The conference call was convened by Dr. Jean Baldwin, Chair.

Members present:

Jorge Atiles, University of Georgia
Sue Badenhop, University of Kentucky
M. Jean Baldwin, NC A&T State University
Brian Calhoun, Virginia Tech
Bobbie Clark, University of Tennessee
Evelyn Crayton, Auburn University
Kasundra Cyrus, Southern University AgCenter
Carolyn Dunn, NC State University
Mabel "Dianna" Edlow, Florida A&M University
Gina Eubanks, Southern University AgCenter
Margaret Hale, Texas A&M University
Lynda C. Harriman, Oklahoma State University
Shirley Hastings, University of Tennessee
Mildred Holland, Alcorn State University
Beverly Howell, Mississippi State University
Ellen Murphy, Louisiana State University AgCenter
Carolyn Nobles, Prairie View A&M University
Nancy Porter, Clemson University
Sharon Robinson, Texas A& M University
Tom Rodgers, University of Georgia
Lynn Russell, University of Arkansas
Thelma Sanders-Hunter, Tennessee State University
Linda St. Clair, West Virginia State
Bonnie Tanner, University of Kentucky
Nayda Torres, University of Florida
Sandy Zaslow, NC State University

Call to Order

Chair Beverly Howell called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m. Participants introduced themselves. Jean Baldwin moved, Shirley Hasting seconded, that the minutes of the August 25-27, 2003 meeting be approved. Motion passed to accept the August 2003 minutes as recorded.

Update from Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension (CSREES):

Mary McPhail Gray, Deputy Administrator, Families, 4-H and Nutrition:

• Expressed her appreciation to the Southern Region for their support and partnership both as a group with each other and with the federal partner.
• Told the FCS program leaders that it is very helpful to get a look at what the group is doing from the CSREES level. This really helps her to see the kinds of things being done, which keeps her grounded and helps her to be a better advocate.
• Thanked the group for thoughtful feedback on the 2006 proposed food stamp nutrition framework. She received 880 thoughtful comments. A three-page summary was crafted around major points and is included in the packet. She noted that we probably had the most powerful research based set of comments around the country. This was very effective at the federal level.
• Talked about accountability. The power of evaluation of programs is very important. A One Solution Committee with CSREES is a culmination of the planning and accountability office along with the technology people. The goal is to develop a useable way for the whole system to report as much as possible on the federal, state, and county levels.
• Reported that visits to IT group made over the last year (seven different states) really helped get a sense of the power of the state systems that have been developed and what criteria would be useful for the system.
• Asked the FCS program leaders' group to give her any suggestions and ideas about what would be useful. A system needs to be in place in the next 6-8 months so there can be some piloting before the next 5-year plan of work has to be reported.
• Reported that (OMB) is requiring an audit of all major program areas in all parts of the Federal government in a 3-year cycle.
• Noted that a Portfolio System is being created based on the logic model to evaluate Extension.
• Talked about the new staff members recently introduced. Suzanne LeMenestrel is the National Program Leader in Youth Development Research. Laikhe Jones is the Program Specialist in 4-H Essential Elements and Program. Shannon Bedo is the Program Specialist in Professional Development and Strategic Initiatives. There is a final candidate for National Program Leader in Maternal Child Nutrition and Health. Candidate Reviews are underway for Baylor Maternal/Child Nutrition Program Leader and Nutrition Research and Extension NPL. We really have no one in child development at the national level right now and it is a problem. We also need a national program leader in youth development to help advance what we are doing in Essential Elements.
• Talked about Food Stamp Nutrition Education. Helen Chipman is first line to communicate with states. This position is funded by NASULGC in partnership with us. A group of about five of the Food Nutrition Services Administrators will go on a tour of our Food and Nutrition Program in Delaware, Virginia, and Maryland. Gray talked with the director of the Food Stamp Program. The tone of the things we need to count has changed. We have created new collaborations and community support networks that were never there before who now understand more about Food Stamps and more about education. We need to count those new collaborations and community support networks as impacts of our work.
• Talked about the 1890/1862 power of collaboration and what special relationship there is between these institutions and how that can enrich the work EFNEP is trying to do.
• Highlighted upcoming conferences: 1) The Nutrition Food Safety and Health Conference will be hosted by CSREES in the spring 2005. 2) Preister Health Conference will be in April 2005. 3) A Family Life Specialist Conference in April 2005. 4) The Housing, Education and Research Association Conference in 2005 will be in Denver. 5) In September 2005, the Nutrition Connections: People, Programs, Science and Community will be hosted by EFNEP and other nutrition systems at the federal level. 6) The Obesity Conference will hold 400 attendees. 7) The Board of Human Sciences in November.
• Discussed the CSREES Health and Obesity Cross-Unit Task Force. The task force met and listened to a number of good programs from around the country and had an internal seminar. There were excellent presentations around economics of obesity, the policy related to obesity, the functional foods related to obesity, the power of EFNEP, and Food Stamp Nutrition. The West and North Central multi-state commitment is to work on obesity and obesity prevention. AAAS submitted a proposal to provide a session on the power of CSREES to prevent obesity and to showcase what USDA and the Land-Grant System can do on this issue. The National 4-H Leadership Trust has a commitment to look at what 4-H can do in the area of prevention of obesity. With one in three overweight children having diabetes, youth and families must get to work on this together. There is concern that majority of obese children will not outlive their parents. In October the Oklahoma National 4-H Conference in Oklahoma City, is an opportunity to have collective discussions about what we want to do.

