Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The Growing U program is multi-Level because it targets youth (the primary program audience) and parents (the secondary audience).By focusing on School Age youth, this program was able to reach the audience NIFA had identified.The communities chosen in Texas needed a reduction of their childhood obesity rates. Those communities included Harris, Brazos, Cameron, and Travis Counties. Changes/Problems:Data to measure the accomplishments of these goals was incomplete due to a lack of participants with approval to be included. The Brazos Sites experienced a change in County Agent during year 2, that left a gap in programming, during the mid/pre-test period of the fall/spring. Brooke Elementary School had only a handful of parent/guardians and youth who consented/assented to the study. Harmony (Harris/Fort Bend) did not have any students/parents return consent, after multiple attempts/methods to gather the forms. Hearne Elementary School was slow to grow and only had a handful of participants. We also identified a potential terminology error in the survey tool that led to youth potentially identifying the incorrect race/ethnicity. The evaluation tool and structure is going through a review and revision process. The revision will include rewording sentence structure/flow, creating a tool to guide students during survey administration, and decreasing the number of times the survey is offered. The sites that struggled to gather consent/assent forms will use this summer to create an appropriate protocol for distributing and collecting the forms from both parents and participants. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Site Coordinators, Program Assistants, and Agents have been given an opportunity?to attend multiple trainings offered locally and program based. We host a monthly team huddle with guest speakers to present relevant topics. Those topics includedyouth protection, sustainability, youth/adult advisory boards, and integration of technology. In addition, staff were able to attend aMental Health CPR, Grant Writing, and Mentoring trainings virtually and face to face. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The impact of the program in the communities has been shared locally through newspapers, at a university stakeholder level via the university newsletters, and presented at local trainings and events. The agents in the county work collaboratively to disseminate the program to interested schools as they work to fulfill their county requirements for serving the county. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Data to measure the accomplishments of these goals was incomplete due to a lack of participants with approval to be included. However, interviews and feedback from the sites were as follows: Sullivan Elementary School - The program changed the culture of the new school and its designation changed from Fine Arts to an official Environmental Science Academy. Brooke Elementary School received the Green Flag award, in large due to the collaborative efforts of the GrowingU project and the Ag programming from the county. Hearne Elementary School improved parent engagement and parents desire to learn more about the garden growing at the front of their school. Of the 6 sites that completed the program year, 3 new 4-H clubs were chartered.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The audience reached by our efforts during this reporting period met the following requirements: 1. Communities with populations that have increased likelihood of becoming obese. 2. Students in grades 3rd-5th Changes/Problems:At Arrow Academy(Brazos County) there has been ashortage of teachers, due to COVID. This has caused a delay in getting the program started for the 2020-2021 school year. The principal has been teaching classes full time. Because we are a youth serving organization the principal has asked me for recommendations for long-term subs. However, there is a tentative plan in place to get the JMG compenent going after spring break. The plan includes touching up the garden beds and a planting day, registering for Walk Across Texas, collecting BMI measurements, Egg to chick, and doing JMG curriculum activities. Harmony Science Academy - Fort Bend County Due to challenges with COVID, this site began slowly. Initially it was a challenge to reach the site POC, the After-School Club coordinator.She mentioned how she is unsure about the limit of students and volunteers but the smaller, the better. The planned to implement programming virtually, even if the students are doing face-to-face learning. The coordinator is still working from home and stated that only two staff members wanted to do clubs, not just this one, this semester, but she will try to help get someone to the garden club. When allowed to start, it was challenging reaching parents, as many of them did not include phone numbers on their member forms. For those who did,voicemails were left, and an email was