Author: Tyrone Atkinson
Major Program: Family Development General
With over 12 years of funding the UK Military Teen Adventure Camp continues to serve military service members and parents along with teens from all over the country. The MTAC program was initiated through a grant opportunity funded by the Department of Defense between the Office of Miliary Community and Family Policy and the USDA NIFA. The goal has been to get military youth involved in 4-H experiences by way of High Adventure programming. Through Family and Consumer Sciences Extension, we
The CYFAR “Uplift: Empowering Today’s Youth for Tomorrow’s Future” project collaborates with Kentucky State University and the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension program. The purpose is to provide comprehensive life skills development programming to Middle and High school youth. Utilizing Botvin Life Skills curricula as the primary tool, the Uplift team delivered life skills programming in urban and rural settings. The Life Skills focus has been primarily on Tra
Mr. Atkinson has been a Federal Coach for USDA's Children, Youth and Families at Risk (CYFAR) Professional Development and Technical Assistance (PDTA) Center since April 2023. This is a multi-state subcontract with the University of Minnesota and Pennsylvania State University as the national leads. During the reporting period, he was assigned to oversee grants in Indiana, North Dakota, Minnesota and Oklahoma. He was also assigned in May 2024 to new awards in Missouri and Wisconsin. Atkinson
Author: Chandra DeRamus
“Hardin County & LaRue County Community Baby Shower Brings New Connections for Families”On this year, Hardin County residents faced many challenges as inflation has changed things for families. Some of the changes that have occurred within Hardin County include increased prices on food, gas, utilities, insurance, and rental costs. With those changes, it can impact household budgets and how much families can contribute to the necessary things that are needed especially for familie
Author: Chelsea Young
Kentucky has reported that only 39% of children attending kindergarten in Owen County are prepared and equipped to succeed. In many Kentucky counties, limited resources or the environment may hinder healthy lifestyle choices related to early childhood development and physical activity. As an innovative strategy to improve early childhood development skills and increase kindergarten readiness with Owen County residents, the Family and Consumer Science
Author: Lynn Blankenship
The problem:Metcalfe County is a small, rural community with a public library that provides a Preschool Library Story Hour once monthly, while public school is in-session. Children who are not enrolled in preschool or childcare programs, participate with adult family members. Learning activities provided by library staff primarily focus on learning colors, numbers, days of the week, months of the year, holidays, seasons, weather, preschool songs/finger plays, and interacting in a gro
Author: Carolina Robles
The problem: Adults with disabilities lack knowledge and resources needed to live an independent life. The educational program response: Program seeks to encourage independent living skills. This months program focused on how to garden safely and starting a gardening club at the Jefferson County Extension Office. The participants/target audience: Young and older Adults with disabilities Other partners (if applicable): Dare to CareProgram impact or participant response: The p
Author: Nancy Doyle
According to a recent survey by YouScience 75% graduates reported they felt “moderately, slightly, or not at all prepared” for what might come next after high school. To help better prepare our local students, the Family Resource and Service Center along with the Simpson County Extension FCS Agent, 4-H agent, and two KSU agents along with volunteers from the community hosted an Adulting 101 day for the graduating seniors. 186 Students rotated through six rotations
Author: Kerri Ashurst
Camp Kesem is a nationwide community, driven by passionate college student leaders working with children and families who are coping with the aftermath of a cancer diagnosis of a parent. They are the largest national organization dedicated to this unique population with over 100 college chapters in the country. There are 5 million children coping with a parent's cancer diagnosis. Kesem supports these children through and beyond their parent's cancer with free and creative prog
Author: Lora Davidson
The FCS Agent and FCS Team at the Laurel County Extension office decided to host a StoryWalk as a unique and engaging way to promote early literacy and physical activity among the children in their community. The CDC recommends that adolescents who are between the ages of 6-17 years of age, receive at least 6o minutes of physical activity a day. The FCS team recognized the potential of this innovative concept and were able to host this event for the 3rd year in a row that would leave a las
During the reporting period, Dr. Ashurst directly received 4 grants/contracts totaling $1,663,389. One grant for $140,000 (year 5 amount; 5 year grant) was for a Children, Youth and Families at Risk (CYFAR) grant to provide life skills programming for at-risk youth. Grant sites are in Fayette and Hardin Counties. A second grant for $185,559 was received for the Military Teen Adventure Camp program to hold camps for service members and their teenage children to attend together to reconnect a
Author: Hardin Stevens
As part of the CYFAR (Children, Youth & Families At-Risk) grant this past year, we were in the Family & Consumer Science class at a local middle school. In the last class of each eight-week session, we close with the Trust Walk activity. We tape various paths on the classroom floor. Students partner up and one student is blind folded while the other student leads their partner thru the classroom using only their voice. They cannot touch their partner. The students then return to the begi
Author: Elizabeth Evans
In an increasingly fast-paced world where time is both a precious commodity and a constant challenge to manage, the role of a planner extends beyond mere scheduling; it becomes a pivotal tool for cultivating both organization and creativity. The art of planning not only structures our days but also shapes our thoughts, allowing us to harness our creativity effectively. Intentional planning can lead to lasting effects on both professional endeavors and personal aspirations. However, with the time
Author: Anna Morgan
The mission of the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood is to provide leadership and direction for the Commonwealth with the goal of maintaining a comprehensive and sustainable prenatal to age five early childhood educational system that ensures a strong foundation for all children. The Four River Counties Regional Collaborative has provided high quality early childhood education for over 20 years in Ballard, Carlisle, Fulton, and Hickman counties. The Best Start Family Event was created w
Author: Vicki Wynn
According to Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky, 96,000 Kentucky kids live in kinship care. Kinship care may be informal or may involve the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS). In many cases, grandparents and even great-grandparents have stepped up to help raise children when they cannot remain safely with their parents.The Marshall County Family & Consumer Sciences agent, Family Resource Youth Services Center directors and the Marshall County Resiliency Center are working tog
Dr. Ashurst has been a Federal Coach for USDA's Children, Youth and Families at Risk (CYFAR) Professional Development and Technical Assistance (PDTA) Center since January 2019. This is a multi-state subcontract with the University of Minnesota and Pennsylvania State University as the national leads. During the reporting period, Dr. Ashurst had a contract for 45% of her time as a federal coach. She was assigned to oversee grants in Vermont, Rhode Island, Maryland, North Carolina, Wisconsin, N
Author: Natalie Green
Prenatal and newborn health is an important subject for Webster County residents. There are many soon to be parents and new parents who seek out resources on topics such as feeding, changing, car seat safety, and overall health of their children. In response to the above issues, Webster County Cooperative Extension, alongside FRYSC and Early Childhood Council, held the World’s Greatest Baby shower. The baby shower was a free educational, informative and interactive program for expecta
Author: Marla Stillwell
According to data compiled by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, learning to read and write are skills that are essential to a child's success in school and later life. Research has found that one of the most important activities parents can do to help their child to acquire these necessary literacy skills is to read to and with them frequently. Therefore, through a collaboration with one of the local elementary schools Family Resource Youth Service Center Coordinators in
