Progress 08/15/14 to 08/14/19
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of this program include pregnant and parenting teens ages 13 to 25 years. This year, participants were reached through in-school settings as well as through a community-based setting. All participants resided in Newton or Neshoba counties. Changes/Problems:No major changes were made this year. However, over the course of the project, there was change in approach.As recruitment for PREP-AHEAD began in 2015, community-site project personnel realized that pregnant and parenting individuals between the ages of 22-25 face many of the same issues that pregnant and parenting teens face. In an effort to meet the needs of parents within the "emerging adult" age group, a request was made to USDA to extend the scope of the project to include pregnant individuals and parents who are between 22-25 years of age. This request was granted in June 2015. From 2016 until the end of the project, recruitment and programming efforts targeted individuals between the ages of 13-25. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Over the course of the project, key project personnel have received training on curricula implemented through this project. Select personnel were trainined in Nurturing Parenting and Relationship Smarts. In the final year of the project, a community partner was trained in Nurturing Parenting tailored for American Indian populations. Project steering committee members received professional development from key project personnel on topics related to sleep and ways to enhance sleep quality, working with teen populations, and supporting teen parents. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The Extension Associate on this project keptother community-based agencies informed about our programmatic efforts. Through informal discussions and participation in community events, she described lessons learned through the project and shared success stories. Informal dissemination (networking) is what helped the project expand and be accepted in the communities and specifically with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Informal sharing was likely more effective than formal presenation in helping the project grow and develop over five years. Her dissemination efforts facilated sustainability of aspects of the project after the grant ended. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This program educatedpregnant and parenting teens/emerging adults on positive parenting, child development, conflict management, and professional skills. During the project, 13 cohorts of participants completed over 20 hours of face-to-face parenting education in the two participating sites. Participants engage in group sessions, focusing on the transition to parenthood, communication techniques, and co-parenting skills. Parents also attended individual sessions with educational content matched to each individual's needs. Throughout the project, parents were connected with resources to aid in parenting. We reached 115 pregant and parenting teens but have matched pre- to post-assessments for 69 participants. Nurturing Parenting was the primary curriculm used to improve participant outcomes. The Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory (AAPI-2) assessing parenting and child-rearing attitudes of adolescents and adult parent and pre-parent population. The AAPI-2 assesses five constructs including expectations of children, parental empathy towards children's needs, use of corporal punishment, parent-child family roles, and children's power and independence. Results from the AAPI-2 were used to identify the specific pareting needs of each participant and to assess the amount of change that resultedin their attitudes from before and after participating in the program. A paired samples t-test was used to assess change in AAPI-2 scores on 69 matched pre- to post-assessments. Scores on all five constructs of the AAPI-2 stastically significantly increased from before to after the program. The greatest mean difference was observed for the construct related to parent attitudes about use of corporal punishment, followed by the construct related to parental empathy towards children's needs. The AAPI-2 provides an index of risk for abusive and neglectful parenting attitudes and practices. The increase in scores from pre- to post-assessment on this measure indicates improvement in progressive beliefs in participants' parenting and child-rearing attitudes. Over the course of the project, we learned participants were most in need of parenting education and relationship education. Beginning in year 2 of the project, programmatic content focused exclusively on addressing theseneeds/interests. Through interaction with steering committee members, project personnel learned that there were other resources available to address broader responsible living outcomes.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Staton, L. & Layton, G. (under review). Sleep: As important as diet and exercise for teens. Mississippi State Extension Service.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Wenth, K., Downey, L., Staton, L., & Peterson, D. (under review). How youth contribute to healthy communities: Finding and building on youths strengths. Mississippi State Extension Service.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Downey, L., Elmore-Staton, L., Peterson, D., & Rodriguez, J. (March, 2019). Sleep of adolescent parents and their children: A descriptive study. Poster presented at the Society for Research on Child Development Conference, Baltimore, MD.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Elmore-Staton, L., Downey, L., Peterson, D., Gwizdala, T., Parker, J., & Hallberg, C. (November, 2015). Positive Parenting Practices: An education program for teen parents. Poster presented at the Pediatric Sleep Medicine Conference, Amelia Island, FL.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Downey, L. H., Elmore-Staton, L., Rodriguez, J. T., Peterson, D. J., & Wenth, K. L.(2019, November). Influence of positive youth development concepts on parenting attitudes among young mothers. Poster accepted for presentation at American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Expo, Philadelphia, PA.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Downey, L. H., Wenth, K. L., Peterson, D. J., Elmore-Staton, L., & Rodriguez, J. Young Mothers' Perceptions of Their Developmental Assets. (Revising for Submission)
