Success Story: “Parenting Program in Hardin County Makes a Difference”

Parents in Kentucky spend a large number of hours working to provide a stable home environment for their families. According to the Community Assessment report conducted by the University of Kentucky at least 40% of the population within Hardin county work at least part time and have a median income of $33,226 for men and $23,494 for women.  The two biggest areas of work are concentrated in the field of Manufacturing and the Office & Administrative Support.  Therefore, men and women spend the majority of their day out of the home at work because they are trying to provide a substantial income for their families.  Some other factors impacting the home environment are the rising cost of housing expenses, medical expenses, food cost, and insurance parents are finding it harder to spend quality time with their kids.  This can result in some cases to having unhealthy relationships within the family, unhealthy behavior, and discipline problems within the home from children who began to resent the fact that their parents never spend quality time with them.  

As a result of these changes within our society, Kentucky State University’s Cooperative Extension Program provides families with a Parenting Program known as C.A.R.E. Families that assists families with reuniting parents with their children.  The way that the program works is that parents who participate in the program complete a 6 to 8 week parenting program in which they learn how to resolve problems & disagreements more effectively, develop nurturing discipline techniques, and establish boundaries and develop time management skills to improve the overall well-being of their family.  After the program has been completed clients receive a certificate of completion and a verification letter to present to court officials and healthcare workers for completing the program.  Kentucky State University’s Cooperative Extension works in conjunction with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services to assist the community with resources to help families who maybe having a difficult time managing the stress of everyday life and raising their kids.  This partnership makes it possible to offer many resources, guidance, and assistance for parents who need some assistance with regaining custody of their children.  

          So far, there have been about 25 participants that have completed the C.A.R.E. families parenting program compared to only about 10 from the previous year.  There has been a significant increase of about 70% of program participation since the program’s inception in 2018.  The parent’s who participate in this Parenting program find the classes to be more interactive and easier to learn new concepts in versus other parenting programs.  The structure of the program is to encourage more of a collaborative learning experience versus the more traditional learning experience.  The program is set up to engage parents’ in solving problems and learning how to navigate thru their own challenges within their personal families thru role playing activities and constant peer to leader interactions.  Moreover, parents’ find it easier to learn when they get to share their experience with other parents’ who may have experienced the same or similar challenges within their own homes’.  One of the clients said that, “She found the class to be eye opening and educational.”  She felt like she learned a lot from the program and knew that she could use the techniques that she learned from the class to be a better parent. Other parents’ really benefit from learning about how their child’s brain develops and how children see the world. 

          In closing, the Parenting Program has proven to be a much needed asset to the community within Hardin county with the families finding it more challenging to raise kids while they attempt to maintain a successful career and social life.   After parents have completed this program, they typically regain custody of their children and find it much easier to bond with them, because they have learned some much information about how to meet their child’s individual needs thru the parenting program.  More importantly they walk away from this program knowing how to communicate more effectively and deal with conflict in a more productive manner.   This program continues to bring happiness and a sense of well-being into the lives of the families within Hardin county.  

Picture Above: Picture of Powerpoint slide “ Children’s Brain Development”

Picture Above: Picture of Powerpoint slide “Cultural Values, What Shapes Behavior in Families”

Picture: DeRamus, C. (Family & Consumer Sciences Extension Agent) teaching Parenting class on "Praise for being & Doing"

Picture Above: Parenting program participant completing parenting program.  Baby was about 2 weeks old in this picture.

Picture Above: Parenting program participant receiving his certificate of completion.