Progress 09/01/22 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:Due to other high-priority needs for Army CYS, and at the request of Army CYS, work did not occur on the Army CYS Healthy Menu Branding Effort. At the direction of NIFA's National Program Leader, K-State and Army CYS could not complete the 2023 Strategic Planning Event due to concerns about discussing future needs and reducing the competitive nature of upcoming USDA awards. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?LGUs offered training in-person and virtually on 4-H programming, curricula, and other positive youth development best practices. The Army 4-H Youth Development Specialist provided training 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 also attended several calls with Army CYS leaders, directors, and coordinators to share information about 4-H. The Army CYS Healthy Menu Project also provided professional development opportunities to Army CYS Food staff. 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?
Funding in this award provided three sub-awards to Land Grant Universities to provide 4-H experiences and opportunities (e.g., clubs, camps, scholarships, and events) to Army-connected youth and families and professional development efforts for Army CYS child and youth programming staff. The University of Minnesota was also awarded funds to support the Research and Outreach (REACH) Lab, which utilizes a multi-disciplinary approach integrating both research and outreach to support those who work with and on behalf of children, youth, and families. Through the REACH Lab's three-fold approach, 44 Army CYS staff were provided with empirical research that helps to identify and address key issues impacting children, youth, and families and the programs that serve them. K-State supported the Army CYS Healthy Menu Project with three main objectives. Some of these efforts were also funded through USDA Award #2020-48696-33295 and are included in that award's final report as well. 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 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. In addition to four in-person trainings titled "Army CYS 4-H101" to 134 participants from garrisons worldwide, the Army 4-H Youth Development Specialist (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) for all interested garrisons. The A4-HYDS developed five best-practice handouts on 4-H programming for Army CYS Centers, which were disseminated to Army CYS centers worldwide for review and consideration. Finally, the A4-HYDS worked with the National 4-H Council to provide digital 4-H curricula to Army CYS centers. The A4-HYDS discovered the opportunity for Army CYS to purchase approximately ten digital curriculums that could be made available for download to Army CYS Centers worldwide. Unfortunately, this effort was not completed due to technology restrictions and the security of Army CYS computers outside of the A4-HYDS' control.
Publications
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