Birth to Three: Extension\u27s Role in the Early Years

Recent research about brain development in infants and young children has raised public awareness about the importance of the early years, but there is little consensus about what those findings mean for policy and practice. Extension\u27s community-based network, well-trained staff, strong community ties, and links to campus-based resources make it uniquely positioned to help families, communities, and states develop sound research-based responses to ensure a strong start for their youngest citizens

Wooden Planks: A Tool for Youth Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Exploration

Wooden planks are a tool for developing youth skills through science, technology, engineering, and math exploration. These are small planks that can be stacked to create complex structures as youths explore math and physical relationships in an applied context. Building with wooden planks also cultivates planning, reasoning, and team skills as youths design and build structures. We developed an event in which adult and youth teams competed to build structures from wooden planks. Our Building Challenge proved to be effective in cultivating youth–adult engagement and expanding Extension\u27s reach to new audiences while also raising funds for youth programs

The Impact of Tour-Based Diversity Programming on County Extension Personnel and Programs

This article explores the effect that planning and conducting an intensive multi-day, tour-based diversity workshop can have on the professional development and Extension work of the county Extension educators involved. Survey data was collected from the county Extension educators who planned workshops throughout Idaho. Educators reported that the process of hosting the workshop led to significant advances in their professional development, strengthened relationships with underserved groups, and facilitated greater inclusiveness in Extension programming. Planning and conducting intense training programs can be an effective way to promote more tailored and appropriate Extension responses to a community\u27s distinct issues

Discounting in Multicausal Attribution: The Principle of Minimal Causation

19 pagesA series of three experiments investigated the effect of information about one possible cause of an event on inferences regarding another possible cause. Experiment 1 showed that the presence of a second possible cause had no effect on the perceived probability that the first possible cause influenced the event. However, if the second cause is cited as having definitely influenced the event, then the probability that the first possible cause influenced the event is reduced. Experiment 2 showed that the presence of a second possible cause does reduce the judged probability that a given cause was present at the time of an event. The final experiment revealed that the tendency (found in Experiment 1) to discount the involvement of the first cause given the involvement of a second cause diminishes when subjects were more highly motivated and confronted with their own discounting. These results are inconsistent with Kelley's account of discounting and provide some support for a proposed explanatory heuristic, the principle of minimal causation. Users of this principle analyze a situation until they have identified a minimal set of sufficient causes; other possible causes are ignored or dismissed

The Communicator: Electronic Newsletter Provides Expert Support to FCS County Educators

Extension specialists are challenged to provide expert support to county faculty on an ongoing basis, particularly in geographically large states with low populations. The Communicator is a newsletter developed by University of Idaho Family and Consumer Science specialists to update county faculty on research findings as they develop programs to meet clientele needs. Survey data show that county faculty in Idaho use the newsletter effectively, reading it promptly and extensively upon arrival and applying the information in their programs. Family and Consumer Sciences professionals are invited to subscribe to The Communicator as a resource for their ongoing professional development

Using a Historical Tour to Teach Extension Audiences About Diversity and Human Rights

Idaho\u27s Journey for Diversity and Human Rights is a traveling workshop designed to teach about the roots of the state\u27s people and their human rights challenges. Designers planned to acquaint participants with the richness and diversity of Idaho\u27s past and broaden their perspective on the way in which past residents coped with issues not much different from those current residents face. Participants report gains in knowledge of Idaho\u27s past and present challenges of human rights and diversity and plan to apply that knowledge in their daily lives. Educators can modify and replicate Idaho\u27s Journey to fit any state or region

On Getting People To Cooperate When Facing A Social Dilema: Moralizing Helps

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Better Together: Expanding Rural Partnerships to Support Families

Chronic shortages of health, social service, and mental health professionals in rural areas necessitate creative partnerships in support of families. Cooperative extension professionals in Family and Consumer Sciences and community health nurses are introduced as trusted professionals in rural communities who can bring critical skills to human services teams. Multidisciplinary prevention programs offer particularly good contexts for county extension educators and community health nurses to work in collaboration with social workers. The case of grandparents raising grandchildren illustrates the critical roles that can be filled by professionals in these two fields to extend the reach of family support programs