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Progress 08/15/17 to 08/14/18
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of this programis pregnant and parenting teens, ranging in age from 13-25. In Cohort 8, seven participants from the target audience were reached and four of these participants completed the pre-and post-survey. Three participants were female and three participants were male. All participants were between the ages of 21-25 and resided in a site county. In Cohort 9, eight participants from the target audience were reached and five participants completed the pre-and post-survey. Five participants were female, two participants were male, and one participant's gender was reported inconsistently. Participants were between the ages of 16-24 and resided in a site county. In Cohort 10, ten participants from the target audience were reached and four of these participants completed the pre-and post-survey. Six participants were female, three, participants were male, and one participant's gender was reported inconsistently. Participants were between the ages of 16-19 and resided in a site county. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Several members of the project team will participate in the 2018 CYFAR professional development workshop held in Alexandria, VA in June 12-13. The project's instructional specialist (county-level educator) attended other state-level professional development trainings (not paid for by SCP funding). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The project's instructional specialist delivered a poster presentation ofpreliminary results from the project at the Mississippi Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (MSAFCS) Annual Meeting, March 23, 2018 at Mississippi State University. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Over the next year, PREP-AHEAD will continue to be implemented in Neshoba County and in Newton County. In both counties the program will continue to be marketed and participants will be recruited. Participants will complete the program and pre-post-surveys to assess program outcomes. The Steering Committees in Neshoba and Newton counties will continue to meet periodically.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
To date in year 4 (August 2017-May 2018), three cohorts completed over 20 hours of face-to-face parenting education in the two participating sites. Twenty-five individuals participated in the program and 13 of these participants completed the program pre- and post-survey. Participants engaged in 10 group sessions, focusing on the transition to parenthood, communication techniques, co-parenting skills, life skills, managing healthy relationships, and healthy sleeping habits. Throughout the program, parents were connected with resources to aid in parenting. The following instruments were included in the pre- and post-survey. (1) The Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory-2 (AAPI-2) is designed to assess the parenting and child rearing attitudes of adolescents and adult parent and pre-parent populations. Results from the AAPI are being used to identify the specific parenting needs of each participants. Based on the needs identified, the Instructional Specialist provides lessons from the Nurturing Parenting curriculum. (2) Workforce preparation is a 15-item instrument that measures effective problem solving and decision-making behaviors and perceptions of competence. (3) Additionally, the required demographic, participation level, core competencies, and program quality data were collected. A Steering Committee established in both participating counties continued to meet during the last year. Members of the Steering Committee include representatives from community-based youth development agencies, organizations that serve parents, as well as local schools. The Steering Committee in each site was originally formed to help market the program and recruit participants. Because marketing and recruitment is now something these organizations regularly do, the need for the Steering Committee has changed. Because of this change, program staff used the Steering Committee meetings as an opportunity for professional development for committee members. MSU content experts presented at these meetings. This focus on professional development will carry forward. During the last year, a high school that serves Native American youth in one community has requested that our program be delivered in the school. The administrator has allowed programming to take place during school hours; this demonstrates his belief in the value of the program and its importance for the teen community on the reservation. The leadership team is exploring ways to integrate the program or some of its core elements into MSU Extension programming. Also, they will discuss with the Tribal Council ways to continue offering this program on the reservation.
