Adult Education/ESL

A comprehensive money management series was requested by the Adult Education program in Portsmouth. Almost half of the participants were ESL students, requiring adaptation to existing materials. I adapted the curriculum  Making Money Work for You (MMWFY), which  is a five-session money management series developed by UNHCE including the following topics: identifying needs and wants, communication and money, goal setting, conscious spending, stretching resources, credit and debt, overview of insurance and developing a spending/savings plan. Fourteen individuals participated in this class and all of them reported an increase in financial knowledge or awareness as a result of the class. Thirteen reported at least one improvement they made in financial mangement practices (decreased current debt, decreased reliance on credit cards, increased savings, kept better track of spending). Twelve reported two or more improvements. One of the most interesting elements of this class was their sharing of cultural differences with regard to money management, especially with regard to consumption.

TRIO

TRIO is a federal program developed to assist students who are low income, first generation attending college, or have a disability. TRIO funds are distributed to institutions through competitive grants. I provided three sessions, focusing on budgeting, decreasing debt and increasing savings, and these were targeted to the TRIO participants. However, these sessions were open to the student body at Great Bay Community College (location of program). I provided three sessions, fifty-four students participated. Although some attended all three, I developed the sessions to be independent and evaluated them independently as well. Materials from MMWFY were adapted for this audience, with supplementary materials as needed for particular issues. Audiences were survey after each session  regarding knowledge gained and intention to change behavior. Out of the 48 that responded, all indicated an increase in knowledge and 45 were able to identify at least one thing they intended to do differently. 22 identified two or more. In the third session, 18 individuals indicated they had attended one or two of the other sessions, and were able to identify at least one improvement they made in financial management.

Financial Security in Later Life

This Cooperative Extension National Initiative seeks to help people improve personal finance behaviors leading to financial security in later life, enhance the capacity of local educators and their partners to deliver effective programs, and increased economic vitality and quality of life for families and communities. Despite the economic boom in the late 90’s, one-half of American households have accumulated less than $1,000 in net financial assets (the value of money in the bank, stocks, bonds, and other securities after subtracting loans, credit card debt, and other secured debt) and $35,000 in net wealth (value of all real and financial assets including home equity, other real estate, vehicles, owned businesses). Consumer debt has been identified as a significant reason for low net financial assets. The program offered this year was Advanced Directives: Who Will Decide (Portsmouth and Brentwood totaling 34 participants). 28 indicated they would be consulting a professional as a result of the session, 24 indicated an intention to discuss material with family, 34 increased knowledge about estate planning, and 34 rated the session either good or excellent.

Don’t Get Crushed By Debt

Credit and debt involves a commitment of current assets and/or future income.  Achieving goals and being financially secure now and in later life involves managing credit and debt successfully. Don’t Be Crushed By Debt was developed by UNHCE to address the growing problem of misuse of credit. Don’t Get Crushed By Debt was offered three times to a total of 38 participants. I also distributed information from another program called Credit Checkup, which includes information on credit reports. All of the 38 Participants reported an increase in knowledge related to evaluating debt costs, understanding the impact of debt on financial security and/or knowing how to create a debt reduction plan. Also, all of the participants mentioned at least one action they plan to take as a result of the workshop (most common was pay more than the minimum payment, pay bills on time and create a debt reduction plan). One of the groups wanted a follow-up session on Identity Theft which was subsequently offered to 7 individuals.

Individual Sessions on Credit or Budgeting

Regular requests are received for individual assistance. Typically this occurs when an individual wants to do something about their finances immediately, and the next scheduled is not soon enough. Also, some individuals are involved in savings programs that require ongoing financial management classes, and they must complete them before a deadline. I have also done this after a session or a class for an individual who has unique or additional needs for assistance. I count an “individual session” whenever I have had at least two contacts with an individual (often one is in person, the other by phone). This allows me to determine if there has been some improvement in their money management practices. Of the seventeen I worked with, 13 followed through with task or activities identified as an area of potential improvement. Tracking expenses, putting together a plan to management debt, contacting a professional to assist with debt management and decreasing use of credit cards were most common.

Family Resource Management Work Team

Member on this UNHCE  interdisciplinary team, working to update and develop Family Resource Management programs in NH. 

Youth and Money Management

High School Financial Planning Program (HSFPP) and UNH Cooperative Extension have been in partnership for over ten years. High School Financial Planning provides essential money management education through the training of teachers, and provision of a free curriculum and all student materials. UNHCE has partnered with NH Jumpstart Coalition to provide promotion of the HSFPP across the state, and resources to fund an annual conference to train teachers. Last year at least 551 high school students received personal finance education in Rockingham County through the High School Financial Planning Program.

Project C.A.S.H. (Creating a Savings Habit)

This program was developed by myself along with UNH Health Education Director and Extension colleagues. It provides essential money management skills to college students at the University of New Hampshire to enable them to build a foundation for future financial security.  It is a collaboration between Cooperative Extension, UNH Health Services, and UNH Parents Association. Recent accomplishments include:

v      UNH Project C.A.S.H. Advisory Committee, Chair

v      Conducted two Project C.A.S.H. Advisory Committee meetings

v      Ongoing maintenance and updating of C.A.S.H. website - www.projectcash.unh.edu - which I developed four years ago with a grant. Many departments at UNH have put a link for the website on their homepage. Regular reports show high usage of the website (weekly “successful requests” averaging around 5,000), with numbers steadily increasing.

v      Presentation at the NH Financial Aid Directors Conference on student indebtedness and on UNH Project C.A.S.H.  Thirty –six professionals from other colleges participated, generating great discussions on what universities can do to safeguard students from overuse of credit.

v      UNH student worked within Health Education as an intern promoting Project CASH on campus, providing educational outreach in a variety of settings including displays/ presentations at Freshman orientation, Parents’ Weekend, University Day, assistance to International Students, Gateway to Graduation and the development of money activities.

v      In 2007-2008, Project C.A.S.H. provided a series of money management workshops for students using finance professionals based in NH and one nationally known speaker. The nationally known speaker was used for Freshman Orientation, a new addition due to Project C.A.S.H. The name of the session: FUNNY MONEY.

