Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:In the 2015 to 2016 grant period, SFP 10-14 was implemented at 4 rural sites: 2 in West Virginia and two in Iowa. Twenty-five parents and 23 youths attended the program for 7 sessions. Together in joint sessions, parents and youth learned about supporting goals and dreams, appreciating family members, building family communication, and families and peer pressure. During this grant year, project and/or PROSPER local team leaders developed a successful strategy for ensuring effective communication and team development during the initial stages of project implementation. In the 2016 to 2017 grant period, a total of 23 youth ages 10 to 14 and a total of 25 parents or guardians participated in SFP 10-14 in West Virginia and Iowa. In the school-based Life Skills program, 154 youth participated, 78 males in grades 6 and 7 and 76 females in grades 6 and 7. In addition, teams of community members partnered together at the local level to implement and support the PROSPER delivery system. In addition to youth and parents, 41 community members in West Virginia and Iowa participated on local teams. Project staff and team members in West Virginia and Iowa were trained and certified to serve as Strengthening Families SFP 10-14 Program facilitators. The teams met 10 - 11 times during that year. The following activities were conducted: 14 Strengthening Families training with 6th grade youth and parent/s; 12 Life Skills Training - with 7th grade school students; 64 Community Team Meetings. Curriculum training sessions were held for all members of the community teams. In the 2017-2018 grant period, 311 youth participated, 168 males in grades 6 and 7 and 143 females in grades 6 and 7. In addition, 16 adults participated in Strengthening Families Program Again, 28 adult from community organizations participated on community teams. Teams met 10 - 11 times this year. The following activities have been conducted: 8 Strengthening Families trainings with 6th grade youth and parent/s; 9 Life Skills Trainings - with 7th grade school students. In the 2018-2019 grant period, 480 youth participated in grades 6 and 7 in WV schools. At least 10 adults participated in the Strengthening Families program. Again, 28 adult from community organizations participated on community teams. Teams met 10 - 11 times this year. The following activities have been conducted: 8 Strengthening Families trainings with 6th grade youth and parent/s; 9 Life Skills Trainings - with 7th grade school students. Over the past five years, at least 991 youth in grades 6 and 7 participated in the WV/IA PROSPER project, as well as 129 adults. Changes/Problems:There were no major changes to the approach used (the PROSPER Model) in this project that required special or additional reporting requirements What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The PROSPER Model is a 3 tier model for sustainable program implementation. The second tier in this model is technical assistance. A state Management Team (SMT) and four Community Teams (CTs); 2 in WV and 2 in IA, facilitated technical assistance and continuing education for CTs focused on a two-staged approach to reach 6th grade youth and their parents/caregivers with 7 sessions (14 instructional hours) and 7th graders during 11-21 class periods (9 to 17 instructional hours). For the first two years, team members in both states participated in monthly meetings which focused on idea-sharing and problem-solving, and participated in bi-monthly PROSPER training sessions. This structure provided staff with opportunities to learn and share techniques and perspectives, creating a true peer learning environment which has allowed for an enriched and positive experience for project staff in both states. In Iowa, Prevention Coordinators held bi-weekly meetings with state project staff the first 3 years of the grant, and monthly meetings the last 2 years of the grant to share ideas, provide community updates and participate in shared problem solving. Iowa Team Leaders and Prevention Coordinators also participated in quarterly Learning Communities both in person and virtually. These events provided participants an opportunity to interact with others utilizing the PROSPER model on group-identified topics of interest and need over an extended period of time. Once a year for the first 3 years of the grant, Iowa hosted a State Wide Meeting that included state project staff, all Prevention Coordinators, all Team Leaders and all team members from these two communities, allowing them to advance their knowledge related to the project. The Navigating Differences Cultural Competency training was held in one Iowa team community to expand the knowledge of staff and community members on the importance and impact of individual beliefs when working with others of different backgrounds. Seventeen project staff, trainers, volunteers and community members attended this training. Team Leaders in both states also had access to a PROSPER Prevention Coordinator and the PROSPER Network coach. They were able to have individual consultation on topics of need to their local community teams. All 4 Team Leaders and three Prevention Coordinators, as well as state project staff, utilized this resource. Additionally, staff members from both Iowa and West Virginia attended the CYFAR professional development meetings in Washington, DC annually, benefitted from a CYFAR Coaching professional as well as the webinars and communications of the CYFAR Professional Development Technical Assistance (PDTA). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Information regarding the West Virginia/Iowa State project has been added to the national PROSPER network web page (http://www.helpingkidsprosper.org) A West Virginia University news release was distributed to media contacts and featured in West Virginia University Today in November 2014 to spread information regarding the project. This article is available online. An Iowa State University news release was distributed to media contacts regarding receiving this grant. This article is available online. Overviews of the PROSPER program were also presented at: The Multi-State 21st CCLC Conference, Louisville, KY, September 2018 The WVU Extension Internal Summit on Substance Misuse, Weston, WV, September 2018 The Fifty State Afterschool Network Leads Meeting and Substance Misuse Learning Community, October 2019. The State Program Overview was also published in the 2017 CYFAR annual report, Page 67. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Overall, the WV/IA PROSPER Program has achieved the following outcomes: Improved decision-making and problem skills in youth Improved parenting capacity, specifically in relationship to 1) establishing reasonable and positive ground rules for family life and personal conduct by youth and parents Enhanced youths' feelings of being loved and respected by their parents Increased understanding and acknowledge of youth about family's rules and guidelines Improved communication by parents about values and responsibilities. Increased communication by parents to their children about the risks of involvement in risky behaviors, specifically drug and alcohol use. Increased participation by community members in the work of Extension and, more importantly, in promoting positive youth development in their community Improved community capacity as evidenced by the sustainability of the program. In each year the program was held, youth in the two PROSPER programs: Strengthening Families Program 10-14 (family-based, includes parents) and Life Skill Training (school-based) showed slight increases on decision making, self-efficacy, and problem-solving measures. The greatest increase was on the Workforce Preparation common measure which adapts the problem solving/decision making scale from the Life Skill Development Scale for Adolescents (Darden, Ginter & Gazda, 1996). Youth also reported slightly increased scores on post-critical thinking measures. On the Making Decisions in Everyday Life scale, participants' scores increased slightly from pre- to post-assessment.