Nurturing Families
Life Skill Development
Regina Browning, Sheila Fawbush
Nurturing Parenting
Nurturing Families (general)
4-H Youth Development Programming
Keys to Embracing Aging
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.
Shelby County 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
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
The number of people who:
Set and used family rules, routines and limited screen time
Ate family meals four or more times a week
Reduced stress levels, made time for selves, and/or made wise decisions about money, time, etc.
Played and spent quality time with child daily
Reported child’s developmental progress over time
Identified realistic expectations for child’s tasks
Reported using preventive and positive discipline techniques in response to misbehavior, and setting and enforcing logical consequences
Practice skills to strengthen and sustain relationships
Accessed community agencies and resources when needed
Engaged in community outreach activities
Commits to set family rules regarding eating together, limiting screen time, active play and exercise, set routines
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.
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
Commits to using logical consequences for misbehavior
Intends to contact community agencies for assistance
Intends to participate in volunteer activities
Initial Outcome: KOSA regarding parenting skills and nurturing techniques for all family members
Indicator: end of each session goal setting
Method: Evaluation materials included in the curriculum
Timeline: weekly and post
Intermediate Outcome: Positive Practice changes regarding parenting skills and nurturing techniques for all family members
Indicator: positive changes in parenting skills and nurturing techniques
Method: Evaluation materials included in the curriculum
Timeline: weekly during the Nurturing Parenting series
Long-term Outcome: Shelby County families are able to care for each other and foster optimal development. They are able to access needed community resources. They have increased life skills to be stronger family units.
Indicator: The families care for each other and reach out to others.
Method: One year follow-up after the program series
Timeline: One year follow-up
Audience: Adults and families
Project or Activity: Nurturing Parenting Program
Content or Curriculum: Nurturing Parenting Program Series
Inputs: videos, workbooks, Nurturing Parenting curriculum, specialists, community partners
Date: March - May 2017
Audience: Adults
Project or Activity: Keys to Embracing Aging
Content or Curriculum: Keys to Embracing Aging materials
Inputs: CES publications
Date: Apr 2017
Author: Sheila Fawbush
Major Program: Nurturing Families (general)
The most recent U. S. Census figures show Hispanics make up approximately 15 percent of the population of Shelby County, Kentucky. Those numbers are almost double what was reported in the 2000 Census and represent the largest minority in Shelby County, nearly twice as large as the county’s African American community. The Hispanic population has been historically difficult for Extension to reach because of language and cultural differences. The Shelby County Extension Agent for Family