Extension
It Starts With Us
Building Strong Relationships throughout the LIfespan with Family and Consumer Science Skills
Family and Consumer Sciences
T Humble, S. Coffey, Seth Hart, G. Hutchison, D. Shepherd
Communications & Expressive Arts
How we live life is ever-changing but learning basic life skills is still as important as ever. Learning to practice healthy habits, selecting clothing to emphasize one’s best appearance, creating and living within a budget, preparing nutritious meals safely, nurturing children, creating a safe and pleasant home environment, practicing common courtesies, and forming relationships with others are imperative skills basic to everyday life.
Many schools no longer include family and consumer sciences classes in their curriculum. The reality is that today’s youth and adults are busier than ever. Many of these basic life skills are not consistently taught to youth at home or at school. 4-H family and consumer sciences projects equip youth with these skills. As with any other Kentucky 4-H Core Curriculum area, when it comes to the development of life skills, a strong case can be made for the need to go beyond mere transfer of knowledge to giving youth the opportunity for a variety of supportive, related learning experiences to significantly increase the program’s influence. 4-H often offers basic learning activities on a topic of interest to youth but the addition of activities which support that interest (such as fair exhibits, related subject matter workshops or day camps, field trips, and decision-making judging contests) significantly increase the development of life skills in youth.
In a study by Olson, Croymans and Ji (2014), 4-Hers reported that participating in 1 or 2 educational opportunities influenced the development of critical thinking and decision making skills, and participating in 6 to 8 opportunities significantly increased the program’s influence by adding development of life skills in leadership, planning/organization, wise use of resources, useful/marketable skills and accepting differences.
While many FCS skills can be learned through self-directed projects or school enrichment, it’s beneficial for youth to have the added experience and guidance of a trusted adult and the opportunity to form relationships with caring mentors. For many adults, long-term volunteering is not always possible but shorter-term volunteer roles create doable opportunities for more people to tuck volunteering into busy schedules. Special interest clubs and groups that meet for a few weeks or months broaden the possibilities. The volunteer efforts of multiple adults may be required to take the 4-H experience from club meetings alone to also include exhibits, field trips and more.
Building strong relationships throughout the lifespan stems from not only FCS skills gained as a child from school curriculum, but also from real-life experiences as an adult/parent. 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. Stresses on military families are more difficult and prolonged because of the demands on military personnel to serve multiple deployments, frequently in combat zones. 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. Furthermore, 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. More than half of Kentucky’s 56 judicial circuits have some form of mandated divorce education; more such education is needed.
People are living longer. Just because the population is aging, doesn’t mean relationships can’t continue to grow and become stronger from the knowledge of skills gained through Family & Consumer Science related initiatives. 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 the 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, in regard to health, independence and life quality throughout all stages of life. The goal of the Embracing Life as We Age Initiative is to develop programs and work with other FCS initiatives to help individuals, families and communities manage the challenges and discover the positive aspects of life transitions and growing older.
Children, Youth, and Adults will:
-Be responsible and contributing individuals and family members
-Gain and maintain employment through life skill development
-Contribute to a safe, pleasant and productive home and family
- 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
- Become volunteers to make their community a better place to live for everyone
- Decrease falls
- Decrease obesity
- Increase physical activity
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
Change in social, economic, and environmental issues related to healthy aging, independent aging and quality aging.:
- Increase care giving knowledge and quality relationships
-Improve quality of life for Kentucky’s aging families
- Build strong KY families
Children, Youth, and Adults Youth will:
-Utilize and practice life skills in projects and life situations
-Project a positive image and self-confidence
-Practice responsible consumer and financial decision-making
-Practice healthy eating choices
-Make choices that lead to responsible and beneficial results
-Adopt habits and skills that contribute toward employ-ability in the future
- Reduce stress levels, make time for selves, and/or made wise decisions about money, time, etc.
- Increase communication and enhance relationships and social support.
- Enhance brain activity
- Improve mental health
- Create a legacy
- Increase skills to interact/work with older adults
- Make healthy eating choices and follow safe food handling practices
- Practice skills to strengthen and sustain relationships
- Accessed community agencies and resources when needed
- Engaged in community outreach activities
Kentucky families are able to:
-Set and use family rules, routines and limited screen time
-Eat family meals four or more times a week
- Play and spend quality time with child daily
Reported child’s developmental progress over time
Identify realistic expectations for child’s tasks
Report using preventive and positive discipline techniques in response to misbehavior, and setting and enforcing logical consequences
Change behavior to decrease risk of falling.
Work as a family unit to acknowledge and embrace aging issues
Children, Youth, and Adults will:
-Gain knowledge and develop life skills through Family & Consumer Sciences projects and programs
-Understand the decision making process
-Gain skills in setting a goal and developing a plan of action
-Learn to read and follow instructions
- Gain awareness, knowledge, and aspirations related to healthy aging, independent aging and quality aging
-Gain knowledge and develop skills for Healthy lifespan behaviors
-Understand Death, dying, loss and bereavement.
