PROSPER Learning Community
10/14/04
Attendees:
Sara Tessmer
Doug Thompson
Janet Smith
Janet Brown
Mary Crooks
Holle Smith
Bev Peters
Paulelda Gilbert
Nancy Schmidt
Don Broshar
Jim Meek
Dick Spoth
Marilyn Bode
Cathy Lillehoj
Vision for Futuring of Extension (Dick’s powerpoint)
Follow up from Stan Johnson’s PowerPoint at Extension meeting in September
Small group discussion
From a county perspective: How is PROSPER work supported by the vision for Extension?
This is what the Land Grant College is all about. It provides an example of local folks getting university research in county and local research going back to the university.
It seems to fit under the Extension Goals concerning Special Community Initiatives.
It is tied to dollars. PROSPER is an example of going after dollars and getting funding. Program that many states will use (SFP), but struggled with money. Example of going after dollars and getting the grant. Example of programming and getting funding and nutured with good financial foundation.
Stan Johnson always supported PROSPER. More entrepreneurial.
The way doing program (in Extension) for years is coming to an end. The whole Extension system is going through an evolution. We have to go after money.
Has initial PROSPER funding been enough to keep programming going in the community?
We thing initial funding has been enough. Local folks buying into program. All school folks willing to do the program and put money behind it.
Janet Smith: our emphasis is on education …in the rest of the community. Coalitions emphasis on has been on treatment. This point to the uniqueness of what we (Extension) do. Education in combination with community development. We see the problems in our community and try to problem solving and bringing resources to the community to deal with the problem.
Is Extension programming and prevention in close alignment?
If looking at: impact on all kids. Extension seems an appropriate fit. Extension’s role needs to be more than just programming or just this fit. We need to be “ready communities”. How do we help communities be more ready? Evidence-based programming is a way to assess and help community be more ready. What are things that make some communities more ready. Extension could help with the success with how programs work.
Have we been successful in helping AEEDs be supportive of PROSPER?
Doug: During my evaluation: AEED told me we were going to continue with PROSPER. What was driving her answer..dollars and salary savings. Money is the bottom line and a push for us to be out raising funds.
All counties support traditional 4H programs. Considerable county dollars are focused on that. There is a change when County Extension Councils see the role of PROSPER programs as important as traditional programs. We need to do a better job with going to Extension Councils. If we are going to sustain PROSPER, there needs to be a more stable source of funds.
Extension Councils get the message when staff buy into programs (other than 4H). There is an expectation that parent/family education operates on shoestring budget. That is the expectation. And that we do not need infrastructure for that. This is an issue in terms of the whole state recognizing the importance of parent education and the infrastructure to do it. When work with DCAT funding, parent education was a key role in getting facilitators to do that. If we look for money to hire child care & facilitators, we need a person like the CYC to do coordination.
Don: getting community ready. Funding from funders with the idea to deliver the program. Doing capacity-building and getting community ready is something funders are not excited about. But can not do EBI if community is not ready and does not understand youth development. What is the problem in building our capacity to deliver EBI? Folks do not understand capacity building. Even Extension administrators are only interested if funding is attached. Of real importance is building capacity to understand why we do EBIs
Progress has been made with schools. School feels pressure to do that kind of programming (EBIs).
Dick: how many think of PROPSER as capacity building. ?
By design, we are learning about building capacity. What makes community ready?
Changing: we can benefit from other work being done.
Multi-county programming: connections with Extension administrators. More closely tied to campus functioning. What is tie with Extension futuring initiatives?
Jane Ann supports. Noted how thin everybody is spread. Need for child care assessments. Covering more counties. How juggle different things.
Nancy Schmidt: Sharing data and research (from 4H). Need to prioritize.
Not conscious decision: because into PROSPER not do this (other programming).
Mary Crooks: concern that the system understands the buy out and not as responsive to other requests. Concern from CEED I am not doing enough but you know. How do counties feel?
If Extension Councils don’t see you and know how you are functioning.
Janet Brown: some things just don’t get done.
Janet Smith: Extension understanding of youth development.
If just look at PROSPER…we are starting to look at the environment. What are things for kids not doing anything else? Policies of environment. If don’t create environment for kids to practice skills.
Confront schools about policies.
Paulelda Gilbert future pay off. PROSPER model application to food and nutrition. Obesity and life style change.
WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR PROSPER IN YOUR COMMUNITY
Don’s tool cards.
(Tool & feeling are italicized)
Bev: Magnet. PROSPER is a magnet for money, programming. Feather in our cap.
Proud. Of what we have done. Helps community to refocus for the future.