Parenting Education

Helping Our Kids to be Media Smart

Information was provided to two groups of parents (total of 24) regarding the impact of media on the health of families, children and youth. Specific suggestions to decrease negative impacts from media were shared and discussed. As a result all participants were able to identify one thing they learned that was new, and one thing they would do differently based on the workshop. Most common responses included an intention to decrease TV time, develop family rules for screen time, or restrict small children from potentially harmful media.

Exploring Nature-Deficit Disorder

This presentation is based on the book The Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv. Louv argues that American children have lost their connection to the natural world and now live a “denatured childhood.” He believes this deprivation is not trivial, but instead a cause for some of today’s disturbing health-related trends among children: the rise in obesity, attention disorders and depression. This was presented to three groups by request with 26 participating. Of those evaluated, 100% reported increased knowledge, and were able to identify one action they plan to take that will expose children to the natural world (most common was decrease screen time).

Lower Seacoast Youth and Family Coalition Parenting Subcommittee

Participated on this newly formed subcommittee to work with other organizations in the Seabrook/Hampton area to better coordinate parenting and family programs in the community. Our first initiative is described below (Family Food Fun and Fitness Expo).

Parenting Teens National Ad Hoc Committee

Was asked to be part of a national group to assess the needs for online resources regarding parenting teenagers. I have been analyzing “frequently asked questions” on extension to help our committee to determine the topics parents are most interested in.

Work/Family Expert Team

Serving as a member of this UNHCE work team to assess how we can reach out to individuals and families struggling to achieve balance between family and personal demands and work demands. Also, we see the opportunity to reach out to businesses that want to increase resources and improve policies to increase quality of life for employees. A grant was funded statewide to assess the needs in cooperation with businesses in the state.

Parenting and Child Development Expert Team

Serving as a member of this UNHCE work team to focus in on gaps in programs and resources and review curriculum in parenting education. Will be coordinating trainings statewide to support professionals in their distribution of Cradle Crier and Toddler Tales (Just-In-Time newsletters for parents).

Youth Development/CYFAR

GirlsSpace/CYFAR

As part of the CYFAR funded project in Seabrook, a program was developed to address the needs of middle school girls, building on the outreach of an already successful youth program coordinated through Seacoast     Youth Services and supported heavily by UNHCE. I worked along with a UNH intern to implement two ten-week series with 18 girls participating. This program focuses on strengthening relationships with other girls, development of media literacy skills related to girl culture, and the model of youth development Circle of Courage. The Circle of Courage addresses youth needs for a sense of belonging, mastery, independence and generosity. An evaluation based on the Circle of Courage was used; all girls felt respected and listened to in the group (except one), learned something new and important, and helped them feel better about themselves. Most felt they had made a difference for others in some way. The girls also demonstrated a new lifeskill through the deconstruction of media advertising to discern whether a message was healthy or unhealthy. A culminating activity involved participation in the Rockingham County Conversation, a UNHCE event involving the President of UNH, and local legislators. The girls competently provided a demonstration of one of the activities, and talked with visitors about their experience with GirlsSpace.

CYFAR/Seacoast Leadership Project

Have attended Lower Seacoast Youth and Family Coalition Meetings, Family Nights and have facilitated parent focus groups to evaluate the youth program, both during the school year and during summer.

Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyles

UNHCE Nutrition Programming Team 

Participated on this work team to assess the future role of UNHCE in our outreach to non-low-income population on nutrition and fitness. In this last year, this team planned and coordinated an in-service for CE staff that provided information on latest trends and provided opportunities to give input on needs across NH for this audience.

Family Fun Food and Fitness Expo

This event was held in September in the Seabrook community. It was the first initiative of the Lower Seacoast Youth and Family Coalition Parent Program Subcommittee. It was estimated that over 300 individuals and families participated as well as approximately 25 businesses and organizations. Youth were well represented, from pre-school to teens, and they actively engaged in the interactive activities focusing on health that were provided by attendees. This was the first time this event was offered in the community and based on the extremely positive feedback, we plan to make this an annual event.

Step It Up Seacoast – Obesity Coalition

Joined this coalition in representation of UNH Cooperative Extension. The goal of the coalition is a partnership to improve the health of the Seacoast community by promoting healthy choices in nutrition and physical activity. In this last year, the coalition has adopted the goals of H.E.A.L. (Healthy Eating Active Living), a NH statewide initiative which supports community-based coalitions with resources and training. As a result, our local SIUS coalition now includes several subcommittees. I am participated on the School Subcommittee this last year in addition to the SIUS coalition. After brainstorming a variety of actions we could take to reach out to schools, we began with a survey for schools to be conducted personally by members to assess gaps we could assist with. These will be done in October 2008.

Other POW Activities

Appearances on WMUR-TV for the Positive Parenting segments, articles written for Parenting NH, active role in County Conversation in June working with CYFAR and GirlsSpace program, planning for a money management program for foster kids aging out of the system to be implemented in October 2008.