Title: Cathann Kress, Ph.D. Program Lead- Partnerships Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Military Community and Family Policy Office of Family Policy-Children
1Cathann Kress, Ph.D.Program Lead-
PartnershipsOffice of the Deputy Under
Secretary of Defense Military Community and
Family PolicyOffice of Family Policy-Children
Youth
Extension-Military Partnership
2Challenges Opportunitiesfor Military Families
3Challenges for Military Families
- Family isolation
- Single parent families
- Loneliness
- Financial issues
- Increasing stress
- High operational tempo
- Deployment extensions
- Large Guard and Reserve population deploying
- Health care, meal preparation, connecting to
resources, support networks, child care, job
losses
410 Key Issues for Defense State Liaison Office
- Care of the Guard and Reserves
- Assistance to Severely Injured Service Members
- In-State Tuition
- Military School Children During Transition and
Deployment - Spouse Employment
- Unemployment Compensation
- Predatory Lending
- Voting
- Foreign Language Requirements
- Accessible Support for Military Families
5Opportunities
- Delivering correct, user-friendly information
- Reaching Guard and Reserve families
- Reaching geo-isolated families
- Reaching the single service members
- Meeting emerging expectations of new generations
- Building a worldwide, trusted communication
system to connect with troops and families
6New PhilosophyHigh Touch High Tech
- High Touch Reaching People Personally
- High Tech Reaching People Using Technology
7Challenges Changing Community Changing
Services
- Delivering correct, user-friendly information
- Reaching Guard and Reserve families
- Reaching geo-isolated families
- Reaching the single service members
- Meeting emerging expectations of new generations
- Building a worldwide, trusted communication
system to connect with troops and families
The Right Information, at the Right Time, to
the Right People
7
8Expanding Services
- Each of our goals is dependent upon leveraging
collaborations for us to be successful.
9Mission Focused Partnership
10Mission
- The mission of this partnership is
- to advance the health, well-being, and quality of
life for military Service members, families, and
their communities through the coordination of
research, education and extension programs.
11Partners
- Military Community Family Policy, Office
of the Secretary of Defense - Components
- Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines
- Reserve and Guard
- National Institute of Food and Agriculture,
United States Department of Agriculture - Land Grant Universities
- Cooperative Extension
12Partners
13Overview of Partnership
14States Most Highly Impacted by Deployments
WA
NH
MT
ME
ND
VT
MN
OR
ID
SD
WI
MA
NY
WY
MI
RI
CT
IA
PA
NV
NE
NJ
OH
CA
IL
IN
UT
DE
CO
WV
MD
VA
KS
MO
KY
NC
TN
AZ
OK
NM
AR
SC
HI
AL
GA
MS
LA
TX
AK
FL
Legend
States with the highest rates of deployments
among all components, including Reserve Guard
California, North Carolina, Texas, Indiana,
Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, New York,
Virginia, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Minnesota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Washington,
Michigan, Mississippi, Alabama
15Partnership Project Lead States
WA
NH
MT
ME
ND
VT
MN
OR
ID
SD
WI
MA
NY
WY
MI
RI
CT
IA
PA
NV
NE
NJ
OH
CA
IL
IN
UT
DE
CO
WV
VA
MD
KS
MO
KY
NC
TN
AZ
OK
NM
AR
SC
HI
AL
GA
MS
LA
TX
AK
FL
Legend
Participating states includes representatives
from 1862 1890 institutions
Washington State University, University of
Arizona, University of Minnesota, University of
Nebraska, Kansas State University, Purdue
University, Ohio State University, Southern,
Cornell, Penn State University, West Virginia
State University, West Virginia University,
Virginia Tech, University of Maryland, North
Carolina State University, University of Georgia,
Michigan State University
16(No Transcript)
17111 Total
18Objectives Supporting Initiatives
19Key Objectives
- Improve community capacity to support military
families - Increase professional development and workforce
development opportunities - Expand and strengthen programs in family
readiness, child development, youth development
19
20Community Capacity Building
- TARGET Local communities and leaders
- GOAL Build greater awareness of challenges
faced by military families and build local
support - PROGRAM EXAMPLES
- Military Community, Family Youth Extension
Programs - Communications Outreach
- County-Based Services Directory
- PROJECT Y.E.S.
21Workforce Professional Development
- TARGET Potential employees (including military
spouses) - GOAL Recruit and retain talent to work in MCFP
related fields within the military - PROGRAM EXAMPLES
- Internship Program
- Professional Development Technical Assistance
for Children, Youth Family Programs - Capital Region Child Development Lab School
System - University Passport Program
22Strengthening Family, Child Youth Development
Programs
- TARGET Military Helping Professionals
- GOAL Enhance and strengthen programs
particularly through research-based efforts - PROGRAM EXAMPLES
- Family Readiness Clearinghouse
- eXtension.org Military Community of Practice
- Engaging Faculty Expertise
- Sabbaticals, colloquia, etc.
- Focus on program evaluation, military family
research, program and curricula development
23Project Examples
- Health Literacy
- Community Gardening
- Youth Camping
- Comprehensive Deployment Curriculum
- Out-of-school youth programs
- Autism Program Review and Support
- Database for Child Youth Program Reporting
- Personal Worklife Skills
- National Summit on Military Families
24How the Collaboration Grew
- 1987 Navy and CES Families program
- 1995 - 4-H/Army Youth Development Project
- 2005 4-H/Air Force Youth Development Project
- 2007 4-H/Navy Youth Development Project
- 4-H built relationships with Army, Air Force,
Navy in support of the common mission for
positive youth development experiences for
children and youth wherever they live. - 2009 NIFA-MCFP Expanded Partnership
25By the Numbers
- 23,769 military youth enrolled in 4-H clubs
- 107,731 youth involved through Operation
Military Kids - 101 4-H Military Club Grants awarded to states
- 1,298 military youth development professionals
trained - 95 Active Army Installations and Guard Reserve
using Operation READY - 75 Extension staff working on Texas Army Bases
(Fort Hood, Fort. Bliss, Fort Sam Houston)
26Benefits
- Engaged faculty
- Curriculum development
- Increased participation in
- 4-H and family educational programs
- New resources
- Enhanced collaborations
- Multi-state projects
- High quality workforce to meet demand
- High quality curriculum and materials
- Faculty expertise for research, strategic
planning, and evaluation - Enhanced quality and capacity to serve military
families
26
27MCFP Future Plans
- Launching new Branch Unit on Partnerships within
MCFP - led by Cathann Kress - Identifying opportunities to engage Land-Grant
University faculty and staff in current and new
DoD initiatives focusing on communities,
families, and youth. - Developing strategic plan for supporting military
families.
28NIFA Future Plans
- Identify the inter-relationships of the current
work that supports military families and youth
within NIFA. - Raise the visibility of the work being done by
Cooperative Extension faculty and staff in this
partnership. - Identify current efforts that support military
families and youth, outside national funded
projects. - Identify strategies to expand partnerships.
29Related Links
- www.extension.org
- www.networkofcare.org
- www.militaryonesource.com
- www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil
- www.defense.gov
30Questions?
- Cathann Kress
- cathann.kress_at_osd.mil
- Lisa Lauxman
- llauxman_at_nifa.usda.gov