sent out that included a link to a google form. However, there were limited responses. Hearne Elementary School (Harris County) The Lead Volunteer, PE Coach,expressed that teachers and staff are still doing hybrid learning, both in-person and virtual. However, all clubs must be virtual until further notice. She is currently leading another club called, Girls on the Run and only had three girls signed up. This shows how challenging it has been at the school to recruit for extracurricular activities during these difficult pandemic times. Her recruiting efforts include sending out flyers and video that was created in both newsletters that are sent every week to parents and shared through the schools online platform, Schoology. Since she is now a physical education coach, she cannot incorporate the full Learn, Grow, Eat, and Go (LGEG) curriculum into her instruction time. However, the new health teacher can implement the nutrition part of the LGEG curriculum while including Walk Across Texas activities and challenges. Her only request is to make this process as easy as possible because there are so many unknowns, and still adjusting to the new norm. The principal has not gotten back to us about the garden club, and the coach feels like she does not have the authority to make any decisions as in garden visits until we receive a green light from the principal herself. The coach is in ABL and cannot use any equipment, so it is essential to make supply packages for each student as they cannot share. New information will be shared with the new health teacher and Walk Across Texas resources will be shared with the P.E. coach as well. Linder Elementary - Travis County Linder also experienced a delayed start to after school clubs. External guests are not allowed on campus. Once they began in Mid october, the educators taught the lessons during their class period. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Each month, the project team participates in a team huddle call or in person meeting. Each months topics are choosen based on trends we have seen throughout the program sites, a specifal project that has gone well, or administrative procedures. This allows each team member an opportunity to share things that are going well, recieve feedback on alternative solutions, and provide an informal report of site progress. Each team huddle includes a conversation about sustainability/building community capacity, dive into practical application of an essential element, volunteer management, and GrowingUs (team member led presentations). The GrowingU 3rdAnnual training was held August 8th, 2020. The training format was an interactive virtual presentation, with the goal of supporting each team member and their site through this challenging time. The agenda included: Calculated Steps Towards Sustainability - JaNelle Casson Sharing impact Youth Program Assessment Tool (YPAT) review Planning for Success in 2021 - A Round Table Discussion of Best Practivites Program Excellence Self and Program Care in 2020-2021 How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results of the 2020-2021 program year are not available for distribution yet. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The next reporting period will reflect the culmination of 4 years of programming and work. The plan for the 2021-2022 year will include, but not limited to: Publishing the results of the 5 year program Continuing to support community relationships that lead to sustainability Training the 2021 graduates as youth leaders Adhering to the various county timelines for club chartering, offer elections, etc. Presenting outcomes to internal and external audiences.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The major accomplishment this year was the exploration and opportunitites that virtual (technology) programming presented. Both the Program Assistants from TAMU and the Agents from PVAMU utilized various technology platforms to meet, market, and support the youth and communities. Jennifer Ramos at Hearne and Harmony Science Academy has created a virtual google classroom that is interactive and engaging for both students and their families. At Sullivan Elementary School, Guadalupe Castro, has a classroom on campus, and that has allowed her utilize the classrroom for a take-home or at home kit pick up location. Although programming was virtual, she created kits that allowed for hands-on learning to continue. Hendrix, in Brazos County, created physical fitness challenges that used supplies that could be found at home, or basic supplies that were provided. He searched for extension led virtual physical fitness activities to post online so students could participate at a time that was convenient for them. Due to the reporting year not being over, we do not have full measures of our short and long term goals. However, we do see a trend in the data to support our goal of increasing knoledge about nutrition and plant science, as a result of participating in the program.