Open Discussion with Mary McPhail Gray:

Question (Q): What are the biggest challenges this year?
Answer (A): The budget is a major issue. We have to stay optimistic - not whiners. There is a little bit of discretionary money and she welcomes suggestions on its use. It could be used to possibly support travel to come together to do some brainstorming.

Q: Where do you see Family and Consumer Science going internationally?
A: Many earlier projects have been cut. Tight budgets have limited foreign travel. 9/11 impacted foreign travel. Some exchange programs have potential. More faculty members need to be multi-cultural and internationally literate.

CECP FCS Module Development:

Ellen Murphy, our FCS Representative on the Cooperative Extension Curriculum Project (CECP) Steering Committee shared the following information:

• Two brochures were put together by the steering committee. To access the web site address found in the brochure (www.cecp_online.org), you must have a user name and password. A module is much more than text, pictures and a PowerPoint presentation. If someone wants to know what a module is, what it looks like, what it is made up of, this website will serve as your guide. The flagship module is on the website.
• There are six either complete or incomplete modules in the area of Family and Consumer Science. There are two categories of modules; there is one for certified modules and one for uncertified modules. The modules currently at the site are all uncertified, which means they have not been peer reviewed. Once they have been peer reviewed, they will become certified.
• The process is slow but we have finally gotten the teams together. There are four module development groups with a chair and co-chair:
  • Family Resource Management (Sue Bandenhop, Kentucky, Chair; Joyce Jones, Oklahoma, Co-Chair)
  • Health (Bobbie Clarke, Tennessee, Chair; Linda Jouridine, Kentucky Co-Chair)
  • Food, Nutrition, and Food Safety (Sharon Robinson, Texas, Chair; No Co-Chair)
  • Family and Child Development (Irene Lee - Arkansas [agreed to serve temporarily as chair until someone else can be found], No Co-Chair)
  • Housing (Jorge Atiles, Georgia, Chair; Sarah Kirby, North Carolina, Co-Chair)
• Specialists in those four areas serve as team members. Chairs will call a meeting in October and bring the specialists in each area together for development of the modules. The competencies are the basis for module development. If you have a competency, which indicates that an agent should be proficient in these three concepts, then those three concepts would form the modules that need to be developed.
• The first step is to set up the module teams. One of the guidelines for what the steering committee is supposed to do is once the module teams are formed if the team cannot identify someone for a curriculum; they are supposed to come back to the steering committee. For FCS, Murphy would work with the steering committee to help identify people to assist. The steering committee set out the guidelines a couple of months ago on the two ways that a module team can be formed. There are also guidelines that say who should serve on a module team. There should be program specialists, curriculum specialists, communications people, and IT people.
• The modules also need to be peer reviewed. Peer review is a big issue that is in discussion right now with the steering committee, and the committee has not made a final decision. There is no broad decision as to what constitutes peer review. One of the ideas is that when you go back to your university you need to be looking at what constitutes peer review for the university and use that same format.
• There are two different ways for a module team to operate. One is either a multi-state effort, where you have a program specialist in one state, a communications specialist from a different state and an IT person from a different state. Another way is to have the module team all from one state. Realistically, the way Murphy sees it might work is to determine what the module is going to be then get specialists to take the leadership on getting that module developed, then get communications and IT people and to see if they would be willing to assist. If IT people in the home state cannot help, then help would be requested from someone in another state. These are the conversations that are going on in the steering committee right now. The bottom line is that it does not really matter how much we converse with IT, until their director tells them that they need to work with us it might not happen. We will need administrative support, if it is going to work. Right now, everybody is focused on eXtension. CECP could be the premier place to publish for Extension. The focus of eXtension is the public. The focus for CECP is Extension personnel.
• The review process was discussed by the steering committee. It was decided that the review process would include a review of content, using a one sheet grading system that looks at readability and royalties. The chair would send a letter to reviewers (chair means module team chair) with the guidelines for review (which would probably be the standards). Three weeks will be allowed for the review. The review team will consist of an agent, an academic faculty member, a specialist from another region, an industry person, and a Dean or Departmental Head.