Publications
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Progress 08/15/16 to 08/14/17
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of this program include pregnant and parenting teens, ranging in age from 13-25. In Cohort 5,9 participants from the target audience were reached. All were female and resided in Neshoba County. In Cohort 6, 12 participants from the target audience have been reached. Eight participants were female, two were male, and two did not disclose gender. Participants are between the ages of 14-23; however, two did not disclose age. All participants reside in Newton County. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Several members of the project team will participate in the 2017 CYFAR professional development workshop held in National Harbor, Maryland in May 2017. The project's instructional specialist (county-level educator) attended other state-level professional development trainings (not paid for by SCP funding). Professional development was provided to Steering Committee members at two meetings during this funding year. Dr. Lori Staton provided an hour-long seminar on the importance of sleep among teen parents and their children. Dr. Alisha Hardman provided an hour-long seminar on trends related to stress in teens and provided techniques that teens could use to manage their stress. Committee members were encouraged to share information from both seminars with the teens with whom they work. 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?Over the next year, PREP-AHEAD will continue to be implemented in Neshoba County and in Newton County. In both counties the program will continue to be marketed and participants will be recruited. For the cohort currently participating in PREP-AHEAD and future cohorts in both counties, participants will complete the program and booster sessions will be held at 3, 6, and 9 months after completion of the program. Pre-, post-, and follow-up surveys will be completed by all participants. The Steering Committees in Neshoba and Newton counties will continue to meet quarterly.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Mississippi State University's Sustainable Communities Project, Positive Parenting Practices (PPP), is a program to educate pregnant and parenting teens and emerging adults on positive parenting, child development, conflict management, nutrition, and professional skills. The program is implemented in two counties in Mississippi, Newton and Neshoba. The desired short-term outcomes (STO) are that after participation in the program, teens will report more progressive beliefs in their parenting and child-rearing attitudes (STO 1) and show improved knowledge and behaviors related to workforce preparation (STO 2). To accomplish these outcomes, participants complete over 20 hours of face-to-face parenting education. They engage in 6 group sessions, focusing on transition to parenthood, communication techniques, and co-parenting skills. Participants also attend individual sessions with subject areas matched to individual needs. Throughout the program, parents are connected with resources to aid with parenting needs and other life skills. Participants complete pre- and post-program surveys to assess changes in knowledge and/or skills. Participants are also invited to 3-, 6-, and 9-month post-program booster sessions and asked to complete follow-up surveys at each of those sessions. Implementation of educational sessions and collection of evaluation data are considered key project activities. The desired long-term outcome (LTO) is that the community organizations will develop a social support system for pregnant and parenting teens that is sustained over time. Steering Committees (SC) in each community include representatives from community-based youth development agencies, organizations that serve parents, as well as local schools that pregnant and parenting teens could attend. SCs are helping develop a sustained support system for pregnant/parenting teens and emerging adults. At quarterly face-to-face meetings coordinated through the county Extension office, program updates are shared, needs are discussed, and members network to learn about the services that each group offers. SC members refer participants to the program and connect them to community resources. Products resulting from SC meetings (e.g., resource maps, evaluation data, resource directories) are considered outputs. The desired long-term outcome (LTO) is that the community organizations will develop a social support system for pregnant and parenting teens that is sustained over time. Steering Committees (SC) in each community include representatives from community-based youth development agencies, organizations that serve parents, as well as local schools that pregnant and parenting teens could attend. SCs are helping develop a sustained support system for pregnant/parenting teens and emerging adults. The following paragraphs address PPP's activities and accomplishments toward reaching the desired short- and long-term outcomes to document work that has been completed. Year 3 (August 15, 2016 - August 14, 2017): Cohort 5 (Spring 2017) completed 20 hours of PPP in Year 3 and Cohort 6 is currently in progress. [The program coordinator was on maternity leave during Fall 2016, so no cohorts could begin during that time frame.] Cohort 5 had nine participants; all were females. The process for collecting the pre-program survey changed with Cohort 5. Instead of having participants complete the survey during the first meeting of the whole group, participants completed the pre-survey at the initial, one-on-one meeting with the project coordinator. This process prevented a disruption in programmatic flow and enhanced the comfort of participants with the project coordinator as it helped them build rapport prior to the first group session. Seven participants completed both the pre- and post-program AAPI-2 parenting attitudes survey. All parenting attitudes improved to some extent, indicating positive changes in progressive beliefs in participants' parenting and child-rearing attitudes (STO 1). Five participants completed both the pre- and post-survey that measured workforce preparation. No significant differences were seen in skills related to workforce preparation. While progress was made toward STO 1, it has become clear that parenting-related education is such a need for this target audience that it is difficult for them to internalize knowledge on topics that are not directly connected to parent-child relationship skills, thus making it difficult to achieve STO 2. SCs in each county continued quarterly meetings. Communities are enhancing the support system for pregnant and parenting teens and young adults. One site developed a new community agency resource directory, while the other site updated its existing resource directory. Members continue to recruit and refer participants to other needed community services. Professional development for SC members was conducted at two meetings to build capacity of local organizations. PPP has been working toward its desired STO and LTO. Since the beginning of the project, positive changes in parenting attitudes have been observed. As the major focus of this project and the most significant need of our target audience, this is exciting. Requests for the program continue to come from new organizations, and we are working to meet the demand. Progress related to building workforce preparation skills is still needed. SCs are making progress toward the LTO of a sustained system of support for pregnant and parenting teens and emerging adults.