-Gain knowledge and develop skills for Healthy eating and food safety
-Gain knowledge and develop skills for Financial Planning
-Gain knowledge and develop skills for Age-related family issues (e.g. dementia, power of attorney, living wills, risk of falling, failing health, end-of-life)
-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.
-Intends to contact community agencies for assistance
- Intends to participate in volunteer activities
Kentucky families are able to:
-Commit to set family rules regarding eating together, limiting screen time, active play and exercise, set routines
- 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
Initial Outcome: Children, Youth, and Adults will gain knowledge in FCS programs, understand the decision making process, goal setting and reading and following simple directions
Indicator: Children, Youth, and Adults report that they can follow step by step instructions, follow safe practices, taught others the skills they learned.
Method: Evaluation Pre and post testing, hands on activities, and observations
Timeline: All year as programs are completed
Intermediate Outcome: Children, Youth, and Adults will practice healthy eating choices and choices that lead to responsible and beneficial results. You will adopt habits and skills that contribute toward employ-ability in the future
Indicator: Children, Youth, and Adults report that they can follow step by step instructions, follow safe practices, taught others the skills they learned.
Method: Evaluation
Timeline: All year as programs are completed
Long-term Outcome: Children, Youth, and Adults are responsible and contributing individuals and family members who can gain and maintain employment through life skill development while contributing to a safe, pleasant and productive home and family.
Indicator: Children, Youth, and Adults report that they can follow step by step instructions, follow safe practices, taught others the skills they learned and use developed skills in everyday life.
Method: Evaluation
Timeline: All year as programs are completed
Initial Outcome: 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.
Indicator: Data retrieved from pre and post tests, follow up, and observation of hands-on activities
Method: Pre and Post tests, follow-up evaluations, testimonials, and hands on activities
Timeline: All year as programs are completed
Intermediate Outcome: Make healthy eating choices and follow safe food handling practices
Indicator: Data retrieved from pre and post tests, follow-up and observation of hands-on activities
Method: Pre and Post tests, follow-up evaluations, testimonials, and hands on activities
Timeline: All year as programs are completed
Long-Term Outcome: Build personal strengths and self-control, interpersonal communication, life skills including wise decision-making
Indicator: The number of participants who make positive lifestyle changes and who indicate changes in knowledge, opinions, and skills related to self-control, interpersonal communication, life skills, and decision making
Method: Observations, evaluations (pre and post tests) follow up questionnaires
Timeline: All Year as programs are completed
Audience: Youth, ages 5-18, Volunteers with FCS related skills/knowledge, Volunteers with interest in youth, Parents of youth, School teachers, Community leaders, Partner organizations
Project or Activity: Acquiring Basic Life Skills in Family and Consumer Sciences
Content or Curriculum: Building a Healthy Wealthy Future, The Consumer in Me Series, It's Your Reality, Super Star Chef, Cooking 101 Series, Professor Popcorn, Kentucky Farm to School, Kentucky 4-H Needlework Notebook, Keeping 4-H in Stitches, The World of Work Series
Inputs: Program resources: curricula, information based on land grant research, Human resources: Extension agents, volunteers, families, youth, supporters, alumni, professionals in related careers, Funding: Extension funding (tax),donations (cash, in-kind), fees paid by participants
Partners: UK, local schools, related businesses, Equipment: equipment purchased by council or county; equipment available from partners
Facilities: Extension meeting rooms and equipment; schools, public meeting rooms
Date: July 2023 - June 2025
Audience: Daycare Workers, Drug Court Participants, Court Ordered Families, Foster Families, Head Start Families, Walker Early Learning Center Parenting Program, Community Early Childhood Council, Military Families and Supporters, Parents, Grandparents, and other relatives raising children, Extension Homemakers, Volunteers, Mountain Moms Group, Migrant Program Participants, HANDS Program, 21st Century Parent Group, Probation and Parole, DCBS, KTAP clients, Worksite Wellness
Project or Activity: Building Strong Families Programs, Embracing Life As You Age Programming, Local Work Ready Initiative, Worksite Wellness
Content or Curriculum: Nurturing Families Initiative Resources, Embracing Life As You Age, Grandparents and Grandchildren Together, Truth and Consequences: The Choice is Yours Event, Know the 10 signs of Alzheimer’s
Inputs: Extension Staff, Advisory Councils, Community partners, Extension Facility, Volunteers.
Date: July 2023 - June 2025
Audience: Extension Homemakers
Project or Activity: Evolving Leaders Forum, County Homemaker Leader Lessons, and Monthly Homemaker Club meeting
Content or Curriculum: Monthly Extension Homemaker Club Lessons, Keys to Embracing Aging
Inputs: Extension Staff, Extension Homemaker Club Members, Advisory Councils, Community partners, Extension Facility, Volunteers, Area FCS Agents,
Date: July 2023 - June 2025
