kentucky   


Intermediate Outcomes:

-Practice skills to strengthen and sustain relationships

-Demonstrate basic life skills such as sewing, cooking, personal care

-Securing basic family needs

-Increase number of learning activities experienced at home

Initial Outcomes:

-Identify basic family needs

-Learn best practices related to self-control and positive interpersonal communication

-Increase in knowledge of basic life skills: sewing, cooking, personal care needs

-Increased knowledge and skills related to managing financial resources, including savings, credit, and financial planning.

-Increased knowledge of early education skills and activities, including developmentally appropriate play, expression of emotion, and gross motor skills

Evaluation:

Outcome: Knowledge of basic life skills: sewing, cooking, personal care needs

Indicator: increase quality of work produced by individuals engaging in development of basic life skills needs: sewing, cooking

Method: Self-Evaluation and Danish Ribbon Results

Timeline: After Project Completion


Outcome: Self-control and positive interpersonal communication

Indicator: Increase of number of individuals indicating an increase in learning/developing skills in basic family needs best practices

Method: Reduction in repeat families in utilizing community needs services

Method: Survey of Participants

Timeline: Monthly Reports of Services Utilized


Outcome: Individuals gaining knowledge of how to plan and implement gardening budgets/purchasing best practices

Indicator: Increase in number of individuals utilizing budgets in home gardening

Method: Survey of Participants,

Timeline: Monthly, Annually


Outcome:  Increase knowledge and skills related to managing financial resources

Indicator: Number of individuals reporting increased levels of understanding in the areas of handling money issues and financial decision-making or specific financial matters

Method:  Survey of participants/pre-post evaluations

Timeline:  Annually


Outcome: Increase knowledge of age-appropriate educational and social-emotional skills/activities to aid in their child’s healthy development. 

Indicator: Number of caregivers who expressed learning new skills and activities to engage their children at home

Method:  Survey of participants/pre-post evaluations

Timeline: Annually

Learning Opportunities:

Audience: 6th Grade Students

Project or Activity: 4-H Dollars and Sense

Content or Curriculum: 4-H Dollars and Sense

Inputs: Clark County 4-H, Public School, Community Volunteers and Agencies

Date: Spring 


Audience: 8th Grade Students

Project or Activity: 4-H It’s Your Reality

Content or Curriculum: 4-H It’s Your Reality

Inputs:Clark County 4-H Staff, Public School Staff, Community Volunteers and Agencies

Date: Fall 


Audience: 4-H Age Youth

Project or Activity: 4-H Sewing

Content or Curriculum: KY 4-H Sewing Curriculum

Inputs: Clark County Cooperative Extension Facilities and Equipment, 4-H Staff, Master Clothing Volunteers, 4-H Volunteers

Date: weekly fall and spring


Audience: Youth age 9-14 years old

Project or Activity: 4-H Summer Camp

Content or Curriculum: 4-H Core Content

Inputs: Clark County Extension Staff, 4-H Camp and Staff, 4-H Volunteers, Clark County 4-H Program Support/Materials

Date: Summer 


Audience: 4-H age youth

Project or Activity: 4-H Cooking Club

Content or Curriculum: 4-H Approved Curriculum

Inputs: Clark County Cooperative Extension Facilities/Materials, 4-H Extension Staff, 4-H Volunteers

Date: Monthly


Audience: Adults

Project or Activity: Gardening Classes & Workshops

Content or Curriculum: UK Publications and Specialists

Inputs: Master Gardener Volunteers, Clark County CES Facilities, Community Garden Locations

Date: Spring, Summer, Fall 


Audience: Preschool aged children and their parents

Project or Activity:  Early education workshops/series

Content or Curriculum: Laugh and Learn Playdates; Stories, Songs, and Stretches

Inputs: FCS Agent, UK curriculum and resources, 

Date: Annually


Audience: Adults, young adults, and teens

Project or Activity: Financial Education Workshops (budgeting, estate planning), Life Skills Academy

Content or Curriculum: Money Habitudes; Good Credit Game; estate planning, Life Skills Academy

Inputs: FCS Agent, curriculum publications and resources,

Date: Annually


Audience: 5-8 yr olds

Project or Activity: Cloverbud Club

Content or Curriculum: 4-H Core Content

Inputs: 4-H Extension Staff/Facilities/Materials, 4-H Volunteers

Date: Monthly


Audience:  Adults

Project or Activity:  Farm Enterprise Creation/Expansion

Content or Curriculum:  UK Publications, UK Specialist and Community Resources

Inputs: Extension Staff; local producers

Date:  Spring, Summer, Fall 



Success Stories

Super Star Chef 2023

Author: Shonda Johnston

Major Program: Super Star Chef

In order to provide more opportunities to practice cooking and safe kitchen practices, the Clark County FCS and 4-H agents partnered to offer the Superstar Chef Camp program to 18 students, ages 9-12, in July of 2023. Agents along with the 4-H program assistant, a dietetics intern, and a homemaker volunteer worked with students in a hands-on educational setting to teach important life skills. A pre-test/ post test evaluation was conducted to determine learning outcomes. Over 85% the participants

Full Story

2023 Recipes for Life

Author: Shonda Johnston

Major Program: Recipes for Life

2023 Recipes for Life

Clark County Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent collaborated with the counselors and FRC at Baker Intermediate School to offer the Recipes for Life Program to 358 fifth-grade students over three days in December of 2023. The Clark County Horticulture, ANR, and 4-H agents also assisted in the implementation of this program. Since all public-school 5th graders attend Baker, the students were divided into three groups based on their homerooms. Each group, consisting of about 119 students,

Full Story

4-H Dollars and Sense

Author: Madalyn Hale

Major Program: Family and Consumer Science

The problemWe often hear that we need to teach our youth about money and practical life skills. Many of our young people are not familiar with the concept of budgeting and spending money, and keeping a written record of finances is quickly becoming obsolete due to technology.The educational program responseThe 4-H Dollars and Sense program is designed to educate youth on the importance of budgeting and identifying needs and wants, as well as making informed financial purchases. The particip

Full Story

Herb Class Series

Author: Shonda Johnston

Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation

One of the most consistent requests received at Clark County Extension from its constituents, is information on growing and cooking with herbs. With upward trends in eating healthier, growing your own food, and living a more self-sustainable life, more people have been hoping to learn about the benefits of herbs. Clark County Extension’s Horticulture Agent and Family and Consumer Sciences Agent partnered up for a 2-class series on Growing and Cooking with Herbs. The 2 classes covered all t

Full Story

Food Preservation Workshop

Author: Shonda Johnston

Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation

Food preservation is a skill that many Clark County residents express interest in, but report hesitancy and fear about actually doing it. Clark County Family and Consumer Sciences agent had many requests for food preservation skills and therefore presented two food preservation workshops, one in July and one in August. The classes consisted of hands-on canning demonstrations of  both water bath and pressure canning as well as the safety of both practices. Between the two classes, 19 people

Full Story
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