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience: West Virginia University Extension and Iowa State University have jointly implemented the PROSPER program for the past year - September 2017-2018. Approximately 320 individuals participated in the program during the year. The following is a breakdown in the number of participants by group. Participants Youth 168 males in grades 6 and 7; ages 10-14 143 females in grades 6 and 7; ages 10-14 10.9% were Hispanic or Latino 13.3% were American Indian or Alaska Native 1.3% were Asian 5.7% were Black or African American .6% were Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 79.1% were white Adults in Strengthening Families Program 1 male 15 females Ages: 31 to 69 Education: 2 with less than HS 4 with HS diploma 9 with some college/associate degree 4 with BS/BA; 3 with graduate degree Employment: 13 employed fulltime 4 employed part-time 5 unemployed or retired All adults are non-Hispanic/Latino and white Adult Community Team Members 28 adults from community organizations participated on community teams. Teams met 10 - 11 times each year. Brooke = 7 Randolph = 7 Hamilton = 7 Sioux = 7 Activities The following activities have been conducted. Activity WV-Randolph WV-Brooke IA-Hamilton IA-Sioux Strengthening Families training with 6th grade youth and parent/s 1 2 2 3 Life Skills Training - with 7th grade school students 2 2 2 3 Curriculum training sessions have been held for all members of the community teams. Twelve new volunteers have been trained in the Botvin Lifeskills training, with one of the Team Members trained as a Train the Trainer. Family Strengthening Training is scheduled for September 2018. Changes/Problems:Again the PI for the grant was changed. Upon Debbie McDonald's retirement, leadership of the program was handed over to Nila Cobb, a WVU Extension Specialist with 17 years of experience and previous CYFAR duties as a county agent. This arrangement took some adjustment, but with the strength of the site teams, assistance and training from Iowa on the PROSPER model, and open communication from the CYFAR Coach, the program has continued to move ahead smoothly. As we move forward into the final year of the grant, the Randolph County site reports they are being promised continuation from local agencies. They are currently working to identify funding streams at both local and state to continue the project as well as expand to several other counties. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Training on facilitating the Life Skills program in middle schools was provided to twelve new volunteers for the WV teams who had not previously had the training. One of the team memebers became a certified Botvin Lifeskills Trainer, assisting with work toward sustainability. Several of the previously trained facilitators for the Family Strenghtening Program require updated training certification following three years of implementation. This training, along with new volunteer, faculty and staff training for this program is scheduled for early September, 2018. WV and IA Team meetings continue monthly through both conference calls and face to face team meetings. These meetings are focused on PROSPER training sessions, grant deliverables, and successes and barriers to project implementation. Our CYFAR Coach was able to travel to WV for a face to face visit and training for CYFAR program evaluation and end of the cycle training and planning. Tools were shared to begin the serious work around program sustainabilty. All of the WV Team were present and a visit to an actually site was conducted. Additionally, staff members from both Iowa and West Virginia attended the CYFAR professional development meeting in Washington, DC. This also afforded an opportunity for a face to face meeting with the Iowa team, leading to even better communication and planning for our final year of this grant. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Yet again, our outreach efforts have been a primary focus of Community Collaborative teams and project staff this year. Outreach efforts have included team-member presentations for parents at middle school orientation sessions and open houses, team member facilitation of programming at middle and elementary schools, classroom presentations by students, team member appearances on local radio stations, presentations delivered at community organization meetings, articles placed in local newspapers, informational flyers distributed in CYFAR communities, and the distribution of interest forms with follow-up calls made to families. Additionally, WVU Extension Service will be holding a Drug Misuse Summit in September 2018 and the PROSPER teams will be presenting their programs to the attendees. We will also continue to present information on the PROSPER model and efforts to date to state legislators and university officials. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?As in previous years, Iowa and West Virginia to again implement the SFP 10-14 in their respective communities with sixth grade students and their parents/caregivers in the coming year. Additionally in the two West Virginia sites and in Sioux County, Iowa, the Life Skills Training program {LST; see https://www.lifeskillstraining.com/ ) will be offered to all seventh grade students in the public school system. Community PROSPER teams will continue to meet on a monthly basis to further their sustainability planning for their communities. Additional professional development and experience sharing will occur between staff in West Virginia and Iowa on a monthly and bi -monthly basis. Monthly staff sharing will be led by project administrators and bimonthly professional development training and activities will be led by PROSPER staff. The focus of training will be to assist teams in building plans for sustainability in the coming years. With regard to the final year of the CYFAR Project, the team plans to work toward sustainability in each of the communities, utilizing the tools made available from the professional development provided by the CYFAR Coach, as well as learned at the CYFAR Conference.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Summary: This CYFAR Project has elected to implement the PROSPER Program which is an evidenced-based program which has been proven to be effective if implemented with fidelity. We have made every effort to implement the program faithfully, under guidance of the staff of the PROSPER Program at Iowa State University. Under appropriate research protocols, the PROSPER Model Delivery System has been shown to reduce engagement in risky behaviors and substance use over time. Overall, the WV/IA PROSPER program has achieved the following outcomes: Improved decision making and problem skills in youth Improved parenting capacity, specifically in relationship to 1) establishing reasonable and positive ground rules for family life and personal conduct by youth and parents Enhanced youths' feelings of being loved and respected by their parents Increased understanding and acknowledge of youth about family's rules and guidelines Improved communication by parents about values and responsibilities Increased participation by community members in the work of Extension and, more importantly, in promoting positive youth development in their community Increased communication by parents to their children about the risks of involvement in risky behaviors, specifically drug and alcohol use. Goal 1: Youth in the two PROSPER activities: strengthening families (family-based, includes parents) and life skill training (school-based) showed slight increases on decision making, self-efficacy, and problem solving measures. Youths also increased slightly on post-critical thinking measures; the pre-assessment mean was 2.70 and the post-assessment mean was 2.76. On the Making Decisions in Everyday Life scale, participants also increased slightly from pre- to post-assessment (pre-mean of 2.95 to post-mean of 2.96). Goal 2: We are not able to gather this information from the school system. Goal 3: Objective 1: There are two major outcomes from the Strengthening Families program: 1) parents establish enforce reasonable rules and and children recognize the rules and their parent's authority to enforce them, and 2) parents find ways to communicate their love and respect for their children and children hear and appreciate the expressions of love and respect. The statements from the SFP 10-14 youth and parent questionnaires that should significant change from the pre-test to the post-test are listed below. They illustrate the two findings mentioned above. Objective 2: On the SFP 10-14 questionnaire we did see some improvement on indicators that could be interpreted as social conscience, personal values, and caring. Youth showed improvement on one