Janet. Trowel. Still planting seeds. Resourceful. Continue LST and SFP
Janet Brown: Garden fork. it takes a village. Takes entire community not just school or Extension. Dig up community to see what w can get going. Creative. In how engage others.
Nancy. Fork lift. Move big things. In Ottumwa have big things to move. Even thou money from substance abuse task force have only ½ what we need. Lots of things to move in community. uncertain future.
Doug. Scissors. Cut new path. Meetings have had in last couple weeks: cut new path. New folks on team. Like challenge. Team involvement. Committed. Wonderful. Nancy Trask. Interest in pursue fund raising. Wonderful vision. Nancy Trask has taken lead on fund raising sub-committee.
Mary C: flashlight. Need a lot of light. Savvy. In Muscatine in team, sense struggle with SFP. Committed to program but not know how to do it. Large grants to continue program but turned down. Opportunity…smaller entities pulling into funding. Lacking knowledge and commitment to program so continue to implement
Holle: level. Know our job. Level playing field. Positive. Experience with PROSPER. Great team/enthusiasm.
Paulelda: paint brush: work to change perspective in community. Realistic team. Comments. Surprised # families participated. And pleased. Last discussion: how change color for funders. Currently funding: new programs. Need funders for sustainers programs. Need to influence local funders to sustain programs. Rather than just funding new efforts. New foundation: influence their thinking. And current funders. Providing funds for sustain funds. Overwhelmed.
Marilyn: Measurement tape. Documenting successes. Reporting on team successes. Amount of data collected.
Sara: wrench. Tighten up things. Variety of program to serve families. Some school- based, county-based, state-based. PROSPER tool tighten up relationships between programs and all on board together. Detached. Hard convince educators why buy into programs. What valuable in SFP worth our time and effort. Strong folks on team.
Jim: hard hat. Committed to capacity building to EBIs. So not let barriers in the way of doing EBIs.
Dick: lamp. Shed some light on where Extension can go. Help advance whole system.
What do you need in your community to make the vision a reality?
Muscatine: PC talk to Bob, Mary C and Mary W
Where do we go from here?
Big grants have been turned down. No plan or budget. Need a spark to give some direction.
Bev: can we see outcomes that we can take to funders, school, and community.
Nancy. Data sharing teachers, guidance counselors. Get school board charged up. Has to be local data. Results have to be from our community. Example: this many families participated. Winding down team activities; what else should we be doing? With our team. Some folks have been on the team 3-4 yrs. Need to think about term limits on team members.
If we have some things that have happened as a results of PROSPER. Let us know what this effort and this program are doing. Recurring theme. What can we show people? Marketing to other schools.
Outcome data:
1. Program outcome. Benefits to kids and families.
2. Accomplishments. # of families, how well programs implemented. Initial outcomes with families.
3. Community specific information related to collective PROSPER information. Long term follow up data don’t have yet.
List of what we are collecting.
What else helpful: families gone through SFP. Testimonials. Getting to families that really need to be there. Not care what research says. What tool do we use to try convince families (hi-risk) to come to SFP?
Priority setting. If only have limited money, what get most bang for buck? How much do you cut (e.g., family incentive). What matters if you cut and what doesn’t matter.
Use PROSPER video. Consent issue. Interview participants.
Local PowerPoint. Photos and comments.
What is needed to help team understand their importance? Teams are critical to getting EBIs done and family recruitment. What do we need to do to help teams understand their importance? How can we communicate that to the team? Plan put together brainstorm how to do that.
Winterset: Trying to reach out other school districts. Team has decided to reach out other schools. What role does the team play? Where do we hold programs? Setting up subcommittee in each community. Raise funds. Door-to-door fund raising. How do we tell other communities what PROSPER is and buy in to SFP? Building sub-committees: how inform them what we are. We need to figure out strategies to keep momentum going. Presentation to ministerial alliance in outlying communities. Visited with school superintendent. They will provide facilities. Time consuming. Takes determination.
It helps the team feel good.
Realistically keep lid on what we can offer. Earlham in spring and I35 next fall. 2 sections a year.
PC role in helping local community.
Partnering with churches. Need TA.
Estherville: Request for PC to address timeline at next meeting. Start with timeline and discussion of where at. Does team need to know might be another 5 yrs.
Dick: ways to expand to other communities.
Might take 2 yrs. What is best thing to do?
Ft Dodge experience with team and facilitator event. Part of process. Help with that recognition. Important for team members to make presentations.
Don: What do local folks think of PC role in community meetings?
Ft Dodge dropped 2 types of incentives but kept youth incentive and graduation gift, plus child cart and food. Winterset same results.
