Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of the Army 4-H STEM Clubs was Army-connected youth enrolled in youth center programs on garrisons and Army CYS professionals working in youth centers. The target audience for the Army 4-H Youth Development Specialist is Army CYS professionals working in Army CYS programs worldwide. The target audience for the Army CYS Healthy Menu Initiative is Army CYS food program staff working in Army CYS programs worldwide. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training has been offered in-person and virtually by the Army 4-H Youth Development Specialist on topics ranging from Real Colors©, public speaking, experiential learning, experiential facilitation, creating 4-H programs, and using 4-H curricula. The Army 4-HYDS has also attended several calls with Army CYS leaders, directors, and coordinators to share information about 4-H. See the accomplishment section for the number of professionals served. The Army CYS Healthy Menu Project also provided professional development opportunities to Army CYS Food staff. See the Accomplishment section for more details. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The K-State project team completes a monthly report for Army CYS leaders on activities accomplished under the agreed objectives during the month prior and any upcoming plans. The A4-HYDS also creates an After Action Report after each site visit or in-person event. These reports are shared with all Army CYS leaders via email. Partnership Zoom sessions are held every other month. Announcements are shared with participants about current happenings of the 4-HMPOS and by military-service POCs on current efforts in their child and youth programs. Army CYS Healthy Menus and any accompanying documents are submitted directly to G9 POCs via email or other means identified by Army CYS (safelink, for example). Annual Reports are developed and shared with stakeholders via the K-State listserv and placed on the 4-HMPOS website. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
RFAs to LGUs: Kansas State University (K-State) issued four sub-awards to Land Grant Universities (LGUs) to establish Army 4-H STEM Clubs. The sub-awards aimed to develop a minimum six-week 4-H STEM Club for Army-connected youth that Army CYS can replicate at garrisons worldwide. All sub-awardees had a new performance period that ended on or before July 31, 2022. Two sub-awards (Utah and Texas) did not complete projects due to staff turnover at the Army CYS Centers and within the states' 4-H programs. The other two sub-awards (Colorado and New York) both completed their projects, serving a total of 260 Army-connected youth. The curricula have been published on the 4-HMPOS website hosted by K-State. Army CYS Healthy Menu Project: In FY21, efforts on the Army CYS Healthy Menu Project initiative focused on recipe development and revision of the Fall/Winter (2021-2022) menus. Revisions to the menus include updating the production calculators and updating the nutrition analysis for each age group. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, in-person training efforts were rescheduled for the summer of 2022. In FY22, because of continued travel restrictions in place for Army CYS, K-State Healthy Menu project staff conducted two virtual training sessions. They also planned and conducted the Spring and the Summer Menu Working Groups, revised the Fall 2021-Winter 2022 Menus, Spring 2022 Menus, and Summer 2022 Menus with notes, production worksheets, and nutritional analysis. Finally, in FY22, Project staff developed educational materials supporting the healthy menu concept, including "Fun Facts" and a Food Insecurity Among Military Families newsletter. For FY23, K-State agreed to continue support of the Army CYS Healthy Menu Project through three main objectives: Updated Menu Efforts Recipe and menu development continued during FY23. With K-State faculty and staff guidance, draft versions of the traditional 5-week fall/winter and spring/summer menus, the simplified fall/winter menus, and the fall/winter and spring/summer Middle School and Teen (MST) menus were developed by the IMCOM nutrition work group during the March 2023 training session. The fall/winter draft versions were edited and finalized by K-State based on the Child and Adult Care Food Program crediting requirements, feasibility, and appropriateness for childcare. In addition, faculty developed late snack menus and infant menus for both the simplified and traditional fall/winter menus. K-State finalized 25 new recipes to support the new menus in FY23. K-State carried out the ingredient reduction plan, which modified 76 recipes used in Army CYS Centers worldwide. The ingredient reduction plan was developed to simplify the recipes (i.e., decrease the number of ingredients used) and reduce the food inventory at centers.Finally, for FY23, in consultation with the IMCOM nutritionist, K-State incorporated a Speech Language Pathologist who reviewed the new menu items and provided suggestions to decrease the risk of choking. K-State incorporated these suggestions into the new menus based upon consultation with the IMCOM nutritionist. In-Person Training Events K-State trainers visited Joint Base Louis McCord (JBLM) in November 2022. During this visit, trainers met with JBLM food program staff, conducted a youth cooking activity, and provided a full