FY02 - NDSU Extension Service
PROGRAM #206 -Human Development

Program Planning Team: 

Sean Brotherson and Ellen Bjelland (co-chairs), Peggy Anderson, Karen Armstrong, Everett Bailey, Kristi Berdal, Laura DeHaan, Vanessa Hoines, June Kraft, Verona Lechler, Floramay Miller, Karla Monson, Linda Narum, Greg Sanders, Jean Soderquist, Debra Theurer, Margaret Tweten,

Overall Situation:

A variety of challenges influence the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities in North Dakota. Economic and demographic circumstances that reflect these challenges include population shifts away from rural areas and smaller communities, an aging population, the need for a diversified economy and the importance of collaboration in services to children and families.

Families in North Dakota face trends similar to those occurring nationally, including increased numbers of dual-earner families, fairly high rates of family dissolution, and challenges to youth and children such as poverty, abuse, and stress. Families also must create and maintain intergenerational linkages with older generations within the family. Building strong families through healthy communication, shared activities, and economic improvement is a continuing and vital concern.

Parents face a variety of concerns for their children, ranging from age-appropriate discipline to school readiness to youth violence or substance abuse. A number of regional and statewide assessments in North Dakota have emphasized a strong desire for educational programs to assist parents in raising their children. Parents and communities must begin with an understanding of children in infancy and early childhood that then extends to the creation of a healthy, enabling environment through the early years and adolescence.

The agricultural economy in North Dakota continues to undergo significant challenges and has been difficult in some regions for several years, creating conditions of economic stress and difficulty for many families and communities. Issues that face rural families and communities, in particular, include communication difficulties, isolation, increased levels of anger, high stress, and economic difficulty. Education is needed to help individuals and families manage anger and stress and make needed transitions.

Key Theme(s):  Building Strong Families

Persons Responsible

Sean Brotherson, Ellen Bjelland, Vanessa Hoines, Floramay Miller, Linda Narum, Greg Sanders (Planning Team). Other members of the Human Development Program Planning Team will provide feedback and assistance as needed.

Situation

Families provide the most enduring social context in which individuals learn to care for others, regulate their behavior, share material resources, and develop individual potential. Today, families are often pulled in many directions due to economic pressures, social obligations, or other influences. Yet families need to learn how to manage their relationships so that time together is preserved, healthy communication is established, and resources are managed wisely and carefully. Couples must also find ways to strengthen and maintain their personal relationships. Families remain the most important buffer between individuals and the stresses of life. Building strong families enables both individuals and communities to grow in a context of care and well-being.

Anticipated Measurable Outcomes (Objectives)

• Families will be provided with the opportunity to access and receive information and resources on building strong families through a multi-media effort that includes the Internet.
• Families will be supported through increased efforts to collaborate with other community entities such as schools, social services programs, etc., in planning and delivering effective, meaningful educational programs to strengthen families.
• Families and organizations will have increased awareness of the importance of family life and prioritizing it in their lives and work.
• Families will have increased knowledge of specific strategies for strengthening family relationships and overcoming challenges.
• Couples will develop increased knowledge and skills to improve interpersonal and marital relationships.

Educational Program

1. Develop and promote a multi-media effort to provide information and resources on building strong families that will include news media and the Internet. This will include a weekly news column and other regular features through the Family Connections web site and electronic newsletter. Encourage linking to this information source by families, schools, hospitals, businesses, and other community-based organizations.

2. Continue to provide and develop Extension publications that focus on building family relationships and managing challenges in family life. A new set of bulletins/fact sheets on "Building Family Strengths" will be developed.

3. Conduct integrated training for Extension staff on building family strengths during Human Development subject matter training, using a "Sustainable Families" model. Identify educational curricula that focus on building family relationships and strengths, and begin to provide training for staff.

5. Continue and strengthen collaborative efforts to provide effective, meaningful educational programs to strengthen families through relationships with CSCC bodies, schools, social services programs, etc. Support these efforts through providing the "Family Center" publication developed by the North Dakota Family Life Education Committee.

Evaluation Plan

1. Number of requests to access and receive information from the multi-media information center will be tracked.

• Evaluation plan to assess the impacts of the multi-media effort will be developed and implemented.
• A pre/post evaluation will be used to assess the training for Extension staff on building family strengths and to receive feedback and ideas.
• Evaluation plan to assess the impacts of educational curricula used to strengthen families will be developed and implemented.
• Evaluation plan to assess the impacts of education curricula used in relationship and marriage education will be developed and implemented.

Key Theme(s):    Parent Education

Persons Responsible

Sean Brotherson, Ellen Bjelland, Karen Armstrong, Everett Bailey, Kris Bjelde, Dawnita Nilles, Deb Theurer (Planning Team). Other members of the Human Development Program Planning Team will provide feedback and assistance as needed.

Situation

Children learn and develop in safe, supportive environments where they have the opportunity to experience caring relationships with a variety of adults. Understanding growth, development, and the learning process is the basis for nurturing and effective adult/child interaction. Recent research reveals that the experiences a child has during the first three years of life are critical for positive brain development. Adults who are informed about the many capabilities of infants and young children are best equipped to facilitate the positive social and cognitive development of all children. Additionally, knowledge about how to prevent a child's engagement in risk behaviors through developing positive assets is also critical. Alcohol misuse and other risk behaviors are common in North Dakota, particularly in regions of high stress. Parent education has been identified as a critical need and resource by many citizens in the state.

Anticipated Measurable Outcomes (Objectives)

• Parents/adults will have increased awareness of positive practices that facilitate healthy cognitive and social development of their children.
• Parents/adults will have the opportunity to experience a variety of tools and resources that will be useful to families as children move through the ages and stages of growth and development.
• Parents/adults/communities will identify and adopt alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) primary prevention strategies for the adolescent population.

