Guiding Our
Children through
a New Century
A Look at a New
Family & Consumer Science
Family Resiliency Program
OHCE Leader Lesson 2006
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Where have we been?
Where are we going?
► Walk
down the path of child development and
child rearing over the past decades
► Then
look at current issues facing
children and youth in our Oklahoma
communities and how it impacts us
► Look
at the plan to strengthen children, youth,
families & communities
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1900-1920
► Large
% of children were from immigrants
► Poverty and health problems
► Child labor
Theories of parenting & child development
 Control a child’s behavior and punish bad habits
 Early childhood experiences will affect later
development
 An individual personality is set at childhood
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1920-1940
► Great
Depression and unemployment
Theories of parenting & child development
 research began to look at growth and
development patterns
 child’s behavior develops in stages
 ego development is a life time process
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1940-1960
► Rock
‘n Roll/Elvis
► Mass Market Production---cars, TVs, appliances
► Increased birth rate - Baby boom generation
Theories of parenting & child development
 Mother/child attachment; emotionally connected
 More focus on influence of child’s environment
 Reinforcement of positive behavior
 Flexibility & moderation (Dr. Spock)
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1960-1980
►
►
►
►
Civil Rights, Vietnam War, Watergate
Women’s liberation, War on Poverty
Disco, Oil shortages
Increased divorces, single/unmarried parents
Theories of parenting & child development
 More resources & programs ---magazines, books, classes,
Head Start
 Children are motivated to learn to make sense of world
 Natural & logical consequences
 Addressing basic needs for intellectual/emotional growth
 Parenting styles -authoritarian, permissive, authoritative6
1980-2000
► Two-income households - Balance of work &
► Internet, media & technology
► Greater diversity – family structure, culture,
family
economic, religion
Theories of parenting & child development
 People, systems, and community influence
child’s development --- child care, family,
culture, faith community, school, policies
 Understanding individual differences in children
and effects of changing family lifestyles
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2000-2010+
► Terrorism
– 9/11
► Technology
► Global view
► Cultural changes
 How will current issues affect our practices for
children, youth and their parents?
 What does research tell us can strengthen
children, families & communities in the future?
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Critical Issues in Oklahoma
Statewide public listening sessions, county program
advisory committees, & statistics identified:
► great
concern for alcohol/substance abuse, teen
pregnancy, violence, school and health problems,
and other “risky” behaviors
► need
for more positive experiences for children &
youth to reduce risk of engaging in negative
activities, including in home, school, and hours out
of school
► lack
of community and parental involvement
regarding children and youth
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Risky Behaviors in
Children & Youth
What does this mean to you?
High Risk Behavior---
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A Snapshot of Oklahoma
► Annually…
 2,400 babies born to school-age teens
 3,000 youth admitted for substance abuse
treatment
 8,000 young people quit high school
 24,000 arrests involve juveniles
 12,000 students and teachers are bullied
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Costs & Benefits
► Many
risks impact long-term productivity, healthy
functioning, and costs to the community & state.
► Protective
factors in home and community can
reduce risks.
► Prevention,
education, and early intervention are
cost-effective investments capable of reaping
long-term benefits.
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How does this issue affect
you and me?
► Increase
use of county and state tax dollars to
aid in the juvenile delinquent system.
► _______
► ______
► ______
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What Research Tells Us
► Many
factors influence why some children have
successes growing up while others face more
challenges
► Specific
assets or protective factors - experiences,
skills, relationships, values and qualities positively influence young people’s lives and
reduce likelihood of high risk behaviors
► The
average young person in the U.S. experiences
less than 1/2 of these critical factors
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Focus on Younger Youth
► Younger
youth are participating in
risk behaviors such as alcohol &
drug use, sexual activity,
delinquency
► More
economical and effective to
prevent problem behaviors than
to fix them
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FCS Family Resiliency
Programs
Address human and family development
through programs that:
► Promote
positive child & youth development
► Provide
approaches to help children and
families cope with challenges and transitions
► Teach
skills for healthy relationships
► Strengthen
parents and families
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OK Cooperative Extension
Response
5-year Family Resiliency Impact Program

Will address concern about high risk behaviors in
children and youth by promoting positive child &
youth development

To be implemented July 2006 through 2011

Approx. 26 county FCS & 4-H educators across the
state are on this impact team

Some information will benefit all counties
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Key Strategies
Building strong assets for children & youth:
 developing children’s positive social skills reasoning, decision-making, communication,
relationships, resistance, peaceful conflict
resolution
parent involvement and skills for positive parentchild communication and family relationships
teacher/child care provider training to enhance
quality of classroom and out-of-school programs
positive community support & activities
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Research shows
problem-solving skills
positively impact…
► children’s
► thinking
social adjustment and behavior
of different solutions to problems
► resolving
interpersonal conflicts
► reduction
of physical and verbal aggression
► showing
concerns for peers
► test
scores and reading grade levels
► improved behavior and problem solving skills
several years afterwards
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I Can Problem Solve (ICPS)
& Raising a Thinking Child
► Based
on over 20 years research
► Focus
on preschool through pre-teens
► Teaches
children to think of different ways to solve
everyday problems, consider consequences,
recognize thoughts and feelings, communicate
is to teach children HOW to think rather than
WHAT to think
► Aim
► Training
parents and teachers to learn and
reinforce concepts is important
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Let’s do an Example!
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How can OHCE help?
► Mentor
relationships with children, youth
and parents in settings with ext. educator
► Support and funding for county program
and educator
► Value and support parents and children –
individually and as a community
► Learn more about the issues and what
“assets” are important to children and youth
► Spread the word - educate others
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Guiding Our Children
through this Century
► The
Leader Lesson packet and presentation
ideas
► We
appreciate the partnership of OHCE!
► Questions??
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For more information, contact:
Your county educator, district FCS specialist
or
Debbie Richardson, Parenting Asst. Specialist
debbie.richardson@okstate.edu
405-744-6231
www.fcs.okstate.edu
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