The group recognized the retirement of Tom Rodgers, Kathy Volanty, and Diane Smathers. Gifts were purchased and sent to each of them.

The meeting recessed at 5:00 p.m.

Chair Beverly Howell reconvened the meeting at 8:00 a.m.

Critical Issues Committees Reports:

State and Federal Funding Versus Grants and Contracts - Nayda Torres
A written report was distributed and discussed. The South is the leader in several negative health issues. There are positive and negative issues associated with grant versus state dollars.

Positive:

1. New way of doing programs in new focus areas.
2. Overhead dollars are available to do other programs.
3. Additional dollars for operative, maintenance and equipment become available.

Negative:

1. If faculty get grants and add salary above and beyond current income, the support for county faculty decreases because they are following the money.
2. Grants can create inequities among program focus areas.
3. If it takes us away from the mission we get in trouble; our mission is education and not providing a service.
4. Do not take away from your core. Current people should not be put on soft money. If you move a person from state/federal funding to soft money, and use the salary savings to hire another faculty, then you may not have the salary dollars available for the person who was on the original funded position when the grant dollars are no longer there.
   

Foundations for the mid south:

• Doris Duke Foundation - violence prevention
• Robert wood Johnson - health education
• Kettering Foundation - public policy
• Kellogg Foundation - childhood obesity
• ARS - Delta nutrition intervention research initiative
• Walmart Foundation - after school programs
  

Sources of Money:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield
• State Farm
• Insurance Companies
• Tyson Food
• American Express
• FDIC
• Multi-state programs is one way to secure funds
  

Guiding Principles:

• Mixed portfolio
  

Plan of Action:

• Formulate idea and see if we get funding
• Identify source of funding and explore program possibilities
  

Two areas:

• Health - obesity
• Credit - Debt management
  

Form a task force for each area to seek multi-state grant funding. Assistant directors/program leaders will nominate faculty to work on proposal. Criteria - successful grant recipients.

In order to get multi-state funding, we have to have good data to show that over time education is making a difference and that people are changing their behavior. The group discussed changing behavior and attitudes, such as eating correctly and managing money.

Two issues that our group needs to work on are:

1. Identifying an area to work together in a multi-state collaboration.
2. Identifying a funding source.

A motion was made by Bonnie Tanner and seconded by Kasundra Cyrus that we appoint two task forces to work on the issues identified. The motion was passed unanimously.

Adequate Funding and Staffing for FCS Programs and FCS Positions within Extension and the University - Lynn Russell
These two separate committees decided to merge at the spring meeting in Atlanta. A survey was created and distributed to all the program leaders in the Southern region to collect more data. This survey was analyzed and discussed by the group. Changes needed for clarification were noted. The intent was to make sure that the questions on the survey are clear so people will be able to respond appropriately.

Annual Plan of Work:

The group completed the plan of work for 2004-2005. Jean Baldwin will submit the plan for posting at the SRDC-PLN web site.