statement: I show my parent that I appreciate the things they do for me (pre mean = 2.667 and post-mean = 3.000). Parents showed improvement on several indicators that show that they are teaching these important values including: I ask my youth to consider how others feel when he/she misbehaves (pre mean = 2.8125 and post mean = 3.0625. Family togetherness builds personal values and the data indicates that parents in the SFP 10-14 program are spending more time together as a family as in the statement: We spend fun time together as a family (pre-mean = 2.8125; post-mean = 3.0000). Parents in the program also are more likely to say "I reward my youth with complements and privileges when he/she learns to follow a rule or fulfill a responsibility" (pre-mean = 2.8000; post mean = 3.0667). Parents who complete the program are also more likely to say that they give their child household responsibilities (pre-mean = 2.5625; post-mean = 2.8125). Finally, parent in the program self-reported an increase in their discussion of family values with their youth (pre-mean = 2.9375; post-mean = 3.3125) Goal 4: In all four sites, team members generally feel that they have gained more in terms of networking than acquiring new skills, personal fulfillment, and personal goal promotion. On average, Brooke County team members reported experiencing "Somewhat More Benefits than Costs." This indicator continues to move in the positive direction, suggesting that members are feeling quite positive about their involvement with the PROSPER Team. This score continues to be slightly higher than what we typically see for most other PROSPER teams. Responses ranged from 2 to 5 on this item. On average, Randolph County team members reported experiencing just under "Many More Benefits than Costs." This year's score has significantly increased, suggesting that members are feeling very positive about their involvement with the PROSPER Team. This year's score is higher than what we typically see for most other PROSPER teams. Hamilton County team members reported experiencing just under "Somewhat More Benefits than Costs." This score continues to move in the positive direction, and is consistent with what we typically see for most other PROSPER teams. It suggests that members are feeling that their time and effort are worth their perceived reward. Sioux County team members reported experiencing above "Somewhat More Benefits than Costs." This score has increased quite a bit compared with last year, suggesting that members are feeling quite positive about their involvement with the PROSPER Team. The year's score is slightly higher than what we typically see for most other PROSPER teams. The score for Agencies Champion PROSPER for Brooke County was slightly above "3," with responses ranging from "2" to "4." This score is close to last year's score and consistent with what we typically see from most other teams. Randolph County's team members' average response was between "3" and "4" for Agencies Champion PROSPER and this has increased a bit over the past year. This is slightly higher than what we typically see for most teams. Hamilton County team members' average response was close to "3" for Community Leader's Understanding of how agencies champion PROSPER, suggesting that members believe that agency leaders understand and champion the PROSPER effort to some extent. Scores increased quite a bit over the past year and is close to what we typically see from most other PROSPER teams. Sioux team members' average response was just above "Agree" for Agencies Champion PROSPER, suggesting that members believe that agency leaders understand and champion the PROSPER effort to some extent. Both scores have increased quite a bit over the past year! Goal 5: Although we cannot say that our participants decreased risky behaviors including reduction in substance abuse, we can say that parents/caregivers in the SFP10-14 program were more likely to communicate rules about alcohol, tobacco, and drug use to their children and the youth in the program confirmed that these rules were communicated to them. One question on the SFP 10-14 questionnaire asked youth respondents to respond to the statement "Parents/caregivers let me know their expectations about my using alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Youth participants increased their agreement with statement on the post survey. Similarly, the parents/caregivers increased their agreement with the statement: "I explain the consequences of not following my rules concerning alcohol, tobacco and drug use to my youth'.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/17
Outputs
Target Audience:Youth in 6th and 7th grade: A total of 23 youth ages 10 to 14 attended the Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Youth 10-14 held by the CYFAR programs in West Virginia and Iowa during this funding period. Of these, 7 were male, 14 were female and 2 did not respond. Twenty identified as White, three as Black, and one as Native American. Two youths said that they had been a member of 4-H for one or fewer years, 3 said they had been a member for 4-5 years, while 14 youths had been members for 10 or more years. Two were not 4-H members. Youth in the Life Skills program: A total of 252 7th grade youth completed the in-school life skills program. Of the 91 youths who completed the assessment, 53 were male and 37 were female. Of these, 14 were Hispanic or Latino. Ten had a parent who was involved in the military. Thirteen identified as American Indian, 6 as Black or African American, 3 as Native Hawaiian, and 69 as White. Eight had participated in 4-H for one year or less, 2 for 2-3 years, 6 for 4-5 years, and 29 for 10 or more years. Almost half, (43) had not participated in 4-H. About 75 percent of these youths participate in out-of-school activities. Families: A total of 25 parents or guardians participated in SFP 10-14 held by the CYFAR programs in West Virginia and Iowa during this funding period. The ages of the parents ranged from 31 to 69, leaving one to surmise that some of these parents were grandparents, however we did not ask for that information. There were 4 males and 21 females. Nineteen identified as White, five as Black, and one as Native American. Three parents had less than a high school education, nine had completed high school, seven had some post-high school education or associate degree, four had a bachelor's degree, and two had a graduate degree. Twelve were employed full-time, four were employed part-time, one was retired, and the remainder were either unemployed or did not answer. Community members: Teams of community members partner together at the local level to implement and support the PROSPER delivery system {http://helpingkidsprosper.org/ ). This year, 41 community members in West Virginia and Iowa have participated on local teams. In addition, project staff and team members in West Virginia and Iowa have been trained and certified to serve as Botvin LifeSkills facilitators or Strengthening Families Program (SFP) facilitators. A total of 4 new West Virginia Life Skills trainers have been certified and four new SFP trainers have been certified in Iowa. Changes/Problems:In West Virginia Debbie McDonald became the Pl and will took over the leadership of the program immediately. Ms. McDonald had been the Director of the WVU 4-H and Youth Development Unit for over 10 years. During the 2016-17 grant year, two program assistants (.5FTE), located in Randolph and Brooke counties took on responsibilities for county programming. The principal at the middle school in Brooke County, WV was hesitant about distributing consent and assent forms to parents because she feared that they would not participate if the associated the program with WVU research protocol. As a result, evaluation was not collected at that site this year. It is anticipated that the issue will be addressed in the 2017-18 school year. In Iowa... In Webster City, Iowa, ongoing turnover/change of middle school administration has continued to create challenges to local team development and implementation of the school-based program for academic year 2016-2017. The family-based program continues to be delivered. The PROSPER team leader, who is a county-level Extension and Outreach employee, the PROSPER Prevention coordinator, and the state of Iowa evaluator for the project have been meeting with school officials to solve the issues.material, meet, and inform the local team of their decision for the next school year (2016-17). The local Extension and Outreach team leader communicated that the project local team will need a commitment to commence programming in the 2017-2018 school year or, because of grant funding, the project will begin looking for another school that will commit to implementing the program. Once school begins in fall 2017, the local team leader, a county Extension and Outreach employee, will contact and meet with the new principal regarding the project's and the school's needs and hopefully will be able to fully implement the programs. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We implemented the SFP 10-14 at four rural sites: two in West Virginia and two in Iowa. Thirty-one parents and 27 youths attended the program for seven sessions. Parents were trained in the love and limits, making house rules, encouraging good behavior, using consequences, building bridges, protecting against substance abuse, and getting help for special family needs. Youth learned about appreciating parents, dealing with stress, following rules, dealing with pressure, and peer pressure and good friends. Together in joint sessions, parents and youth learned about supporting goals and dreams, appreciating family members, building family communication, and families and peer pressure. Training on facilitating the Life Skills program in middle schools was provided to six members of one of the WV teams who had not previously had the training. Project and/or PROSPER local team leaders developed a successful strategy for ensuring effective communication and team development during the initial stages of project implementation. Team members in both states participated in monthly meetings which focused on idea-sharing and problem-solving, and participated in bi-monthly PROSPER training sessions. This structure has provided staff with opportunities to learn and share techniques and perspectives, creating a true peer­ learning environment which has allowed for an enriched and positive experience for project staff in both states. Team members now function effectively as members of a cohesive two-state team. Unique to the PROSPER Model is the built-in component of technical assistance. Team Leaders not only participated in the group meetings and trainings they also had access to a PROSPER Prevention Coordinator and the PROSPER Network coach. They were able to have individual consultation on topics of need to their local community teams. All four Team Leaders and three Prevention Coordinators as well as state project staff took advantage of this opportunity. Additionally, staff members from both Iowa and West Virginia attended the CYFAR professional development meeting in Washington, DC. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Outreach efforts have been a primary focus of Community Collaborative teams and project staff this year. Outreach efforts have included team-member presentations for parents at middle school orientation sessions, team member facilitation of programming at middle and elementary schools, classroom presentations by students, team member appearances on local radio stations, presentations delivered at community organization meetings, articles placed in local newspapers, informational flyers distributed in CYFAR communities, and the distribution of interest forms with follow-up calls made to families. The Principle Investigator has presented information on the PROSPER model and efforts to date to state legislators and university officials. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?It is the plan in Iowa and West Virginia to again implement the SFP 10-14 in their respective communities with sixth grade students and their parents/caregivers in the coming year. Additionally in the two West Virginia sites and in Sioux County, Iowa, the Life Skills Training program {LST; see https://www.lifeskillstraining.com/ ) will be offered to all seventh grade students in the public school system. Community PROSPER teams will continue to meet on a monthly basis to further their sustainability planning for their communities. Additional professional development and experience sharing will occur between staff in West Virginia and Iowa on a monthly and bi -monthly basis. Monthly staff sharing will be led by project administrators and bimonthly professional development training and activities will be led by PROSPER staff. The focus of training will be to assist teams in building plans for sustainability in the coming years. With regard to the evaluation of the CYFAR Project, the evaluation team intends to do the following in the coming fiscal year: Continue to monitor our CYFAR sites in terms of fidelity in adhering to the PROSPER protocol. This includes evaluating community team and state team functioning and growth and observation of trainer performance and fidelity to the curricula. Continue to collect impact pre- and post-survey data as required by CYFAR and input it into the CYFAR database. This year, pre- and post-surveys will be collected at all SFO 10-14 sites and three school sites. Consent and assent forms will be collected as per WVU IRB requirements. Staff will assure that IRB rules and regulations are being adhered to and that participants are protected. The collection of data in the schools will require special care to ensure that as many students as possible can complete the forms because they have given consent. Produce timely reports as required by the National CYFAR Project, the WV/IA CYFAR team, and the PROSPER Program.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1: Youth will improve decision making skills, self-efficacy, and problem solving skills. In the Strengthening Families Program: There were no real differences from the pre to the post-tests means on items from the core competency assessments related to decision-making, although the mean score was up slightly on the post-test. The scale for this construct want from negative to positive (never = 0; always = 3). The pre-mean score (2.09) was slightly lower than the post-mean score (2.16). The Workforce Preparation Assessment includes the Problem-Solving and Decision-Making sub-scales. The scale runs from positive to negative (completely agree = 0; completely disagree = 3), therefore we would expect the post scores to be lower. There was no real differences between the pre- and post-scores. The pre-scores on this instrument were slightly lower (1.47) than the post-scores (1.26) showing a slight increase in self-perceived problem solving skills. In the School Life Skills Program: We began the school-based youth program for seventh grade youth, Life Skills Training (LST; https://www.lifeskillstraining.com/) during this funding period. Note: There were 91 respondents in the Life Skills (school-based) segment of the PROSPER Project for this reporting period. There were no real differences from the pre- to the post-tests means on items from the core competency assessments related to decision-making, although the mean score was down slightly. The scale for this construct went from negative to positive (never = 0; always = 3). The pre-mean score (1.90) was slightly lower than the post-mean score (1.77). In addition, the Workforce Preparation Assessment includes the Problem-Solving and Decision-Making sub-scales. This scale runs from positive to negative (completely agree = 0; completely disagree = 3), therefore we would expect the post scores to be lower. There was no real differences between the pre- and post-scores. The pre-scores on this instrument were slightly lower (1.04) than the post-scores (1.15) showing a slight decrease in problem perceived solving skills. Goal 2: Youth will be more engaged in school and improve attendance and grades. We do not plan to measure school attendance of students. Because PROPER is an evidence-based delivery system, which has been researched under long-term research conditions, we know that attendance and grades do improve when students engaged in the full PROSPER model. Goal 3: Youth/Parent relationships improve through better communication and nurturing. Objective A: Parents will increase competency in flexible parenting attitudes and practices as measured through the CYFAR Parenting Assessment Tool and the Adult Participation Level Assessment. The SFP 10-14 questionnaire was administered to youth and parents at the beginning and end of the program. In 2017, 23 youth and 25 parents completed both assessments. For