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Community-based Groups, NonProfits & Public Agencies

When local family-serving agencies, nonprofit organizations, and community based groups are better informed and work more closely together to coordinate services and programs, share resources and expertise, they are not only more cost efficient but more effective. Jefferson County’s Family Living Program leads initiatives important to local communities that can best be served by research-driven, community-based education.

Organizational Development Education

Whether its board development education, program assessment, strategic planning or providing the latest research on child and family development, Jefferson County’s Family Living Program provides direct teaching, equips staff from our public and private partners, and informs decision-makers on issues that help to build our communities’ capacities to support and strengthen families.

Organizational Analysis & Assessment

Jefferson County Head Start, Inc.

Economic Development in the 21sr Century is increasingly focused on workforce preparedness. A prepared workforce begins with young children who are ready to learn when they enter school. Pre-school combined with family support programs are recognized as effective in meeting the needs of those young children most at risk for poor educational outcomes – children in low-income families. Jefferson County Head Start, Inc. serves the educational, health, nutrition, and social support needs for over 300 low-income preschool-aged children and their families each year. UW-Extension Jefferson County’s Family Living Program has provided multiple assessment and analysis processes to the local Head Start agency which have resulted in their more closely tailoring their programs to emerging needs; identifying staff training opportunities and potential ways to realign their internal structure to be more effective at program delivery.

Community-Based Collaborations for Prevention Education

Parenting Newsletter Project

Parent education programs that begin at pregnancy or soon after can help reduce child abuse and neglect. UW-Extension Jefferson County’s Family Living Program in an 18 year partnership with the seven Kiwanis Clubs of Jefferson County, Fort Health Care, UW Health Partners Watertown Regional Medical Center, and the Southcentral Conference of St. Vincent de Paul distribute two instructional newsletters to parents of infants and toddlers in Jefferson County. Both these newsletters have been evaluated as highly effective in encouraging healthy child development and preventing child abuse and neglect. The newsletters reached over 1200 Jefferson County families last year!

Strategic Planning & Board Development

Providing research-based planning education and processes to local public and nonprofit organizations like People Against Domestic & Sexual Abuse, Inc. , Watertown Family Resource Center, Inc. and the Watertown Public Library has resulted in these organizations defining their purpose or mission and developing strategies to more effectively pursue that mission; incorporate as an independent nonnprofit organization; and create a vision for a 21st Century Library.