day of staff training, including classroom and hands-on training.A Tiger Team Meeting/Training occurred in March 2023 at the K-State Olathe campus. During this time, 15 attendees received guided and hands-on instructions for developing menus and recipes. The Team tested recipes and created draft versions of the traditional 5-week fall/winter and spring/summer menus for all ages, the simplified fall/winter and spring/summer menus for all ages, and the fall/winter and spring/summer MST menus. K-State hosted two week-long training events (58 total attendees). Instruction included classroom and hands-on training on food safety, child nutrition, allergies, and production management. K-State and IMCOM also worked to finalize topics for the IMCOM Academy videos for CYS Food and Nutrition Professionals. A draft version of the videos was shared with IMCOM in January of 2023. Outreach and Program Development for Youth K-State faculty and project staff created four handouts to complement in-classroom activities happening at the centers. The handouts were designed to be easily read and included fun activities for Center youth, such as word searches and jokes. Each resource focused on a different herb featured in a recipe used at Centers. The Army CYs Healthy Menu Project also provided three newsletter articles: Food Insecurity Among Military Children, Feeding Your Infant, and Fighting Inflation. The articles were shared with IMCOM leaders for dissemination throughout the Army CYS enterprise. Army 4-H Youth Development Specialist (A4-HYDS) In FY21, the A4-HYDS began outreach to eight Army-targeted installations. Even with the in-person meeting restraints and travel restrictions required by the COVID-19 pandemic, the A4-HYDS offered these garrisons virtual training and support, resulting in 224 Child and Youth Services professionals participating in Real Colors virtual training efforts. In addition, the A4-HYDS established connections and networking opportunities, primarily through virtual efforts, with installations identified by G9 as priorities. In FY22, the A4-HYDS conducted site visits at twelve garrisons, providing CYS direct care staff, trainers, and managers with hands-on and experiential learning. 391 CYS professionals participated in training sessions that included Essential Elements of 4-H and Experiential Learning, Real Colors, and 4-H Curricula. Evaluation data from these training sessions were overwhelmingly positive. In FY23, the A4-HYDS presented four in-person trainings titled "Army CYS 4-H101" to 134 participants from garrisons worldwide. In addition, the A4-HYDS provided technical assistance to Army CYS and 4-H Extension professionals on any need identified for 4-HMPOs efforts. This included establishing connections/networks between garrison and local 4-H programs and answering questions regarding Army CYS policies, procedures, and needs. The A4-HYDS also assisted with the Summer 2023 Army Youth Leadership Forum and completed outreach and training on the 2023 STEM Challenge kit (helping several centers receive kits through an agreement with Bayer). Reporting Efforts In July 2022, Army CYS leaders met with K-State Project team members to discuss project goals, objectives, and ways forward. During this conversation, report needs were identified. Throughout FY23, reports were sent monthly to Army CYS on the progress/status of all objectives identified in the FY23 Plan of Work. Feedback on the reports was positive and suggested appreciation for the detailed information regarding the work of the 4-HMPOS team at K-State. Annual reports were created for FY21, FY22, and FY23. All reports have been shared with stakeholders and have been (or will soon be) placed on the 4-HMPOS website: https://4-hmilitarypartnerships.org/latest-news. Annual reports were created for FY21, FY22, and FY23. All reports have been shared with stakeholders and have been (or will soon be) placed on the 4-HMPOS website: https://4-hmilitarypartnerships.org/latest-news.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of the Army 4-H STEM Clubs was Army-connected youth enrolled in youth center programs on garrisons and Army CYS professionals working in youth centers. The target audience for the Army 4-H Youth Development Specialist is Army CYS professionals working in Army CYS programs worldwide. The target audience for the Army Menu Initiative is Army CYS food program staff working in Army CYS programs worldwide. Changes/Problems:Travel restrictions for Army CYS staff halted several planned efforts for this reporting period. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training has been offered both in-person and virtually by the Army 4-H Youth Development Specialist on topics ranging from Real Colors©, Public Speaking, Experiential Learning, and Using 4-H Curricula. The Army 4-HYDS has also attended several calls with Army CYS leaders, directors, and coordinators to share information about 4-H. See the accomplishment section for the number of professionals served. The Army Menu Project also provided professional development opportunities to Army CYS Food staff. See the Accomplishment section for more details. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The A4-HYDS completes a monthly report for Army CYS leaders on activities she has met and upcoming plans. She also creates an After Action Report after each site visit. These reports are shared with all Army CYS leaders via email. Partnership Zoom sessions are held every other month, and the A4-HYDS is available for all calls. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?A Strategic Planning Event was held in July 2022, where information was shared about current efforts, and plans were developed for future goals/needs. Army CYS expects to insert additional funds into the award in FY23 for projects, including sub-awards to states for Outreach and Support projects, a Branding effort for the Army Menu Project, and training events for Army CYS professionals conducted by the A4-HYDS.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