youth, the questions that showed the most improvement were about attitudes toward rule setting/discipline and feeling loved, including: (1) My parents set rules for me to follow; (2) My parents treat me with respect when they discipline me; (3) My parents do and say things to let me know I am loved; and (4) I feel truly loved and respected by my parents. For parents, the questions that showed the most improvement were about knowing how to do rule setting/discipline, communication, and decision making, including: (1) I explain the consequences of not following my rules concerning alcohol, tobacco, and drug use to my youth; (2) I know who my youth is with when s/he is away from home; (3) When my youth misbehaves, I enforce consequences without yelling, blaming, or criticizing; (4) "I show and tell my youth that I love and respect them; (5) Before reacting, I stop and think about my youth's perspective and how my youth might be feeling; (6) I discuss our family's values with my youth; and (7) I find ways to include my youth in family decisions about fun and work activities in a manner appropriate for his/her age. Objective B: Youths will demonstrate increased social conscience, personal values and caring for others as measured through the Core Competencies Assessment Tool and Youth Participation Level Assessment. In the Strengthening Families Program: Character: There was no real difference between the pre- and post-scores on the character assessment. Participant perception of character decreased from pre-survey (2.78) to post-survey (2.66). Caring: The same was true for scores on the caring assessment. Participants' sense of empathy and sympathy for others decreased slightly. The mean on the pre-survey was 2.13 and the mean on the post survey was 1.88. Supportive Relationships, Positive Social Norms, Opportunities for Skill Building: We did not think that it was appropriate to pre- and post-test these questions because respondents would not be able to answer questions related to their time in the program before the program began. Participants in the SFP 10-14 had the following aggregate scores on these items on the post­ survey. Supportive Relationships: 4.48 Positive Social Norms: 3.93 Support for Efficacy/Mattering: 3.65 Opportunities for Skill Building: 4.17 Physical and Psychological Safety: 2.95 In the School Life Skills Program: Character: There was no real difference between the pre- and post-scores on the character assessment. Participant perception of character decreased from pre-survey (2.31) to post-survey (2.12). Caring: The same was true for scores on the caring assessment. Participants' sense of empathy and sympathy for others decreased slightly. The mean on the pre-survey was 1.72 and the mean on the post survey was 1.66. Supportive Relationships, Positive Social Norms, Opportunities for Skill Building: We did not think that it was appropriate to pre- and post-test these questions because respondents would not be able to answer questions related to their time in the program before the program began. Participants in the in-school Life Skills program had the following aggregate scores on these items on the post­ survey. Supportive Relationships: 3.63 Positive Social Norms: 3.21 Opportunities for Skill Building: 3.45 Physical and Psychological Safety: 3.00 Goal 4: Community teams will increase their capacity to implement and sustain evidence-based programs focused on youth and families. The PROSPER Project has incorporated assessments of community involvement. Each year, the evaluation team at Iowa State University collects data from members of the community teams. That data is summarized and returned to the Extension staff who are leading the teams. The information is shared with team members in an effort to improve team functioning. In addition, the PROSPER Project incorporates fidelity observations of programming into their training sessions. These observations are conducted twice on the 2nd or 3rd week and again on the 5th or 6th week. Observers include individuals trained in the SFP 10-14 curriculum. The evaluation team at Iowa State University produces summary information to assure that the curriculum is being implemented with fidelity. Site coordinators also discuss the observations with the individual trainers. The summary reports include the following information: adherence to curriculum, session completion, activity completion, group participation, leader session management, leader interaction, and general room logistics. Goal 5: Youths will decrease risky behaviors including reduction in substance use. This CYFAR Project has elected to implement the PROSPER Program which is an evidenced-based program which has been proven to be effective if implemented with fidelity. We have made every effort to implement the program faithfully, under guidance of the staff of the PROSPER Program at Iowa State University. Under appropriate research protocols, the PROSPER Model Delivery System has been shown to reduce engagement in risky behaviors and substance use over time.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:Youth in 6th grade: A total of 15 youth ages 10 to 13 attended the Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Youth 10-14 (SFP 10-14; http://www.extension.iastate.edu/sfp10-14/ ) held by the CYFAR programs in West Virginia and Iowa. Although the program is designed for primarily 6th graders, one youth said he or she was in the 5th grade, three said they were in the 7th grade, and one said he or she was in the 8th grade. Two youths identified as Hispanic or Latino and two identified as Asian. None of the youths said that their parents were in the military. The majority are not 4-H members (14). Of those who are 4-H members, two have been members for one year or less; two have been members for 2-3 years; and one has been a member for 6-7 years. The majority (78.9%) participate in other out-of-school activities. Families: A total of 21 parents or guardians who are part of 15 family groups participated in SFP 10-14 held by the CYFAR programs in West Virginia and Iowa. The ages of the parents ranged from 31 to 69, leaving one to surmise that some of these parents were grandparents, however we did not ask for that information. One parent had less than a high school education, 7 had completed high school, 7 had some post-high school education or associate degree, 4 had a bachelor's degree, and 4 had a graduate degree. Most (15) were employed full-time. Community members: Teams of community members partner together at the local level to implement and support the PROSPER delivery system (http://helpingkidsprosper.org/ ). This year, 31 community members in West Virginia and Iowa have participated on local teams. In addition, project staff and team members in West Virginia and Iowa have been trained and certified to serve as Strengthening Families SFP 10-14 Program facilitators. A total of four new West Virginia trainers have been certified and four new trainers have been certified in Iowa. Efforts The West Virginia University/Iowa State University CYFAR SCP has developed PROSPER community collaborative teams to provide evidenced-based, family skills-focused, SFP 10-14 programming for 6th grade students and families in four communities. Four rounds of family programming and two "booster" sessions have been held. One hundred percent of the families who have participated in the program in West Virginia have returned to complete the entire seven-session series. Families in Iowa have consistently opted to return for "booster" sessions after completing the series. Capacity building efforts have continued in year 2 with the implementation of training for West Virginia and Iowa project staff and community volunteers in the PROSPER Model. Teens serving on local PROSPER collaborative teams play significant roles in recruiting families to the program. Strong support has been garnered from local partners including one local sheriff's department which has donated staff to serve as SFP 10-14 facilitators for the family program. Schools have dedicated time for teams to work with youth and share information with families. Local media outlets have publicized programming, and partners have dedicated staff, facilities, expertise, and financial resources to support family programs. Agreements have been established with three community schools to implement evidenced-based programming for all 7th grade students. Changes/Problems:In West Virginia . . . Alicia