Publications
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
http://4hgrowingu.org/
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The audience reached by our efforts during this reporting period met the following requirements: Communities with populations that have increased likelihood of becoming obese. Grades 3rd-5th Changes/Problems:All community sites were affected by the COVID-19 crisis. The shelter in place orders required alternative communication methods to students and families. Each site evaluated the available resources and determined the best commnication method. Harmony (Harris County) - communicated via school approved app that also sent text messages. Hearne (Harris County) - communicated via schoolage and phone calls to families. Club is meeting throughout the summer via Zoom calls. Sullivan (Cameron County) - communicated via school approved apps/SMS messages. Brooke (Travis County) - Communication was lost due to the scheduled school closure at the end of May. Brazos County schools - Communication was led by the school administrators and club leaders. Monarch (Bell County) - Communication and programming was offered via make and take activities. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Each month, the project team participates in a team huddle call or in person meeting. Each months topics are choosen based on trends we have seen throughout the program sites, a specifal project that has gone well, or administrative procedures. This allows each team member an opportunity to share things that are going well, recieve feedback on alternative solutions, and provide an informal report of site progress. Each team huddle includes a conversation about sustainability/building community capacity, dive into practical application of an essential element, volunteer management, and GrowingUs (team member led presentations). The GrowingU 2nd Annual training was held Noveber 15th, 2019. The training format was designed to empower and highlight each team members strengths and successes in their program sites. Taking into cosideration the uniqueness of each community and the resources available, sharing knowledge about "glowing" opportunities, helps other sites start to glow as well.The agenda included: Project Status: A Summary of Accomplishments Sharing Success Stories Photography - Nathan Tucker Family Involvement - Guadalupe Castro Integration of Technology - Jennifer Ramos Power of Ownership &Partnership - Hendrix Broussard Reaching Our Youth - Lori VandZandt Youth Development - Guadalupe Castro Strength in Numbers - Lorie Gammill Culturally Resposive Programming - JaNelle Casson Barriers, Challenges, and Needs - Group Discussion How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The formal evaluation data has not been reviewed and annotated for dispersement as of this report. However, each site is reporting program accomplishments through our,TexasData, central accountability and reporting database for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Here, sites enter and retrieve data about our program plans, the issues the are addressing, and volunteers they are serving. It is from this data and reporting narratives that sites are able to create a 1-page program site summary that is shared with the communities of interest. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Adjustments to the program will be made after evaluation of year one outcomes and results. • Community sites will meet with key personnel to ensure strongpartnerships. • Volunteers will be recruited, screened, oriented and receive two trainings. • Youth will be recruited. (Cohorts 2-5) • LGEG, WAT and JMG will be implemented at all sites for 20 weeks. • Youth can return to the program after their first year to be Youth Leaders. • Leadership training will be provided for Youth Leaders. • Site coordinators will attend weekly meetings (teleconference) and attend two trainings. • Youth and parents will fill out surveys as listed above. Site coordinators will contact parents at the end of the summer to gather data about their gardening practices. Youth BMI will be measured before, after and three months after they enter the program. • An update will be released through a press release and school newsletters. • Parent volunteers will establish a community 4-H club at each site for their cohort to join.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Youth and family physical activity and eating behaviors will improve as a result of participating in the program. Youth vegetable exposure and preference will improve as a result of participating in the program. The number of low-income youth in 4-H clubs will increase.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:The Growing U program is Multi-Level because it targets youth (the primary program audience) and parents (the secondary audience). By focusing on School Age youth, this program was be able to reach the audience NIFA had identified. The communities chosen in Texas needed a reduction of their childhood obesity rates. Those communities included Harris, Brazos, Cameron, and Travis Counties. Changes/Problems:Data to measure the accomplishments of these goals was incomplete due to a lack of participants with approval to be included. The Brazos Sites experienced a change in County Agent during year 2, that left a gap in programming, during the mid/pre test period of the fall/spring. Brooke Elementary School had only a handful of parent/guardiens and youth who consented/assented to the study. Harmony (Harris/Fort Bend) did not have any students/parents return consent, after multiple attempts/methods to gather the forms. Hearne Elementary School was slow to grow and only had a handful of participants. We also identified a potential terminology error in the survey tool that led to youth potentially identifying the incorrect race/ethnicity. The evaluation tool and structure is going through a review and revision process. The revision will include rewording sentence structure/flow, creating a tool to guide students during survey administration, and decreasing the number of times the survey is offered. The sites that struggled to gather consent/assent forms will use this summer to create an appropriate protocol for distributing and collecting the forms from both parents and participants. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Site Coordinators, Program Assistants, and Agents have been given an opportunitiy to attend multiple trainings offered locally and program based. We host a monthly team huddle with guest speakers to present relevant topics. Those topics included youth protection, sustainability, youth/adult advisory boards, and integration of technology. In addition, staff were able to attend a Mental Health, CPR, Grant Writing, and Mentoring trainings virtually and face to face. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The impact of the program in the communities has been shared locally through news papers, at a university stakeholder level via the university newsletters, and presented at local trainings and events. The agents in the county work collaboratively to dissiminate the program to interested schools as they work to fullfill their county requirements for serving the county. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The evaluation tool and structure is going through a review and revision process. The revision will include rewording sentence structure/flow, creating a tool to guide students during survey administration, and decreasing the number of times the survey is offered. The sites that struggled to gather consent/assent forms will use this summer to create an appropriate protocol for distributing and collecting the forms from both parents and participants.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Data to measure the accomplishments of these goals was incomplete due to a lack of participants with approval to be included. However, interviews and feedback from the sites were as follows: Sullivan Elementary School - The program changed the culture of the new school and designation changed from Fine Arts to an official Environmental Science Academy. Brooke Elementary School received the Green Flag award, in large due to the collaborative efforts of the GrowingU project and the Ag programming from the county. Hearne Elementary School improved parent engagement and parents desire to learn more about the garden growing at the front of their school. Of the 6 sites that completed the program year, 3 new 4-H clubs were chartered.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Due to thisbeing a planning year, the youth target audience was not reached. However, other instrumental roles such as community stakeholders, volunteers, and school administration were reached. Relationships, expectations, and partnership were established in all 6 counties. Changes/Problems:The original evaluator, Phillip Shackelford, transitioned to a new role in the fall of 2017. His duties/responsibilities were assumed by Scott Cummings. Landrum Elementary School (Cameron County) closed at the end of the 2017-2018 school year. The Afterschool Coordinator worked with the Site Coordinator (PVAM Agent) to identify Sullivan Elementary School as the replacement. Sullivan Elementary Schoolhas an existingpartnership with 4-H and is eager to welcome the GrowingUprogram. Brazos County will host (2) sites/schools to meet the 35 youth reach. Those schools areHarmony Science Academy and The Brazos School for Inquiry & Creativity What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project team will complete an annual training on August 2-3, 2018. This annual training will include curriculum specific training, 4-H club management, volunteer recruitment, program sustainability, reporting and measuring outcomes, and program interpretation. All community site leaders and lead volunteers will be present. Additional training and professional development opportunities were attending the CYFAR Annual Training, monthly conference calls, and county specific training/meetings. 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?Full execution of the program will begin in Fall 2018. Each site will host 35 youth and their parents/guardians.Youth will meet for one hour, twice a week, for ten weeks in the fall and ten weeks in the spring. Youthwill learn from the evidence-based Learn, Grow, Eat, & Go! (LGEG), Junior Master Gardener, and Walk Across Texas (WAT) curriculums. Youth will experience a typical club model and structure, with volunteers and staff to support them.The 4-H essential elements will also shape the program at each site. Youth will recite the 4-H pledge, elect officers, perform a service for each 10 week session, and demonstrate their knowledge to their families as they bring home activities and participate in the family nights. The next reporting period each community sitewill include a fall and spring school gardens (year one will only be container gardening), featuring vegetables, writing in student garden journals and blogging, fresh vegetable tastings, easy vegetable recipe demonstrations, preparation and participation in 4-H food contests, easy vegetable recipes to take home (English/Spanish), family stories aligned with TEKS (English/Spanish), and family nights. WAT will also provide physical activity lessons and challenges; engagement pieces designed to get children active at home; and family newsletters (English/Spanish). Monthly team meetings will be hosted to serve as an opportunity to share resources, pose questions, and roundtable any potential barriers. During the 10 weeks, each site will submit attendance and programmatic reports. This will ensure uniformity of program deliverables and guide the reporting of accomplishments.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This was a planning year. Goals reached were to establish programming and begin in Fall 2018.
Publications
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