4-H STEM Clubs In Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22), the 4-H Military Partnership Project continued three sub-awards to Land Grant Universities to establish Army 4-H STEM Clubs. The sub-awards aimed to develop a minimum six-week 4-H STEM Club for Army-connected youth that Army CYS can replicate at garrisons worldwide. All sub-awardees had a new performance period that ended on or before July 31, 2022. One sub-award (Texas) did not complete its project due to staff turnover at the Army Child and Youth Center and within Texas 4-H. The other two sub-awards (Colorado and New York) both completed their projects and shared the following summaries: Colorado - Fort Carson reported reaching 115 youth in their 4-H STEM Clubs, with many participating in more than one 6-week club. Fifteen CYS staff led clubs and received 4-H 101 training. Colorado reported they could not establish a club at the youth Center due to it being closed for an extended period, staff turnover, and leadership changes. Participants' parents reported they were excited and enlightened to see the potential projects their youth could complete by participating in 4-H Clubs. Comments on the final report included: CYS successes: Mesa School Age Program hosted a 4-H Military Fair in April 2022. 37 youth exhibited their project and had an interview with an outside 4-H judge. Youth received ribbons according to exhibit quality, and the exhibits were on display for several days for families and community members to see. Mesa School Age Program had youth complete evaluations after their projects and held a 4-H demonstration contest. Demonstrations were videotaped, and parents, the Garrison Commander, and the Colorado 4-H Military Liaison completed judging sheets. 4-H STEM Clubs during summer 2022 were well received and attended by the youth. Many new Fort Carson staff are interested in leading 4-H projects. They also reported interest in attending a tour of 4-H exhibits at the Colorado State Fair in August 2022. 4-H Youth Successes: "I learned how to change stuff to solve problems." - youth participant "I learned to garden better." - youth participant "I've changed through 4-H because it taught me to be better and nicer." - youth participant New York - Cornell University completed its project in September 2021. All planned in-person professional development opportunities were offered to CYS Centers at Fort Drum, Fort Hamilton, and the US Military Academy at West Point. All virtual trainings were edited and uploaded to EdPuzzle where Army CYS and 4-H from across the state can easily access the training modules. Cornell reported reaching 56 CYS staff and seven 4-H professionals through the effort. 89% of staff reported feeling comfortable providing 4-H STEM Club programming using 4-H curricula. The final product was submitted to Army CYS Headquarters in December 2021. It included the curricula used for the 4-H clubs, a listing of kit materials for the clubs, lesson plans, and training videos. 145 military-connected youth were engaged in 4-H programs and opportunities due to this Outreach and Support Project. 90.9% reported they increased knowledge/skill through STEM activities. Comments shared throughout the project included: "Thank you so much for coming out yesterday. My staff said they really enjoyed your presentation...thanks so much for being patient with us doing COVID. I'm overjoyed to work closely with you this summer on programs for our SAC children." - Center Training Specialist Several youth expressed their enjoyment of participating in the 4-H Garden Club at Fort Drum SAC. The youth are successfully growing lettuce and carrots in garden beds outside the center. "Chris was a great trainer and made the curricula fun and easy to learn and implement." - CYS staff member Army 4-H Youth Development Specialist The A4-HYDS conducted site visits at twelve garrisons, providing CYS direct care staff, trainers, and managers with hands-on and experiential learning. 391 CYS professionals participated in training sessions that included Essential Elements of 4-H and Experiential Learning, Real Colors, and 4-H Curricula. Evaluation data from these training sessions were overwhelmingly positive. Some of the most impactful statements from evaluations included: Essential Elements of 4-H and Experiential Learning "That was a very impactful and much-needed class." I think different about 4-H now. 4-H is more than just outdoors and wildlife. This program teaches life skills. I want to be a part of 4-H. The 4-H trainings are informative and has a lot of fun activities that teach us how to improve on our lesson plans and activities for the children. I would honestly like to see more of these trainings to help the improvement of CYS. The training is valuable because it shows different ways how you can involve the kids and how you can look at thing from a different perspective. Real Colors Most beneficial aspect of the workshop? The understanding that everyone is different, and we can share with one another our differences and accept everyone. Team building. I'm fairly new to CYS and over the past couple of months we've had many trainings, but these three past days of training have been by far the Best! Thank you for your service, Amazing!!! 