MU Extension Building Strong Families Program
Public Value Statements
This document provides a framework for writing public value statements for
University of Missouri Extension’s Building Strong Families Program. It is designed
to be flexible so that specialists can “mix and match” statements, for the overall
program and within each module topic section, to create public value statements
for the program and particular topics.
Directions:
Within each topic, select one participant change, one outcome and one
community benefit to make a complete public value statement. Participant
changes and outcomes should be tailored to the material you covered for each
topic.
Public value statement template:
When you support ______________ (named program), participants
_____________ (changes), which leads to ____________(outcomes), which
benefits other community members by ____________ (public value).
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equal opportunity/ADA institution
Building Strong Families
Possible overall public value statement for program participants:
When you support University of Missouri Extension’s Building Strong Families
program, participants improve family functioning through healthier relationships,
increased positive communication, greater family satisfaction and the
accomplishment of shared goals. When stronger families more effectively engage
with others at home, work and school, communities benefit from a higher level of
household and workplace productivity.
Or, mix and match from the statements below to create a public value statement
for program participants or for facilitators (depending on your audience).
Program
participant
changes
Outcomes
Community
benefits
 Participants’ family relationships improve
 Participants and their families use more positive
communication
 Participants identify strengths of their families
 Participants learn new skills
 Strengthen the family, which leads to healthier
relationships
 Families are more satisfied
 Develop existing strengths
 Use the information to build new strengths in their
families
 Make better family decisions
 Family members have less stress at home, school and
work
 Families thrive and contribute to community wellbeing
 Participants contribute to a more productive work
environment
 Children do well in school
 Families engage with other families in the community
and create a mutual support system
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equal opportunity/ADA institution
Possible public value statement components for facilitator training participants:
Facilitator changes
(When facilitators
become certified in
Building Strong
Families.)
 Facilitators improve their teaching skills
 Facilitators teach in more interactive ways
 Facilitators use research-based information in their
teaching
Outcomes
 Facilitators develop greater confidence in their own
skills
 Participants have greater involvement in their
learning process
 Families retain and apply information learned in the
workshops
 Certified facilitators create partnerships in the
community
 Family support infrastructure improves in the
community
 Community partnerships function more
collaboratively
Community
benefits
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equal opportunity/ADA institution
Family Strengths
Program
participant
changes
Outcomes
Community
benefits
Managing Stress
Program
participant
changes
Outcomes
Community
benefits
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
Recognize the diversity of family types
Learn to name the strengths they have
Learn about strengths they can develop
Broaden their definition of family
Learn to appreciate the positive aspects of their
family
 Work with their families to develop and build on their
strengths
 Families engage with other families in the community
and create a mutual support system
 Learn to define stress and identify its causes
 Learn about physical and emotional reactions to
stress
 Learn coping strategies to reduce stress
 Become more aware of the effect of stress on their
bodies and emotions
 Apply techniques to change their reactions to
stressors
 Reduce overall family stress
 Families improve their emotional and physical health,
improving work and household productivity
 Children’s reduced stress levels make it easier for
them to engage appropriately at school and group
activities
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equal opportunity/ADA institution
Communicating
Program
participant
changes
Outcomes
Community
benefits
Money Matters
Program
participant
changes
Outcomes
 Learn the dynamics of the communication process
 Learn positive techniques for productive
communication
 Practice expressing messages effectively
 Practice reflective listening
 Understand how to identify and interpret what others
are communicating
 Communicate more effectively
 Reduce overall family stress
 Improve overall family communication
 Families improve work and household productivity

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


Community
benefits
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

Identify personal money styles
Practice family resource allocation
Learn about the importance of a spending plan
Understand what motivates personal financial
decisions
Understand trade-offs among competing resource
demands within the family
Increase communication skills within the family
Reduce family stress
Families make fewer demands on community/agency
resources
Reduces the demand for predatory financial products
and services
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equal opportunity/ADA institution
Go For It—Setting
Goals
Program
participant
changes
Outcomes
Community
benefits
Consumer Beware
Program
participant
changes
Outcomes
Community
benefits
 Learn how to create specific, measurable, achievable
goals
 Break goals into manageable steps
 Learn strategies to stay on track for achieving goals
 Learn how to balance individual and family goals
 Set realistic goals
 Reach desired goals
 Resolve conflicts when individual and family goals
compete
 Demands on community/agency resources are
reduced
 Families make greater contributions to community
well-being
 Learn to protect their identity from theft
 Learn warning signs of fraud and predatory lending
practices
 Become a more informed and empowered consumer
 Take precautions to prevent identity theft and fraud
 Report scams and fraudulent schemes to appropriate
authorities
 Maximize family resources
 Make better and more informed credit choices
 Others in the community are protected
 Financial institutions create alternative loan products
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equal opportunity/ADA institution
Healthy Home
Program
participant
changes
Outcomes

