Mason County CES

Title:

Family and Consumer Sciences

MAP:

Youth and Families

Agents Involved:

Abby Gray

MAJOR PROGRAM 1:

Financial Education - General

MAJOR PROGRAM 2:

Active Living and Health Promotions General

MAJOR PROGRAM 3:

Family Development General

MAJOR PROGRAM 4:

Nutrition and Food Systems General

Situation:

The community needs assessment from both Mason County and Kentucky as well as the Mason CEC recognized youth and families as a top priority. They have asked for focus or improvement on more youth life skills training like money management, life decision making, etc., better youth and adult career readiness, more support for prevention of school violence and bullying, better family skills in reducing debt, increasing savings and financial planning, youth involvement and leadership, substance use, and media and technology education.

Long-Term Outcomes:

• Better family money management skills, such as reducing debt, increasing savings, and financial planning.
• More effective employees and community leaders.
• Improved financial capability for Kentuckians, results in better quality of life and stronger families.
• Routinely meeting physical activity and dietary recommendations that promote health and wellness (e.g. 150 minutes a week of moderate activity and consuming recommended daily fruits and vegetables)
• Community environment promotes healthy behaviors where people live, learn, work, and play
• Reduce the rate of chronic disease and obesity
• Increase the number of children who are “kindergarten ready” in the state of Kentucky.
• Improve academic success for children in Kentucky
• Routinely employ healthy dietary practices that promote health and wellness (e.g. consume recommended daily fruits and vegetables and improve food management skills)
• Reduce the rate of chronic disease and obesity

Intermediate Outcomes:

• Practice one or more resource management behaviors resulting in increased savings or investments.
• Adopt financial planning strategies for short-, mid-, and long-term goals.
• Generate positive attitudes toward changing lifestyle choices to be more healthy
• Increase intake of fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-dense foods
• Improve self-efficacy in physical activity, movement, and active routes to destinations
• Decrease tobacco/ substance use
• Increase opportunities and access to more preschool learning activities outside of the home
• Increase number of children who are “kindergarten ready” in Mason county
• Increase number of learning activities experienced at home
• Increase child and parent social-emotional skills such as heightened self-awareness, responsible decision making, and self-management.
• Increase caregiver advocacy for children in their care including legal, medical, social, and educational services
• Increase access of community services to caregivers
• Generate positive attitudes toward changing dietary decisions to be more healthful.
• Increase intake of fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-dense foods
• Decrease intake of solid fats, added sugars, and sodium
• Employ healthful cooking methods, feeding practices, and food preservation techniques
• Increased access to healthy food via local farmers markets, food retailers, and/or home gardens

Initial Outcomes:

• Increased knowledge and skills related to managing financial resources, including savings, credit, and financial planning.
• Change knowledge, opinions, skills, and aspirations, to improve employability through work and practical living skills and continuing education practices.
• Increase financial literacy (knowledge and skills) related to savings and investments.
• Increase awareness about lifestyle choices and chronic disease (e.g. tobacco use, poor nutrition, & lack of physical activity)
• Increase confidence in ability to employ healthy practices
• Improve food and nutrition-related skills (e.g. preparation techniques, safe food handling)
• Increase motivation to be active
• Increase awareness of accessible safe places for activity
• Kentuckians understand the importance of developmentally appropriate play to their child’s academic success
• Increase child’s ability to express appropriate emotion
• Improve child’s gross motor skills
• Improve child’s early literacy skills including phonological awareness, print awareness, and vocabulary
• Increase awareness of indicators of high-risk adolescent behaviors
• Identify key points of adolescent development
• Establish realistic expectations for teen behavior, and explore changing relationships within families
• Increase awareness about relationships between food and nutrition practices and chronic disease.
• Improve food and nutrition-related skills (e.g. gardening, preparation and preservation techniques, safe food handling, food resource management)
• Increase confidence in ability to employ healthy eating practices
• Increase motivation to access and prepare healthier foods

Evaluation:

Outcome: Nutrition knowledge and dietary intake

Indicator(s): Number of individuals who reported: eating 4-6 servings of fruits and/or vegetables daily; utilize the food label to make healthy food choices; choosing smaller portions

Method:  Self-report surveys

Timeline:  Pre-post implementing curricula or program

Outcome: Increase child and parent social-emotional skills such as heightened self-awareness, responsible decision making, and self-management

Indicator(s): How many children increased their ability to express emotion after attending the program?

Method: Stories, Songs, and Stretches Survey 

Timeline: Post program

Outcome: Increase skills and resources of caregivers to provide effective care for young relatives

Indicator(s): Several – (i.e. How many caregivers improve skills/knowledge in child development, discipline and guidance, legal issues, and advocacy)

Method: Parenting a Second Time Around (PASTA) Evaluation

Timeline:  Post program evaluation

Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Adults, young adults, and teens 

Project or Activity: Money Habitudes Workshop 

Content or Curriculum: Money Habitudes

Inputs: FCS Agent, curriculum publications and resources, Money Habitudes cards 

Dates: Spring 2024

Audience: Adults, young adults, and teens 

Project or Activity: Financial classes

Content or Curriculum: The Good Credit Game

Inputs: FCS Agent, The Good Credit Game curriculum, publications and resources

Date: Winter 2024-25

Audience: Families

Project or Activity: Weight the Reality Series 

Content or Curriculum: Weight the Reality

Inputs: FCS Agent, UK research-based information, community partners

Date: Every spring

Audience: Families and Youth

Project or Activity: FitBlue

Content or Curriculum: FitBlue app and materials

Inputs: FCS Agent, UK specialist, UK research-based information, teachers

Date: Every fall

Audience: Children under 5

Project or Activity: Stories, Songs, and Stretches 

Content or Curriculum: Stories, Songs, and Stretches

Inputs: FCS Agent, Head Start, preschool teachers

Date: Monthly during school year

Audience: Grandparents/Relatives raising grandchildren

Project or Activity: Support Group

Content or Curriculum: PASTA

Inputs: FCS Agent, UK specialist, FRYSC

Date: 2024

Audience: Children under 5

Project or Activity: LEAP

Content or Curriculum: LEAP

Inputs: FCS Agent, Head Start, preschool teachers

Date: Monthly

Audience: Families

Project or Activity: Cook Together, Eat Together 

Content or Curriculum: Cook Together, Eat Together

Inputs: FCS Agent, UK research-based information

Date: Every summer

Audience: 2^nd graders

Project or Activity: Food Explorers 

Content or Curriculum: Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud recipes

Inputs: FCS Agent, 2^nd grade teachers

Date: Monthly during school year

Success Stories