Publications
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Progress 08/15/15 to 08/14/16
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of this program include pregnant and parenting teens, ranging in age from 13-25. The age group of 20-25 was included in year 2 of the project because it was observed that pregnant and parenting individuals in the older age grouped often faced many of the same issues that pregnant and parenting teens face. In Cohort 1-Summer 2015, eight participants from the target audience were reached. Six participants were female and two participants were male. All participants were between the ages of 19-21 and resided in Neshoba County or Newton County. In Cohort 2-Fall 2015, nine participants from the target audience were reached. Seven participants were female and two participants were male. All participants were between the ages of 18-25 and resided in Neshoba County or Newton County. In Cohort 3-Spring 2016, eleven participants from the target audience were reached. Eight participants were female and three were male. All participants were between the ages of 15-23 and resided in Neshoba County or Newton County. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?County-level project personnel participated in the following professional development opportunity in September2015: SHAPE-CARE curriculum training provided by a developer of the curriculum. Several members of the project team willparticipate in the 2016 CYFAR professional development workshop held in National Harbor, Maryland in May 2016. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Results from the sleep hygiene questionnaires were disseminated at the 2015 Pediatric Sleep Conference, by Dr. Lori Staton,the curriculum specialist. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Over the next year, PREP-AHEAD will continue to be implemented in Neshoba County in Newton County. In both counties the program will continue to be marketed and participants will be recruited. For the cohort currently participating in PREP-AHEAD and future cohorts in both counties, participants will complete the program and booster sessions will be held at 3, 6, and 9 months after completion of the program. Pre and post surveys will be completed by all participants. Participants who complete the program will be recruited as mentors of new participants. They could also be recruited to become members of the Steering Committee. The Steering Committees in Neshoba and Newton counties will continue to meet quarterly.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Year 2 has been dedicated to program implementation and evaluation. Recruitment has been ongoing in Neshoba and Newton counties. A Steering Committee was established in both participating counties. Eight members serve on the Neshoba County Steering Committee and ten members serve on the Newton County Steering Committee. Members include representatives from community-based youth development agencies, organizations that serve parents, as well as local schools that pregnant and parenting teens could attend. Each Steering Committee met quarterly, allowing members to discuss marketing of the program and strategies for recruiting and retaining participants. Implementation of the program began in June 2015. To date, 17 participants have completed the program, and 11 participants are currently enrolled in the program. Participants who have completed the program attended a total of 6 group sessions, with content focused on the transition to parenthood, communication techniques, and co-parenting skills; as well as individual sessions created to reflect the needs identified in their pre-assessments. Pre-program survey data has been collected from all participants, post-program survey data has been collected from Cohorts One and Two, and three month follow-up survey data has been collected from Cohort One. The following instruments were included in the pre-intervention survey, post-intervention, and 3-months post-intervention, and will be repeated at 6, and 9-months post-intervention to assess effectiveness. (1) The Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory-2 (AAPI-2) is designed to assess the parenting and child rearing attitudes of adolescents and adult parent and pre-parent populations. Results from the AAPI are being used to identify the specific parenting needs of each participants. Based on the needs identified, the Instructional Specialist provides lessons from the Nurturing Parenting curriculum. (2) Parenting efficacy is a measure that assesses a parent's perception of his/her ability to function in the role of parent. (3) Positive and Negative Parenting Behaviors assessed positive and negative behaviors of a parent to his/her child 18 months and older. (4) BEARS is an assessment of child sleep for children. (5) Center for Epidemiological Studies Short Depression Scale is a brief measure of depression. Additionally, in each cohort a sleep/wake diary was administered during the first week of the intervention with a post-intervention sleep diary completed upon program completion. Demographic information, core youth competencies (as required by funder), and youth program quality (as required by funder) was collected pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 3-months post-intervention and will be repeated at 6 and 9 months post-intervention.
