An April 2009 report from Child Trends Research Briefs summarizes an analysis of the data from the Every Child Every Promise Study conducted by America's Promise Alliance (Moore, Whitney & Kinukawa). The study focused on lower income families, however the findings were similar for all families regardless of income. The study examined four types of family strengths using data on adolescents, ages 12-17, from families with incomes below $50,000:
1. Close and caring parenting
2. Parental monitoring, supervision and awareness
3. Parental involvement
4. Positive parental role modeling
Findings related to performance in school, social competence and participation in risky behaviors are summarized in the report. Why is this important? The study supports CYFAR (Children, Youth and Families At-Risk) program strategies that promote family involvement in youth programs and foster parenting skills related to responsible monitoring of children's behavior.
For more information, go to:
http://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends-2009_04_16_RB_FamilyStrengths.pdf
A 4-H curriculum from Nebraska is one of 4 evidence-based programs selected for after-school programs by Great Science for Girls: Extension Services for Gender Equity in Science through After-School Programs (GSG), a partnership led by the Educational Equity Center at the Academy for Educational Development (EEC/AED) with AED Center for Youth Development and Policy Research (CYD) and the AED National Training Institute for Community Youth Work (NTI). GSG was funded by NSF in 2006 as a 5-year initiative to build the capacity of after-school centers to delivery programming that will broaden and sustain girls' interest in STEM. The 4 evidence based programs include:
1. Wonderwise 4-H - ages 8-12 - wasdeveloped by The University of Nebraska State Museum and Nebraska 4-H Youth Development with funding from the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
2. After-School Science PLUS, for ages 6-14, was developed by Educational Equity Concepts, Inc. with funding from the National Science Foundation Program for Gender Equity and a variety of local New York City funders.
3. Girls at the Center, for ages 6-14, was developed by The Franklin Institute Science Museum in collaboration with Girl Scouts of the USA, with funding from the National Science Foundation.
4. Girls Inc Operation SMART, for ages 5-6 through 18, was developed by Girls Incorporated® with funding from National Science Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Coca Cola Foundation, CREW Foundation, General Motors Foundation, Verizon Communications, Lucent Technology Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities and many others.
These programs were professionally evaluated and show positive outcomes related to girls and STEM. Other programs will be added as they meet the criteria of evidence-based programs set by the Great Science for Girls project. Those criteria are found on the web site listed above. To learn more go to:
http://gsg.afterschool.org/public/evidence_based.cfm?Size=2
FindYouthInfo.gov Launch Announcement:
New Web Site Dedicated to Strengthening Youth Programs
The Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs is pleased to announce the launch of FindYouthInfo.gov, a collaborative effort of 12 Federal departments and agencies developed out of a shared goal of strengthening community resources to support our Nation's youth.
This site provides targeted information to help youth-serving organizations and community partnerships plan and implement effective youth programs.
FindYouthInfo.gov offers customized strategies and practical resources designed to help communities:
*Build and sustain effective community partnerships
*Generate maps of community resources
*Develop evidence-based youth programs addressing risk and protective factors
*Access up to date information on Federal programs, funding opportunities and youth-related issues
This Web site features many Federally-developed interactive tools to help users build quality partnerships within their communities and help America's youth reach their full potential. Online tools include social bookmarking, a calendar of events, news feeds, mapping tools, searchable youth program database, and much more.
FindYouthInfo.gov will be continually updated with new features and enhancements. Comments and suggestions on the site are appreciated, and can be submitted through the online Feedback Form. Visitor feedback will be used to enhance the Web site in the coming months.
Visit FindYouthInfo.gov today to learn about all its great features, and sign up for e-blasts to stay abreast of the latest youth-related news and new site features.
The National Institute on Out-of-School Time and The Robert Bowne
Foundation recently teamed up to work on the Afterschool Matters
Journal. You can access the Afterschool Matters journal online at:
Do you manage the Blue Ribbon Data Management in your county? If so, visit MarTech Systems website for helpful information on Blue Ribbon.
You will find tip sheets on the ES237, Year End Processing, how run queries and much more.
National 4-H Headquarters, Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture announces the 2008 CYFAR Conference May 6-9, 2008, in San Antonio, Texas.
Continue reading "Announcing CYFAR 2008 in San Antonio"Reminder on evaluation / reporting pieces due from each county:
By October 1st1. ES-237
By November 1st
1. County Summary of the Annual 4-H Group Activity Report
2. County 4-H Afterschool Log
3. Teamwork Surveys - from all 4-H teams identified for inclusion in this evaluation
ANNUAL 4-H GROUP ACTIVITY REPORTS
The Annual Group Activity Reports (Forms A, B, C) are due in your office from all 4-H groups by October 20, and the county summary is due in the State 4-H Office by November 1st. These forms are found on the Youth Development Staff Resources website at:
http://extension.unh.edu/4H/4HYDSR.htm
The county summary report is located on Formbuilder at: http://cecf1.unh.edu/formbuilder/intforms/form86_ClubSumm.htm. Please submit electronically, or download and complete the form and send to the State 4-H Office.
4-H AFTERSCHOOL REPORT
The 4-H Afterschool Work Team created a tracking log to assist in preparing annual reports related to your work with afterschool programs. A copy of the log is posted under Reporting and Evaluation tools as 4-H Afterschool Log: http://extension.unh.edu/4H/4HYDSR.htm
The log should include data for the POW year, October 1-September 30. Please forward your completed copy to Paula Gregory no later than NOVEMBER 1st. It will be used to make multiple reports, including the annual national 4-H Council survey of county educators.
TEAMWORK SURVEYS
Forward all completed copies of Teamwork Surveys to Charlotte Cross. Indicate your county, and the name of the group in each batch sent. All tabulation of data will be done at the State Office. The link for this form is:
The following are training modules from the National Collaboration for Youth addressing competency areas they feel youth professionals should have. They are simple, easy to follow and could provide items for your tool box that help you teach other youth professionals in your counties. You will note in the Empowering Youth, they use the last category as Resources where we use the term Partner.You can substitute this in your work for consistency.
The modules are as follows:
Involving and Empowering Youth
Cares for, Involves and Works with Families and Community
Communicates and Develops Positive Relationships with Youth
All three training modules can be found on the 4-H Staff Intranet page under Resources for training.
Wendy
The 2007-2008 4-H Member Enrollment form and 4-H Volunteer Enrollment form are available on the website at: http://extension.unh.edu/4H/4HForms.htm
In order to make updates immediately available, please link your county website to the document on the state 4-H website (rather than placing separate documents on each county website). Thanks, Michele
The 2007-2008 4-H Events Calendar is now available on the 4-H Staff Intranet page under General Information at: http://extension.unh.edu/4H/staff/4Hstaff.htm
Please note: this is the only calendar that will be released this year. Notification of changes will be done via email.