Cassels, PI of the CYFAR Project, resigned her position effective July 6, 2016. Debbie McDonald, has replaced Alicia as PI and will take over the leadership of the program immediately. Ms. McDonald had been the Director of the WVU 4-H and Youth Development Unit for over 10 years and is now leading the efforts at WVU to upgrade its professional development offerings to Extension faculty. During the 2015-16 grant year, two program assistants (.5FTE) were added to the program staff. They are located in Randolph and Brooke counties. These two women will take over the day-to-day activities related to the CYFAR Project at the local level and will be supervised the 4-H county educator in their respective county. In Iowa. . . In Webster City, Iowa, turnover/change of middle school administration has created challenges to local team development and implementation of the school-based program for academic year 2016-2017. The family-based program was delivered. In March of 2016, the PROSPER team leader, who is a county-level Extension and Outreach employee, the PROSPER Prevention coordinator, and the state of Iowa evaluator for the project met with the associate principal and three school counselors/teachers who would implement the school-based programming as part of their classroom teaching). The associate principal is in his first year at the school and hesitant to "change" anything during his first year. The meeting conversation focused on the quality of the evidence-based school program, Botvin Life Skills Training (https://www.lifeskillstraining.com/) and how other local community schools had successfully delivered the program. The associate principal and the teachers committed to review the material, meet, and inform the local team of their decision for the next school year (2016-17). Within two weeks after the March meeting, the Extension and Outreach staff/local team leader was alerted that the associate principal was to become the middle school principal for 2016-2017. Although he indicated that he is interested in serving on the CYFAR PROSPER community team, in early May, this "new" principal shared that the decision is "no" for next year, since he is again in a new position. The local Extension and Outreach team leader communicated that the project local team will need a commitment to commence programming in the 2017-2018 school year or, because of grant funding, the project will begin looking for another school that will commit to implementing the program. Once school begins in fall 2016, the local team leader, a county Extension and Outreach employee, will contact and meet with the new principal regarding the project's and the school's needs. Additionally, in June of 2016, the evaluator for the CYFAR project in Iowa indicated that he had resigned from his position and would be moving away from the state. Conversations and exploration are currently taking place to replace this position within the team. It is anticipated that this position will be filled by the time school begins for the new academic year. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We implemented the SFP 10-14 at four rural sites: two in West Virginia and two in Iowa. Twenty-two parents and 15 youths attended the program for seven sessions. Parents were trained in the love and limits, making house rules, encouraging good behavior, using consequences, building bridges, protecting against substance abuse, and getting help for special family needs. Youth learned about appreciating parents, dealing with stress, following rules, dealing with pressure, and peer pressure and good friends. Together in joint sessions, parents and youth learned about supporting goals and dreams, appreciating family members, building family communication, and families and peer pressure. Project and/or PROSPER local team leaders developed a successful strategy for ensuring effective communication and team development during the initial stages of project implementation. Team members in both states participated in monthly meetings which focused on idea-sharing and problem-solving, and participated in bi-monthly PROSPER training sessions. This structure has provided staff with opportunities to learn and share techniques and perspectives, creating a true peer-learning environment which has allowed for an enriched and positive experience for project staff in both states. Team members now function effectively as members of a cohesive two-state team. Unique to the PROSPER Model is the built-in component of technical assistance. Team Leaders not only participated in the group meetings and trainings they also had access to a PROSPER Prevention Coordinator and the PROSPER Network coach. They were able to have individual consultation on topics of need to their local community teams. All four Team Leaders and three Prevention Coordinators as well as state project staff took advantage of this opportunity.Additionally, staff members from both Iowa and West Virginia attended the CYFAR professional development meeting in Washington, DC. Key Meeting and Training Sessions PROSPER/CYFAR State Team Meetings: Iowa 6; WV 12: Total 18 State Advisory Team Meeting: Iowa 6; WV 2; Total 8 PROSPER Training Sessions WV and IA: Total 6 Joint WV/IA Team Meetings: Total 8 SFP 10-14 Facilitators (Trained): IA 4: WV 4; Total 8 Community Collaborative Team Meetings: IA 22; WV 12; Total 34 Additional Community/State Level Meetings: IA 5; WV 2; Total 7 How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Outreach efforts have been a primary focus of Community Collaborative teams and project staff this year. Outreach related to the recruitment of 6th grade families to participate in the SFP 10-14 program have included team-member presentations for parents at middle school orientation sessions, team member facilitation of programming at middle and elementary schools, team member appearances on local radio stations, presentations delivered at community organization meetings, articles placed in local newspapers, informational flyers distributed in CYFAR communities, and the distribution of interest forms with follow-up calls made to families. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? It is the plan in Iowa and West Virginia to again implement the SFP 10-14 in their respective communities with sixth grade students and their parents/caregivers in the coming year. Additionally in the two West Virginia sites and in Sioux County, Iowa, the Life Skills Training program (LST; see https://www.lifeskillstraining.com/ ) will be offered to all seventh grade students in the public school system. Community PROSPER teams will continue to meet on a monthly basis to further their sustainability planning for their communities. Additional professional development and experience sharing will occur between staff in West Virginia and Iowa on a monthly and bi -monthly basis. Monthly staff sharing will be led by project administrators and bimonthly professional development training and activities will be led by PROSPER staff. The focus of training will be to assist teams in building plans for sustainability in the coming years. With regard to the evaluation of the CYFAR Project, the evaluation team intends to do the following in the coming fiscal year: Continue to monitor our CYFAR sites in terms of fidelity in adhering to the PROSPER protocol. This includes evaluating community team and state team functioning and growth and observation of trainer performance and fidelity to the curricula. Continue to attend joint meetings and communicate with the WV and Iowa teams regarding evaluation updates. Continue to collect impact pre- and post-survey data as required by CYFAR and input it into the CYFAR database. This year, pre- and post-surveys will be collected at all of the school sites. The consent and assent forms will be translated into Spanish for Latino participants in Iowa. This process includes the collection of consent and assent forms from parents and youth participants. Consent and assent forms will be included in back-to-school packets and explained to parents at school orientation meetings. Assure that IRB rules and regulations are being adhered to and that participants are protected. The collection of data in the schools will require special care to ensure that as many students as possible can complete the forms because they have given consent. Produce timely reports as required by the National CYFAR Project, the WV/IA CYFAR team, and the PROSPER Program. .