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
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


Community
benefits
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
Kids and SelfEsteem
Program
participant
changes
Outcomes
Community
benefits
Identify indoor pollutants
Understand the health effects of indoor pollutants
Understand the triggers for asthma and allergies
Identify sources of mold, carbon monoxide, radon,
lead and other dangerous indoor pollutants
Understand how poison look-alikes create a hazard
Assess their residences for pollutants
Take steps to repair damage and eliminate sources of
indoor pollutants
Have a healthier home environment
Remove or eliminate asthma and allergy triggers
Check furnace and gas-powered appliances; test for
radon; make needed repairs
Securely store medicines and hazardous materials;
clearly label containers
Absenteeism from school and the work place is
reduced
Lives are saved and illness is prevented
Demand on emergency services is reduced
 Understand what causes low self-esteem and lack of
self-awareness
 Learn how to boost self-esteem and self-awareness
 Interact with their children and family members in a
more positive way
 Set goals for developing a more resilient family
 Children interact more respectfully at home and at
school
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equal opportunity/ADA institution
Food and Fitness
Program
participant
changes
Outcomes
Community
benefits
Positive Discipline
Program
participant
changes
Outcomes
 Learn about balanced eating and healthy food choices
 Build meal planning skills
 Learn about basic fitness and incorporating physical
activity into daily life
 Eat more family meals together
 Youth become less likely to use drugs, more likely to
perform at a higher level academically, more likely to
have higher levels of self-esteem
 Offer healthy food choices to family members
 Increase daily physical activity
 Improve overall health and become less likely to
develop chronic health conditions or become better
able to manage chronic health conditions
 Healthier individuals miss less work and school
 Healthier youth are more likely to be involved in
positive ways in the community
 Healthier individuals need fewer health care
resources
 Understand the difference between discipline and
punishment
 Understand outcomes of different personal parenting
styles
 Learn about the developmental needs of children and
youth at different ages and stages
 More frequently use positive discipline techniques
with their children
 Develop a parenting style that creates a calmer and
less conflicted home environment
 Use different discipline and guidance strategies
unique to the developmental needs of different ages
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equal opportunity/ADA institution
Community
benefits
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Child Self Care
Program
participant
changes
Outcomes
Community
benefits
of children
Set appropriate expectations for youth
Better-behaved youth take pressure off the schools
and justice systems
Less-stressed parents make a greater contribution to
the work force
Families more productively engage with the
community
 Learn about the characteristics of children and youth
at different ages and stages
 Understand effective guidelines for establishing
home-alone rules
 Recognize when children are ready to spend time
alone
 Have appropriate safety rules and procedures in place
 Help children develop confidence and skills they need
to safely stay at home alone
 Children develop independence and responsibility for
themselves and, sometimes, for a younger child as
well.
 Safer children are less likely to need community
services
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equal opportunity/ADA institution
Working
Program
participant
changes
Outcomes
Community
benefits
Balancing
Responsibilities
Program
participant
changes
Outcomes
Community
benefits
 Identify personal beliefs about working
 Identify competencies and skills that employers
expect
 Identify how their personal strengths can contribute
to employment success
 Gain interview skills
 Build a resume that effectively highlights their job
skills
 Use their strengths in other aspects of their lives (e.g.,
school, community volunteering)
 More productive workforce
 Increased community involvement
 Identify work, family and life responsibilities that
compete with one another
 Identify solutions for creating balance in work, family
and life responsibilities
 Identify strategies to develop family-oriented work
policies
 Develop a personal action plan for achieving balance
 Reduce personal and family stress
 Advocate for better family policies in the workplace
 More productive workforce
 Family-supportive policies in the workplace
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equal opportunity/ADA institution