Educational Program

1. Develop appropriate parenting information and education tools. The newsletters "Parenting Preschoolers" and "Parenting Pipeline" will be provided as funding allows and also reviewed and updated to determine future use. All counties will be provided one set of white copy. Funding for additional newsletter copies will be sought.

2. Conduct a variety of community parenting educational programs, in collaboration with existing community programming and in response to the resources and identified needs within each community. Extension staff will be supported through the state and area specialists, as well as the resources of the Parent and Family Resource Centers in their region.

3. Provide updated training as needed for Extension staff and other professionals on the Children of Divorce program.

4. Provide in-depth training for Extension staff in managing youth risk behaviors and the RETHINK anger management/parent education program, in cooperation with the 4-H Youth Development program team. Network this educational effort with the North Dakota Comprehensive Substance Abuse State Prevention Plan.

5. Provide in-depth training for Extension staff and other professionals on parent education modules focused on early childhood development through the "Bright Beginnings: Brown Bag Bytes" training. To be offered in collaboration with the Parent and Family Resource Centers in four to six sites across the state. Develop a series of fact sheets/bulletins for use in providing educational programs.

Evaluation Plan

1. A pre/post test instrument measuring increased knowledge and awareness of key parenting issues, as well as behavioral changes, will be developed for use with specific parent education programs.

2. Parents will be surveyed regarding the value of and knowledge gained from parent education newsletters. This evaluation will be conducted during the next year.

3. A pre/post evaluation will be used to assess the training for Extension staff on parent education topics outlined above and to receive feedback and ideas.

Key Theme(s):   Rural Families in Transition

Persons Responsible

Sean Brotherson, Ellen Bjelland, Peggy Anderson, Kristi Berdal, Tom Carlson, Debb Pankow, Margaret Tweten (Planning Team). Other members of the Human Development Program Planning Team will provide feedback and assistance as needed.

Situation

Rural families throughout North Dakota are facing life challenges created by changing conditions and economic pressures in the agricultural marketplace. These challenges may include transition from a rural to urban lifestyle, business management decisions, economic security, intergenerational transfer of farm operations, family stress, and other concerns. Families and communities struggle with making decisions about economic concerns and a meaningful way of life. Children may experience high levels of stress and emotional difficulty. Couples may struggle with maintaining a quality relationship. Educational programs can assist with understanding and improving communication, decision making, stress management and resource management.

Anticipated Measurable Outcomes (Objectives)

• Professionals working with rural families will understand effective strategies to engage and support rural families in transition.

• Rural families will identify resources and opportunities available to them for coping with and addressing specific family and economic challenges.
• Rural families will understand and work on improved communication and decision making about life challenges.
• Rural families and communities will identify and implement strategies for managing stress.

Educational Program

1. Develop and promote Extension resources via multiple methods targeted at family concerns related to rural stress, including managing change and transition, communication, making family decisions, and managing stress. Materials will be developed in multiple formats and integrated with other ongoing programs in Extension, particularly the initiative of the Farm Financial Crisis Educational Response Committee. Programs will include Agriculture in Transition, etc.

2. Conduct community workshops for rural ND families in transition through integrated, collaborative efforts with other Extension program planning teams (Farm and Family Economics), MPU planning efforts, and other cooperating organizations.

3. Provide training on issues of rural stresses on family life to Extension staff.

4. Provide collaborative training on issues of rural stresses on family to other organizations and professionals as requested and planned, including the "Hard Choices in the Heartland" seminar.

5. Identify and collaborate with other agencies to help rural families seek services and recognize options.

1. Collect data relating to media efforts and other resources developed responding to the concerns of rural families under stress.

2. Conduct a follow-up evaluation of community workshops to learn what resources are being utilized and what strategies have been implemented by rural families.

3. Conduct a follow-up evaluation of professional training workshops to learn what strategies are being implemented in working with rural families.

Key Theme(s):  Managing Anger and Stress

Persons Responsible

Sean Brotherson, Ellen Bjelland, Julie Garden-Robinson, June Kraft, Karla Monson, Debb Pankow, Margaret Tweten (Planning Team). Other members of the Human Development Program Planning Team will provide feedback and assistance as needed.

Situation

Needs assessments conducted in various communities and regions throughout North Dakota have indicated high levels of stress and anger among individuals and families. These high levels result from ongoing sources of stress that include flooding, economic difficulties, and rapidly changing lifestyles. Healthy living that allows for physical and emotional health, consistent individual growth, and positive personal relationships needs to be encouraged.

Anticipated Measurable Outcomes (Objectives)

• Participants will have increased stress management skills and adopted more healthy lifestyle practices.
• Participants will have increased anger management attitudes and skills, and will have reduced anger and violence levels.
• Participants will have increased knowledge about healthy living practices and how physical, emotional, social, and economic health can be improved.

Educational Program

1. Develop and promote a stress management and healthy living curriculum ("Healthy Living for a Healthy Life") that integrates different areas of human development (including physical care, food and nutrition, resource management, family living, and personal/leadership development). This will be discussed and developed through the collaboration of the Human Development state specialists.

2. Provide in-depth training for Extension staff in stress management and the RETHINK anger management/parent education program, in cooperation with the 4-H Youth Development program team.

Evaluation Plan

1. Conduct a pre/post/follow-up evaluation for "Healthy Living" program participants to assess healthy lifestyle practices and levels of stress.

2. Conduct a pre/post/follow-up evaluation for RETHINK program participants, in cooperation with Colorado State University.