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
What was accomplished under these goals?? Goal 1: Youth will improve decision making skills, self-efficacy, and problem solving skills. There were no real differences from the pre- to the post-tests means on items from the core competency assessments related to decision-making. The pre-mean score (2.71) was slightly higher than the post-mean score (2.70). The Workforce Preparation Assessment includes the Problem-Solving and Decision-Making sub-scales. The pre-scores on this instrument (2.47) were again higher than the post-scores (2.13) showing a decrease rather than an increase in problem solving skills. Goal 2: Youth will be more engaged in school and improve attendance and grades. We will begin the school-based youth program for seventh gradeyouth, Life Skills Training (LST; https://www.lifeskillstraining.com/ ) in the fall of 2016. We do not plan to measure attendance of students, however, since PROPER is an evidence-based delivery system, which has been researched under long-term research conditions, we know that attendance and grades do improve when students engaged in the full PROSPER model. Goal 3 Youth/Parent relationships improve through better communication and nurturing. Objective A: Parents will increase competency in flexible parenting attitudes and practicesas measured through the CYFAR Parenting AssessmentTool and theAdult Participation Level Assessment. The SFP 10-14 questionnaire was administered to youth and parents at the beginning and end of the program. The pre-mean score for the youth relationship with parent index was 2.54 and the post-mean was 2.70, indicating a small, however not significant, increase.Parents: The pre-mean score for the parent relationship with youth index was 2.88 and the post-mean was 3.24. This increase in scores from the beginning to the end of the workshop was significant (p =.006). Objective B: Youths will demonstrate increased social conscience, personal values andcaring for others as measured through the Core Competencies Assessment Tool and Youth Participation Level Assessment. Character: Participant perception of character increased from pre-survey (3.25) to post-survey (3.50). Caring: Participants' sense of empathy and sympathy for others, as measured by the Eisenberg Sympathy Scale and the Empathic Concern subscale of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, decreased over the course of the program. The mean on the pre-survey was 2.84 and the mean on the post survey was 2.80. There was a slight decrease. Supportive Relationships, Positive Social Norms, Opportunities for Skill Building: We did not think, given the short nature of the program, that it was appropriate to pre- and post-test these questions. However, except for physical and psychological safety, participants had high aggregate scores on these items on the post-survey. Supportive Relationships: 4.12 Positive Social Norms: 3.89 Opportunities for Skill Building: 3.40 Physical and Psychological Safety: 2.61 Goal 4: Community teams will increase their capacity to implement and sustain evidence-based programs focused on youth and families. The PROSPER Project has incorporated assessments of community involvement. This year team members in both Iowa and West Virginia completed pre-post assessments of their skills and attitudes related to team involvement. In addition, the PROSPER Project incorporates fidelity observations of programming into their training sessions. These observations are conducted twice on the 2nd or 3rd week and again on the 5th or 6th week. Observers include individuals trained in the SFP 10-14 curriculum. This year, the following results were recorded. Adherence to curriculum: 92% - 93% Session completion: 100% Activity completion: 91% - 97% Group participation: 3.17 - 3.78 on a 4-point scale Leader session management: 3.08 - 3.92 on a 4-point scale Leader interaction: 3.75 - 3.92 on a 4-point scale General room logistics 87% to 100% Goal 5: Youths will decrease risky behaviors including reduction in substance use. This CYFAR Project has elected to implement the PROSPER Program which is an evidenced-based program which has been proven to be effective if implemented with fidelity. We have made every effort to implement the program faithfully, under guidance of the staff of the PROSPER Program at Iowa State University. Under appropriate research protocols, the PROSPER Model Delivery System has been shown to reduce engagement in risky behaviors and substance use over time. Impact Statements Change in Knowledge We implemented the SFP 10-14 at four rural sites: two in West Virginia and two in Iowa. Twenty-two parents and 15 youths attended the program for seven sessions. Parents were trained in the love and limits, making house rules, encouraging good behavior, using consequences, building bridges, protecting against substance abuse, and getting help for special family needs. Youth learned about appreciating parents, dealing with stress, following rules, dealing with pressure, and peer pressure and good friends. Together theylearned about supporting goals and dreams, appreciating family members, building family communication, and families and peer pressure. As a result of this training, parents significantly increased their knowledge of parenting issues including knowing how to communicate expectations about alcohol, tobacco and drug use as well as encouragement and praise. Theylearned how to discuss goals and dreams, check to see if their child fulfills responsibilities, and set limits. The combined mean pre- score of 2.88 increased to 3.25 on the post-test. Youths increased their knowledge of issues related to showing appreciation for things parents do, knowing how to sit down and work through a problem with parents, taking on responsibilities such as household chores, and telling parents when they feel stressed. The combined mean pre-score of 2.54 increased to 2.70 on the post-test. Change in Action The WVU/ISU CYFAR Project trained volunteers and staff assistants to implement the Strengthening Families 10-14 Program in four county settings. A total of 24 individuals went through a three-day facilitator training in during the second year of the project. As a result of this training four successful SFP 10-14 programs were implemented and evaluated reaching 15 youth and 22 adults. The adults improved in parenting skills and youth improved in character, caring, and supportive relationships. The youth also reported improvement in their relationship with parents and in their assessment of their parents' skills related to parenting. Change in Condition The WVU/ISU CYFAR Project has worked to create community collaborations that are made up of individuals interested in preventing risky behaviors by teens including substance misuse and abuses. These local individuals include business men and women, elected officials, school employees including principals and teachers, social service workers, religious leaders, and others. These individuals have joined together, to support the PROSPER Project andto promote social change one community at time. The community culture has changed in two communities in Iowa and two in West Virginia. In these communities, collaborative efforts are being made to reverse the negative effects of substance abuse by teens and to promote a healthy living atmosphere. We will continue to collect evidence of this change through periodic assessments of team relationships and assessments of youths' healthy choices and attitudes. One local sheriff's department has donated staff to serve as trained facilitators for the family program, SFP 10-14. Schools have dedicated time for teams to work with youth and share information with families. Local media outlets have publicized programming, and partners have dedicated staff, facilities, expertise, and financial resources to support family programs.