Multi-State Obesity in Minority Youth Conference:

Nayda Torres (Florida) reported that NASULGC is interested in having obesity conferences in Missouri, Iowa, and Florida. NASULGC will cover the cost of the keynote speaker, some travel expenses, meeting rooms, and breaks. The targeted audience would be youth. The conference is being planned for February or early March. The following people agreed to serve on a committee to plan the conference as an event hosted in Florida for the southern region:

• Carolyn Nobles (Texas)
• Sandy Zaslow and Carolyn Dunn (North Carolina)
• Kasundra Cyrus (Louisiana)
• Thelma Sanders-Hunter (Tennessee)
• Lynda Harriman (Oklahoma)

Joint Meeting with 4-H

The FCS program leaders met jointly with the 4-H program leaders. Jacqueline Learner (Boston College) and Christina Theokas (Tufts University) discussed The 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development. Positive Youth Development (P Y D) has a positive approach to youth development rather than using a deficit model. Information about the Health Rocks program was shared. Health Rocks! is a decision-making program for youth ages 8 to 12. The program is taught by teens.

Two areas were suggested for FCS and 4-H to work together: 1) Health & Obesity, and 2) Financial Literacy. The Regional Obesity Conference in mid-February is an opportunity for the two groups to work together. The conference is not just for children but others, family members, and others interacting with children through agencies/organizations. It was decided that 4-H and FCS would get together to develop the content of conference together and invite those who have an interest in it to participate.

Update from Association of Extension Administrators:

Gina Eubanks, Administrative Advisor, reported that:

• An executive director for coordination of 1890 programs has been hired.
• Program development teams met as a part of the AEA summer meeting.
• Kasundra Cyrus who heads the 1890 Strengthening the Family Team, which is looking at available curricula.
• AEA is refining their Strategic Plan to focus in on what they are doing and what they hope to accomplish.
• ARD & AEA will have joint meetings next summer.
  

Update from Association of Southern Region Extension Directors:

Margaret Hale, Administrative Advisor, reported that:

• The directors had a retreat in June. The directors recognize our contribution to food stamp education. Mary McPhail Gray shared the need for directors to have their staff call Helen Chipman for state specific information. States should develop their own individual relationships at the state level.
• With CECP we need to talk about content and community teams. She complimented the group on the good job we are doing with CECP.
• The issue of economic accountability greatly affects us. Those figures speak volumes to key decision makers.
  
• Bo Beaulieu, Director, Southern Rural Development Center provided a presentation to the directors about challenges facing rural America. Beaulieu has information on rural America, which says that rural needs are important to a county.
  

State Updates (written reports condensed):

South Carolina - Deborah J. Thomason, Clemson:

• South Carolina continues to experience severe financial constraints. The vice president for public service and agriculture outlined: 1) cost-saving, leveraging, and enhancement strategies, 2) timelines and expectations, 3) an incentive system, and 4) guiding principles to address the financial situation.
• Early retirement has left the state with 13 FTEs in family and consumer sciences to cover 46 counties. All agents are focusing on food safety and nutrition. Agents previously working in family development and financial management are being reassigned to food safety and nutrition or 4-H.
• Faculty formerly in the Department of Family and Youth Development have been reassigned to the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management. Extension Associates have been reassigned to other academic departments, retired or resigned.

Puerto Rico- Yolanda Muiioz Guevara, University of Puerto Rico:

• There are seventy-one (71) Family and Consumer Sciences Agents (65 in Regular Program and 6 in EFNEP), seven (7) Specialists, EFNEP State Coordinator, and Family and Consumer Sciences Program Leader.
• EFNEP Program has 41 Program Aides who are the peer educators, 6 Extension Agents who serve as direct Supervisors of the peer educators, a Nutrition Specialist, and State Coordinator.
• Persons in charge of Food Esta - PRAES have worked in partnership with the Puerto Rico Department of Health, Food Establishment Hygiene Program to offer the Food Safety Certification Course to Persons in Charge of food establishments.
• The project: "Puerto Rico Empower Parents to Raise Successful Kids" (PREPAS), received national recognition award in 2004 CYFAR Annual Conference in Seattle, Washington.
  