Publications
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Progress 08/15/14 to 08/14/15
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of PREP-AHEAD is pregnant and parenting teens (female and male) ages 13-21, as well as any extended family members who may co-parent. In year one, eight participants from the target audience have been reached. Six participants are female and two participants are male. All participants are between the ages of 19-21 and reside in Neshoba or Newton counties, Mississippi. Changes/Problems:As recruitment for PREP-AHEAD began in 2015, community-site project personnel realized that pregnant and parenting individuals between the ages of 22-25 face many of the same issues that pregnant and parenting teens face. In an effort to meet the needs of parents within the "emerging adult" age group, a request was made to USDA to extend the scope of the project to include pregnant individuals and parentswho are between 22-25 years of age. This request was granted in June 2015. Future recruitment and programming efforts will target individuals between the ages of 13-25. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Community-siteproject personnel participated in the following professional development opportunities. (1) SHAPE-CARE curriculum training provided by a developer of the curriculum. (2) Nurturing Parenting curriculum training provided by developer(s) of the curriculum. Faculty and community-site project personnel participated in the 2015 CYFAR professional development workshop held in Arlington, Virginia. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? No results have been disseminated to communities of interest. The post-intervention survey will be administered over the next two months. Once the post-intervention survey is administered, data will be analyzed to assess participant changes from pre-to-post intervention. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Over the next year, PREP-AHEAD will continue to be implemented in Neshoba and Newton counties, Mississippi. In both counties the program will continue to be marketed and participants will be recruited. For the cohort currently participating in PREP-AHEAD and future cohorts in both counties, participants will complete the program and booster sessions will be held at 3, 6, and 9 months after completion of the program. Pre and post surveys will be completed by all participants. Participants who complete the program will be recruited as mentors of new participants. They could also be recruited to become members of the Steering Committee. The Steering Committees in Neshoba and Newton counties will meet quarterly. The Community Capacity Scale with the Steering Committee will be implemented inAugust 2015 and repeated annually.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The first three quarters of yearone was dedicated to finalizing the PREP-AHEAD curriculum. The curriculum is a hybrid of parenting, health, and responsible living education and combines sessions from Nurturing Parenting, SHAPE-CARE (developed by faculty at MSU), and responsible living education (developed by faculty at MSU). As the curriculum was being finalized, PREP-AHEAD was marketed in Neshoba and Newton counties, Mississippi, and program participants were recruited. A Steering Committee was established in both participating counties. Eight members serve on the Neshoba County Steering Committee and ten members serve on the Newton County Steering Committee. Members include representatives from community-based youth development agencies, organizations that serve parents, as well as local schools that pregnant and parenting teens could attend. At the first Steering Committee meeting in May 2015, members discussed marketing of the program and strategies for recruiting and retaining participants. Implementation of the program began with eight participants in June 2015. To date, participants have completed approximately 15 hours of face-to-face education. Participants have attended 5 group sessions, with content focused on the transition to parenthood, communication techniques, and co-parenting skills. Pre-program survey data has been collected from all participants. The following instruments were included in the pre-intervention survey and will be repeated at post-intervention, and 3, 6, and 9-months post-intervention to assess effectiveness. (1) The Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory-2 (AAPI-2) is designed to assess the parenting and child rearing attitudes of adolescents and adult parent and pre-parent populations. Results from the AAPI are being used to identify the specific parenting needs of each participants. Based on the needs identified, the Instructional Specialist provides lessons from the Nurturing Parenting curriculum. (2) Parenting efficacy is a measure that assesses a parent's perception of his/her ability to function in the role of parent. (3) Positive and Negative Parenting Behaviors assessed positive and negative behaviors of a parent to his/her child 18 months and older. (4) BEARS is an assessment of child sleep for children. (5) Center for Epidemiological Studies Short Depression Scale is a brief measure of depression. Additionally, a sleep/wake diary was administered during the first week of the intervention and will be repeated at the end of the intervention. Demographic information, core youth competencies (as required by funder), and youth program quality (as required by funder) was collected pre-intervention and will be repeated post-intervention.
Publications
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