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Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience: Year 1 capacity building efforts have included trainingforWest Virginia and Iowaproject staffand community volunteersin thePROSPERModeland Strengthening FamiliesSFP 10-14Program.Youthin 6thgrades and their familieswillbegin receivingprogrammingin year 2. Changes/Problems:One implementation community in WestVirginiawas changed from Hancock County to Brooke Countydue to lack of school support.As a result, a CommunityTeam Leader from Brooke County was added to the project team. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? PROSPER Model Training: 6 PROSPER training sessions have provided WV/IA project team members with knowledge required to implement the PROSPER evidenced-based model. StrengtheningFamilies 10-14 Trainer Certification: A total of 16 community trainers received training and have beencertified to implement the Strengthening Families 10-14 evidenced based program with the target audience in year 2. Professional Development:7 West Virginia and Iowa team members participated inCYFAR Grantee Training How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Year 2: Community Teams (CT) will select family programs, receive program training, recruit families and implement programs with assistance from Project Coordinators (PC). SMTs will monitor quality and provide training for marketing, fundraising, and building partnerships for sustainability of teams and programs. Program and Curriculum Content:Each CT in Year 2 will select a universal, evidence-based program from the PROSPER menu (Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Youth 10- 14 or Guiding Good Choices). These programs address communication, setting expectations, family environment, peer relationships, and assertiveness training.Please note that a request to change one West Virginia implementation community site was submitted for NIFA approval in year 1. Strengthening Families 10-14will be offered in the6thgrade.CTs will conducttheprogram. Parents and their6thgrade youths will be involved in approximately seven sessions (14 instructional hours). In year 2 approximately15-20% of total6thgrade populationswill receive thefamily program. Nearly 400 parents and their youth will receive family programs in eight cohorts in years 2-5.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Project Goals/Objectives 1. Goal:? Youth will?increase decision-making skills, problem solving skills and increase self-efficacy. Objective: ?Youths will improve decision making skills, self-efficacy and problem solving skills as evidenced by Improvement in CYFAR Core Competencies and Workforce Preparation Assessment Scores.? N/A - Interventions with target audience will occur in Year 2. 2.? Goal:? Youth will be more engaged in school and improve attendance and grades. Objective:? Youth will demonstrate improvement in school attendance and grades as evidenced by CYFAR Common Measures Youth Participation Level Assessment Data. N/A -Interventions with target audience will occur in Year 2. 3:? Goal:? Youth/Parent relationships improve through better communication and nurturing A. ?Objective:?? Parents will increase competency in flexible parenting attitudes and practices?as measured through the CYFAR Parenting Assessment?Tool and the?Adult Participation Level Assessment. N/A - Interventions with target audience will occur in Year 2. B. ?Objective:? Youths will demonstrate increased social conscience, personal values and?caring for others as measured through the Core Competencies Assessment Tool and Youth Participation Level Assessment. N/A - Interventions with target audience will occur in Year 2. 4:? Goal:? Community teams will increase their capacity to implement and sustain evidence-based programs focused on youth and families. Objective:? Program sites?will develop and maintain collaborative relationships with community agencies and organizations.? Collaborative relationships have been established in two WV and two IA communities.WV and IAState Management Teams and Prevention Coordinators have established needed infrastructure, functions and resources to support sites. 5. Goal:? Youths will decrease risky behaviors including reduction in substance use Objective: Youths will report reduced engagement in risky behaviors and substance use as evidenced by CYFAR Common Measures Workforce Readiness Assessment. N/A - Interventions with target audience will occur in Year 2. What was accomplished under these goals? In order to improve youth outcomes related to high povertylevels, low educational attainmentand drug and alcohol abuse,West Virginia University Extension Service and Iowa State Extension Service have established a partnership to implementthe PROSPER model in two West Virginia and two Iowa communities. As the result of year 1 efforts, community Capacity for PROSPER program implementation has been increased in two statesthrough the developmentof partnerships withkeystate and local stakeholders.New partnerships have been established within and across state lines, and the benefits of collaboration have been realized through increased capacity for community program implementation in year 2. PROSPER Iowa community teams have been integrated into the network of existing Iowa PROSPER Teams. This has allowed the new Prevention Coordinators serving these communities to learn and share with existing staff through biweekly webinars held for Iowa Prevention Coordinators. First-time PROSPER initiation efforts in West Virginia have resulted in the establishment ofWest Virginia PROSPER community collaborative groups in two communities.Bi-weekly webinars are held with West Virginia Community Team Leaders, Prevention Coordinators, the Project Evaluator and the Project Director to ensure the sharing of information and the establishment of quality implementation efforts. AWest Virginia PROSPER State Advisory Councilis under development with aninauguralmeeting planned for fall, 2015. PROSPER trainingefforts have been successful, with project team members trained in the PROSPER Model inboth states, and community teams in Iowa and WestVirginia trained to implementthe Strengthening Families 10-14 program. All teams are on track for programimplementation with 6thgrade children and families in fall, 2015. As the result of successful year 1 efforts, community collaborative groups in four WV and Iowa communities now have the capacity to deliver evidenced-based PROSPER Modelprogramming which is plannedtoreach approximately 40 families in year 2. The WV/IA CYFAR leadership team has established the infrastructure necessary to ensure fidelity, measure and report project impacts,and implementnecessaryquality improvement measures. 1. Goal:? Youth will?increase decision-making skills, problem solving skills and increase self-efficacy. Objective: ?Youths will improve decision making skills, self-efficacy and problem solving skills as evidenced by Improvement in CYFAR Core Competencies and Workforce Preparation Assessment Scores.? N/A - Interventions with target audience will occur in Year 2. 2.? Goal:? Youth will be more engaged in school and improve attendance and grades. Objective:? Youth will demonstrate improvement in school attendance and grades as evidenced by CYFAR Common Measures Youth Participation Level Assessment Data. N/A - Interventions with target audience will occur in Year 2. 3:? Goal:? Youth/Parent relationships improve through better communication and nurturing A. ?Objective:?? Parents will increase competency in flexible parenting attitudes and practices?as measured through the CYFAR Parenting Assessment?Tool and the?Adult Participation Level Assessment. N/A - Interventions with target audience will occur in Year 2. B. ?Objective:? Youths will demonstrate increased social conscience, personal values and?caring for others as measured through the Core Competencies Assessment Tool and Youth Participation Level Assessment. N/A - Interventions with target audience will occur in Year 2. 4:? Goal:? Community teams will increase their capacity to implement and sustain evidence-based programs focused on youth and families. Objective:? Program sites?will develop and maintain collaborative relationships with community agencies and organizations.? Change in Knowledge: Collaborative Teams in 4 communities have increased their knowledge of evidenced-based programs. Change in Behavior: Change in Condition:Collaborative relationships have been established in two WV and two IA communities. WV and IAState Management Teams and Prevention Coordinators have established needed infrastructure, functions and resources to support4 communitysites. 5. Goal:? Youths will decrease risky behaviors including reduction in substance use Objective: Youths will report reduced engagement in risky behaviors and substance use as evidenced by CYFAR Common Measures Workforce Readiness Assessment. N/A - Interventions with target audience will occur in Year 2.
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