4-H Curricula Possibly the best training Army/4-H has provided in my 10 years @ CYS. Enjoyed the various free resources. Loved the staff engagement activities. Would love to bring to train all of CYS to include CDC. It's not just about an activity to check the box, but making sure they are really learning something. The last two days have been phenomenal. I have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the four essential elements and team teaching. I am encouraged by this experience and excited to explore the 4-H curriculum that was shown to us. The A4-HYDS continues to receive emails and phone calls from direct care staff members seeking resources, sharing 4-H experiences they have facilitated, updates on their programs, and the connections made with their local 4-H Educators. The success of these training events has encouraged CYS staff to utilize 4-H more in their centers and participate in other 4-H events, such as the Volunteer Conference of Southern States, where the A4-HYDS is taking an Army team of 13 to participate in early October. Army CYS Menu Initiative Efforts on the Army Menu Project continued throughout FY22. Accomplishments from September 1, 2021, to August 31, 2022, included: Staff training for staff with food and nutrition-related duties. Conducted two virtual training sessions. One in May 2022 (six garrisons participated with 18 attendees) and one in July 2022 (eight garrisons participated with 25 attendees). Update and adjust standardized menus. Planned and conducted the Spring Menu Working Group by phone. Planned and conducted the Summer Menu Working Group on MS Teams Revised Fall 2021-Winter 2022 Menus, Spring 2022 Menus, and Summer 2022 Menus (CDC, Infant, and MST) with notes, production worksheets, and nutritional analysis. Develop recipes and scale to home size. Developed, tested, and added three new recipes to the Spring Menu. Developed and tested three additional recipes for consideration in future menus. Scaling for Family Child Care program use is in progress. Fall 2022 scaling was completed in September 2022. Site visits to assess the production of menus. None conducted due to COVID-related constraints, site visit planned for November 2022 to Joint Base Lewis McChord. Develop educational materials that support the healthy menu concept. Fun Facts were submitted to Army CYS Headquarters in late January 2022, and revisions were made based on CYS comments. Fun Facts presentation provided for IMCOM G9 CYS Child Development Virtual Training Symposium. Provided newsletter article on Food Insecurity among Military Families.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of the Army 4-H STEM Clubs are Army-connected youth enrolled in youth center programs on garrisons and Army CYS professionals working in youth centers. The target audience for the Army 4-H Youth Development Specialist is Army CYS professionals working in Army CYS programs worldwide. The target audience for the Army Menu Initiative is Army CYS food program staff working in Army CYS programs worldwide. Changes/Problems:The COVID-19 pandemic continued to provide obstacles to program delivery. While the Army 4-H Youth Development Specialist attempted to provide training virtually, it was discovered that not all garrisons had the technology required to actively participate in training - somewhat defeating the ability to provide experimental learning opportunities. Travel for in-person meetings to create a formal Strategic Plan for the work of the Specialist, and in-person training for Army Menu efforts was halted due to travel policies of both Kansas State University and Army CYS. Changes in access to virtual meeting platforms for Army CYS leaders has also negatively impacted the ease of connecting for meetings, discussions, training, and planning sessions. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training has been offered both in-person and virtually by the Army 4-H Youth Development Specialist on topics ranging from Real Colors©, Public Speaking, Experiential Learning, and Using 4-H Curriculum. The Army 4-HYDS has also attended several calls with Army CYS leaders, directors, and coordinators to share information about 4-H. See the accomplishment section for the number of professionals served. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The A4-HYDS completes a monthly report for Army CYS leaders on activities she has completed, and upcoming plans. This monthly report is shared with all Army CYS leaders vis email. Zoom sessions are also held every-other-month for the Partnership. The A4-HYDS is available for all calls. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The K-State Project Team, to include the A4-HYDS, has begun working with Army CYS leaders to establish the plan of work and targeted deliverables for work during Fiscal Year 2022. This plan will identify the specific garrisons the A4-HYDS will target over the next twelve months, the types of training opportunities she will provide, and any changes to the reporting structure. Work will also continue on the Army 4-H STEM Club sub-awards. By the end of FY22, the four sub-awardees should have completed their approved scope of work and have packaged materials that can be shared with garrisons worldwide. Recipe development and menu updates will continue through the next reporting period. Plans are in progress to develop new recipes and update the Spring 2022 and Summer 2022 menus. Dates for the Summer 2022 training session will be established based on facility availability and Army CYS input. If travel appears to be unlikely for the summer of 2022, the food program staff training will be moved to an online delivery platform. Age-appropriate cooking curricula development is underway and final copies will be provided to Army CYS leaders for distribution in support of the menu initiative.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21), the Project awarded sub-awards to four Land Grant Universities to establish Army 4-H STEM Clubs. These sub-awards have the intended goal of developing a minimum six-week 4-H STEM Club for Army-connected youth that can be replicated at garrisons worldwide. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, all four sub-awardees were granted No-Cost Time Extensions due to the inability to carry out their approved Scope of Work. All sub-awardees have a new performance period that will end on or before July 31, 2022. Data on the number of youths served and the accomplishment of goals/objectives is not yet available. Army 4-H Youth Development Specialist The Army 4-H Youth Development Specialist (A4-HYDS) began outreach to eight Army-targeted installations in January 2021. Even with the restraints and restrictions placed by the Covid-19 pandemic, training and support were offered to these garrisons resulting in the following: 224 Child and Youth Services professionals participated in Real Colors. 157 participants completed a Real Colors Standard Evaluation, resulting in 96% satisfaction rating. Some of the most impactful statements from evaluations include: "Seeing the different qualities of each color. Strength's, weakness', likes, dislikes, needs, etc." "I enjoyed learning about my co-workers personalities and colors, listening to everyone's experiences, likes and dislikes" "The most beneficial aspect of the workshop was identifying my color. My color has changed from what I thought it would be. I recognized my personality beliefs and related them to the colors criteria." "I learned about colors for first time it was exciting, and I learned more about myself. And I can take back to others" "Getting to be around others and the way think within their color" Suggestions for improvement included: "I would have liked to do this with my subordinate staff to understand which colors they function from in order to better understand how to meet their needs" "More talk about how to interact among color and implement at work" "Maybe a little music during the strengths, joys, values, and needs activity just to see how each group reacts while doing the activity" "Follow up training to expand material" Thirty Child and Youth Services professionals participated in targeted training events focusing on 4-H Curriculum, Essential Elements of 4-H, and Public Speaking. Some responses to the question, "How was this training session helpful to you?" include: "Hands on practice in looking through 4-H curriculum and learning to apply it in lesson planning. Very helpful and directly related to job responsibilities" "Extremely, the enthusiasm, expertise and hands on learning was amazing. Great to feel connection again after Covid" "Helped me to know how to incorporate 4-H into existing clubs" "I got to see our curriculum resources and practice using it" Some responses to the question, "How do you plan to use this information?" include: "For lesson planning "Will implement across programs, activities, experiential learning model, etc." "Using it more often" "Having staff utilize the 4-H curriculum, more regularly in planning" "Now I know where to look when I start lesson planning" "ASAP with middle school and teens" "Resiliency Through Art teen club" The A4-HYDS is currently working with a specialized team to revise 4-H 101. This large undertaking is headed by North Carolina State University through the CYFAR 4-H Military Partnership award. 4-H 101 will be used as the virtual standard training tool across all services. The A4-HYDS has met with Army CYS G9 staff each month to discuss plan(s) of work, upcoming events and trainings, and specialized trainings at select garrisons. The Covid-19 Pandemic continues to strain and challenge Army garrisons; however, has also provided an opportunity to identify areas of deficiency, particularly regarding technology and virtual efforts. Army CYS Menu Initiative Efforts on the Army CYS menu initiative has focused on recipe development and revision of the Fall/Winter (2021-2022) menus. Revisions to the menus include an updating of the production calculators and updates on the nutrition analysis for each age group. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, in person training efforts have been rescheduled for the summer of 2022.
Publications
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