Mississippi - Beverly Howell, Mississippi State University:

• The Family and Consumer Sciences program continues to provide programming in five focus areas: Child and Family Development, Family Resource Management, Health, Leadership Development, and Nutrition and Food Safety. Currently, 34 specialized area agents, each serving approximately ten counties, deliver programs in FCS.
• Delta HOPE, a tri-state project with Arkansas and Louisiana, is an experiential program that teaches nutrition and physical activity to children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the project is targeting 65 schools in the Mississippi Delta over four years.
• Contingency funding has been received for the Family Nutrition Program (FNP).
• The Agromedicine Program, which is in the third year of funding through CDC, is now staffed with two area agents. An epidemiologist is scheduled to begin work in early October.
• The Nurturing Homes Initiative (NHI), in its fourth year of funding, continues to teach unlicensed family home childcare providers how to be more effective at what they do.
• The Rural Health Project continues to work with community health coalitions, Master Health Education Volunteers, and the Rural Medical Scholars (RMS) program. Eight RMS graduates have been accepted into medical school (their first year of eligibility).
  

Louisiana - Ellen Murphy, Louisiana State University AgCenter:

• A grant from the Louisiana Child Caring Foundation of Blue Cross Blue Shield will provide $1.8 million over 5 years for multiple interventions with youth in Louisiana schools to address the childhood obesity epidemic.
• This project provides funding for Louisiana Body Walk, a 35-40 ft. walk-through, hands-on exhibit representing the human body designed for K-5 youth. The exhibit is targeted to reach a minimum of 150,000 children (by the fifth year of the program) through schools and community health events. See website, www.bodywalk.org for pictures.
• Additional funding will integrate childhood obesity curricular tools into 250 schools, grades K-5, using OrganWise Guys Take 10!, a school based nutrition and physical activity program for elementary schools. Agents will conduct the school assembly nutrition program and teacher training for Take 10! See website, www.take10.net.
• In order to examine the effectiveness of the Body Walk exhibit combined with the OrganWise Guys Take 10! curricular tools in promoting healthy lifestyle habits, a research project will be conducted by the Louisiana State University School of Human Ecology and Department of Kinesiology in cooperation with the LSU AgCenter. A pilot study will validate the research tools and methodology and will be followed by a formal investigation to compare children who have participated in the program with those who have not.
• Extension is also partnering with the Louisiana Department of Education on a TEAM Nutrition grant in which $65,000 is being used to replicate the Kellogg project in 10 schools and 4 Head Start programs in southeast Louisiana.

North Carolina, M. Jean Baldwin, N C A& T State University:

• Cooperative Extension at North Carolina A&T State University has developed a curriculum called Parenting Matters to fill the need for parenting training for parents mandated by the court to participate in parent education and parents who are referred by the Department of Social Services (DSS) or other agencies. Many of the parents are referred to the program because they have abused or neglected their children or are at high risk of doing so.
• The goal of Parenting Matters is to prevent child abuse by providing educational learning experiences that increase the use of positive parenting practices. The objectives are to help parents to identify and use ways they can: 1) be a positive influence for their children; 2) engage in self-care so they can successfully handle parenting challenges; 3) understand their child's age appropriate behavior, 4) communicate effectively to improve their relationship with their children; 5) discipline appropriately; 6) manage stress effectively; and 7) build a stronger support system.
• The curriculum consists of an eight-session curriculum, which uses the Experiential Learning and incorporates key elements of the National Extension Parent Education Model. After each session, parents complete follow-through activities, which are take-home activities designed to provide the opportunity for parents to reflect on topics discussed and to make practical application of knowledge gained. FCS agents in North Carolina and Alabama (Tuskegee) have implemented Parenting Matters.
  