Funder costs, training, curriculum costs. Don’t want to fund incentives and facilitators costs.
Coupons from local merchants. Movie passes. Limited resource families. Passes to athletic events.
What are the obstacles to achieving your vision?
Job descriptions: notion but not reality. 2 counties having 1 director. Time issue. Fewer resources. Capacity building.
Paid position. Separate paid employee as coordinator (for PROSPER).
CEED serving more than 1 county.
Extension council. Money forces the issue.
Declining resources in counties.
Madison County issue: worked in county with Prevention Concepts. They get dollars through grants from state of IA. Linda Nelson CEED and Joy Rouse CEED. Needs programs to go after. Taking over SFP. Writes grant and gets funding. MCAD experience. Moved to county. Came to Doug and asked to be part of PROSEPR team. Asked Sara to be part of her local coalition. Can we guarantee that Extension only provider of SFP in county?
Can not stop other community coalitions.
Other groups have taught SFP program.
When hold on and when give away? Failure or success. Example of Johnson County and SFP.
Other coalitions are happening in communities (PROSPER allows for).
Not necessarily a problem (for the research).
Outcomes for families and kids. How do teams work? PROSPER looks at.
PROSPER does it well (SFP). Doing it right, well, consistently.
PROPER does more. About team and other school programs. Research wise, it’s ok.
See ad in newspaper to sign up. How deal with that? Will folks be mislead that sign up? (for SFP)
Training in program.
Policy questions for Extension (Jane Ann) (JM and MB to ask Jane Ann).
Funding issue. Every time go to funding groups feel like have hand out. Someone else in Extension office got to funder first. Local funders hit by Extension office. Potential that youth programs see SFP as something they are involved with. But public in community feel Extension been there before.
Why would a funder give money to PROSPER and not to another group. We need to convince them why PROSPER. Packaging is important.
Example of “Rock in Prevention:. $10,000 from community.
Marketing techniques.
Community level impact of SFP
What are the supports/resources to achieve the PROSPER vision?
Identify with community wide need.
Past accomplishments with SFP can build continuation.
Publicity with meth problems.
Substance abuse task force took PROSPER under their wing.
Committed facilitators.
People who care (community and facilitators).
Coop with community action team.
Personal belief and commitment to program.
School administrators.
Extension council.
Committed team and new members.
Significant problem impact from local evaluation.
Drug free alliance in community believed in us and we are under their umbrella.
Excited facilitators.
Diverse facilitators.
Financial support from a community coalition (Ottumwa).
Meet with them every month and follows their meeting. Change of time has been positive to the meeting.
SADF money. Hampton. One of facilitators is at risk coordinator and she puts money toward that.
Ft Dodge. SADF coordinator. Helped to get money for SFP.
Estherville. SCAT. How drug free money is used.
Ask Linda Miller: how local funding allocations get decided.
4 principals of effectiveness. DOE
Money supposed to go to EBI but is local autonomy.
Local school district disbursement of funding.
We will get information and send out to you. Also get name of resource person.
AEA prevention coordinators. What is interface between them and obtaining SADF?
AEA resources for EBI
DCAT funding. Estherville.
PH web site. Prevention agencies. Competitive contracts.
Board of supervisors discretionary use money for prevention. ICACS
Next steps:
Was today’s interaction valuable?
Verbal interaction valuable
Allocation of funding
More valuable than annual meeting
Dealing with concrete. So we can apply.
Problem solving
Worthwhile
How often should we have meetings like this?
Adding school coleader
Original idea: Carol Schlader interest in topics
Sharing topics with teams
As implement SFP without funding, might generate a lot more questions
Logistics of running SFP
Team meetings, subcommittees
Possible future agenda items:
Marketing and advertising
Tips for SFP without PROSPER funding
Building stronger LST program
Team problem solving issues
How teams could be structured for long term
Employing facilitators, child care workers
Paying PROSPER coordinator
Engaging school co-leader
Paying school co-leader
Team building
Evolution of team members
Assessment/evaluation when on own with PROSPER team
What are other EBIs
Statewide meeting & fall (twice a year)
Jan 05
Dec 04
Newsgroup for SFP tips
12/6 morning
Have at Union
Lunch
What doing with administrators to make your job easier. AEEDs
How do we get involved?
Need code; LST code (with Chuck Morris) can not count kids as part of in school program
Extension not have primary responsibility for training and teaching
Raise with Chuck Morris
Who could we have come: Mary Prouty (AEED)
Team resources. End grant year 12/1
Have by Jan. ‘05
Extension councils up to date
Regional meetings
CEED meeting. Break out session with Bill Drey.