Families
Together
Ruth Freeman, Resource Management Field Specialist
Paulelda Gilbert, Health & Nutrition Field Specialist
Eugenia Hanlon, Family Life Field Specialist
Problem
facing our clientele:
Parents are often faced with a variety of stresses related to all aspects
of family life, ranging from what to fix for dinner, how to deal with
a child and how to stretch their dollars. Education is rarely designed
to meet all these needs, especially in rural Iowa.
Extension’s
response to the problem:
Based upon the identified need for consistent parent education needs
in rural Iowa, the Communities 4 Children staff approached Iowa State
University Extension to submit a grant application. An $11,901 grant
was provided for Families Field Staff Paulelda Gilbert, Ruth Freeman
and Eugenia Hanlon to develop and teach a monthly program series “Families
Together”. This series utilizes the specific subject matter expertise
of each field specialist to compose a series of program offerings that
take a holistic approach to providing quality education. Each of the
four counties involved in Communities 4 Children hosted one session
monthly to encourage those with limited transportation options to attend.
The impact
on the clientele:
198 individuals attended one or more of the 46 sessions taught. Three
attended all twelve sessions, while seventeen people participated in
four or more sessions. Forty attended 2 or 3 sessions.
When asked in a nine month evaluation, what one new idea they learned, participants responded:
Feeding Children
New Food Pyramid – 11
Importance of keeping active/exercise – 6
Weight management /the change in over-weight over the past 15 years - 5
Not to force or bribe kids to eat – 4
Portion control – 3
Healthy snack selection/keep good food choices around/let children select – 3
Importance of eating at the table as a family – 3
Nutritional value and parent responsibilities – 2Make the Most of Your Money for Your Family
Money Management - 6
Budgeting our money & getting out of debt – 2
Budgeting for the year and any unexpected costs
Credit card info was valuable
How to get the credit cards paid off
Effect of interest ratesParenting Skills
Less TV – 3
How to take better care of my child – 2
Spending quality time together – 2
Communication skills – 2
Being there to listen & communicate as a family – 2
Do things as a family
Communication is key to a good relationship
As a result of this year’s success, the Communities 4 Children is funding the series again for 2006-07.
Contact:
Paulelda Gilbert
Nutrition & Health Field Specialist
108 S 8th Street, Fort Dodge, IA 50501
Phone 515-576-2119; Fax: 515-576-6447
Email pgilbert@iastate.edu
Last update: September 26, 2006
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