North Carolina, Sandra A. Zaslow, N C State University:

• Resources in Human Development -* Secrets of Parenting Series which include: Modeling, molding, mediating; Responsibility, confidence & independence; All Parents want to love their children; Building a great relationship with your teen; What's the risk?; Parental stress can spill over to the kids; Reducing whining & improving young children's self-control. Contact: Karen DeBord, Karen_debord@ncsu.edu.
• Help Yourself to a Healthy Home is a national project designed to protect children and their caregivers from housing conditions that may cause injury and disease. In 2003-2004, NC introduced 4 new modules for the curriculum. Contacts: Sarah Kirby (kirby@ncsu.edu), Sandy Wiggins (sandy_wiggins@ncsu.edu)
• Mold 101 is a pilot curriculum that consists of a series of educational modules addressing various mold issues. Contacts: Sarah Kirby (Sarah_kirby@ncsu.edu), Sandy Wiggins (sandy_wiggins@ncsu.edu), Ellen Smoak (smoak@ncat.edu).
• "Bridges Out of Poverty" provides a comprehensive exploration of Ruby Payne's, "A Framework for Understanding Poverty." This training presents a framework for understanding the cultural differences between the socioeconomic classes, especially between middle class and generational poverty. Using certified trainers, NCSU Department of Family and Consumer Sciences has presented "Bridges Out of Poverty" to approximately 135 NC Extension staff and faculty. Contacts: Susan S. Jakes (susan_jakes@ncsu.edu), Robin 0. Roper (robin_roper@ncsu.edu),Ruby K. Payne (www.ahaprocess.com)
• Childhood overweight is being address by the following programs: Color Me Healthy, Cybershopper, Read Me A Story. Programs for Families include Reaching Families Through Family Physicians and EFNEP. Contact: Carolyn Dunn (Carolyn_dunn@ncsu.edu)
  

Funding Sources for FCS Programs:

Bo Beaulieu, Director, Southern Rural Development, talked about potential funding sources for FCS programs. There are federal sources and foundation sources. Federal sources are more research oriented. For federal sources, the vita must be strong research and the quality of the research project will be scrutinized.

For foundation sources or grants you need:

1. Relationships. Grants are driven by relationships.
2. A track record of performance. With a track record, people will come to you; so there is a need to give visibility to your work especially beyond your state (i.e. thru website).
3. To demonstrate performance at low cost (go cheap with high performance); build trust then stay at table.
4. Partnerships. Extend your work beyond the traditional Extension base. 

Other sources that relate to our work:

• HHS (Health and Human Service; has rural health initiative.)
• Office of Rural Health Policy
• Office of Labor (Work Force Development).
• TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families)
• WOIA (has focus on youth)
• EPA (Environmental Protection Agency; push on environmental and health.)
• ERS (food assistance to human nutrition)
• SRDC (puts out grant connections where they identify grants related to our areas.)
• LUMINA Foundation (involved in innovative outreach in higher education system)
• National Rural Funders Collaborative (includes Kellogg, Ford, Casey Foundation, nrfc.org; They do not just invest in rural areas. They fund health, youth, families, and social justice issues.)
  

Make contacts through the strength of weak ties. You know someone directly who directly knows someone else. The philanthropic community will not pay attention to your proposal until they know you. Your relationships are important. The "expert model" will not work. When thinking about segment of population, you need to bring in all stakeholders to get their participation and buy in.

The meeting recessed at 5:00 p.m.

Chair Beverly Howell reconvened the meeting at 8:30 a.m.

Howell gave a report from the PLC. The PLC voted to move forward on the action items, which included the health conference and support for CECP. Support from NASULGC for the health conference helped us to get the administrative support. National program leaders will be placed in different states to build an infrastructure for eXtension. There will be a National Team leader specialist housed in state with their time bought by eXtension.

CECP Module Team Chairs:

On October 20-22, specialists from various states working on module development in all four areas will come together for a joint meeting. First, there will be a joint meeting, and then individual teams will be working together.

Two emails to be sent:

1. One to all specialists on list with survey to see what materials are available.
2. Another to all specialists coming to October meeting.

Ellen Murphy requested and received the following recommendations for chair of the Nutrition Family and Children:

Nutrition
Janice Hermann will serve as Co-Chair. (Sharon Robinson, Oklahoma remains as chair.)

Child Development
Will self-select a chair at the October meeting. Kasundra Cyrus will facilitate the group until a chair is named.

Two committees were formed: 1) Funding to support travel and module development (Ellen Murphy, Shirley Hastings, Bonnie Tanner), and 2) Peer Review (Pat Sombrero, Lynda Harriman, Nayda Torres)

National ECOP (BoHS) EFNEP Task Force:

Lynda Harriman presented the following report:

Task Force Goals:

1. Enhance the Congressional allocation of funding to EFNEP to the authorized level of $83 million.
   • Held 35 Anniversary celebration in Washington D.C. in March 2004 inviting congressmen and women and their aids.
   • Prepared tool kit for EFNEP coordinators and State Leaders to promote EFNEP with their own Senators and Representatives
2. Identify critical national issues that can be utilized in advocating for increased funding for EFNEP.
   • Held 35 Anniversary celebration in Washington D.C. in March 2004 inviting congressmen and women and their aids.
   • Prepared tool kit for EFNEP coordinators and State Leaders to promote EFNEP with their own Senators and Representative
3. Influence Legislative Agendas, authorizations and language that will result in an increase in EFNEP support.
   • Met with the Blue Ribbon Team (BRT) Lobby firm hired by Board on Ag. And the lobbyist for the 1890 institutions.
   • NASIJLG liaison Linda Benning tracks related legislation that we may be able to influence, (ie) Child Nutrition reauthorization, Impact Legislation H.R. 716 introduced by Representative Bono, California.
   • Established position descriptions for two Interns:
     1. One to work with NASTJLG liaison Linda Bennnning
     2. One to work in conjunction with program leaders at CSREES

Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program Discussion:

Alabama A&M will take seven urban counties for food stamp program. Auburn will have 47 rural counties. Alabama also is restructuring.

eXtension:

Carla Craycraft and Craig Wood visited with the group to talk about eXtension. They urged FCS program leaders to:

• Believe in what eXtension can do for people who interact with extension to get information.
• Figure out ways to get what we are doing out there using technology.
• Become a champion for eXtension.
• Keep honest and open communication. The goal is to make eXtension work for the good of whole.

State Updates (written reports condensed):

Georgia- Jorge H. Atiles, University of Georgia:

• FACS Extension was awarded approximately $5.6 million from 18 different organizations in FY04 including county, state and federal agencies; private industry; foundations; community development corporations; and other universities to provide FACS Extension programs and services in specific locations and/or in specialized content areas. Non-funded partnerships were also fostered.
• Research by faculty in the Foods and Nutrition Department has shown that the rate of childhood obesity in Georgia is higher than the national average. As a result, FACS plans to hire an Extension youth health specialist and 6 youth health agents in the next two years to focus on this and other important health issues facing the youth of Georgia.
• FACS Extension is an active participant in the UGA poverty initiative. Approximately 63% of participants in FACS Extension educational programs in 2003 were considered at-risk or low income.
• FACS Extension has initiated changes in their delivery system that will allow them to address the urbanization of Georgia. Specialized training has been provided for county agents that work in urban areas of the state and are participating with the CAES in determining methods and processes for implementing "urban Extension".
• FACS Extension actively addresses and continues to seek opportunities to meet the needs of the increasing population of Latinos in our state. Agents have participated in travel studies in Mexico and Costa Rica to explore language and culture. Bilingual educators are hired and educational materials are translated into Spanish. Poultry and carpet industry as well as the migrant farms are targeted to receive specialized FACS training delivered in Spanish.

Florida - Dianna Edlow Florida A&M University:

• A new extension educator has been hired. Forty percent of her time will be devoted to ECS activities while 60 percent will be devoted to community development.
• A conference on home-based businesses is planned for early next year. The conference involves a partnership with the Small Business Development Center and the Department of Business and Professional Regulations.
• All year long (and especially during football season), many food vendors move around selling their wares. The Department of Business and Professional Regulations cannot reach all regarding health standards. As a result, this fall a food safety training for roving food vendors and occasional food handlers is planned. This will be a train-the-trainer workshop where owners or supervisors are trained, and then they will provide training for their employees.
• The program leader was notified that she was awarded graduate faculty status and will serve on graduate thesis committees.
• Work has been done with the FAMU Small Farm Program to develop value-added products for hot peppers and sweet potatoes. This work has gone well and has had positive responses to some of the products we have developed.
  

Upcoming FCS Program Leaders Conference Calls

October 1, 2004
January 7, 2005
April 1, 2005
July 1, 2005

All calls are at 9:00 a.m. Central Time. The call in number is (662) 325-8448.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:00 noon.

Submitted for corrections and approval,
M. Jean Baldwin, Secretary