Providing Healthy Homes for Kentucky Families and Children

The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service continues to be excited about our involvement in the EPA Region IV Children's Environmental Health Partnership. The overall goal of our project is two-fold: to increase awareness of environmental factors that can impact children's health, and to provide parents and caregivers with the knowledge and skills to make positive changes to protection children trom these factors. Project objectives include: . Establish and maintain a state-level working group to share information and coordinate children's environmental health outreach. . Catalog and develop teaching resources for use in children's environmental health education and outreach programs. . Provide training for county Extension agents, other professionals and paraprofessionals involved in children's environmental health outreach. . Provide support for educational programs conducted at the county, multi-county and state level. . Evaluate and compile results from children's environmental health outreach activities and programs. Our project is conducted statewide, and has three primary audience groups. Trainings and initial activities are targeted to Extension agents and other agencies working to address children's environmental health concerns. The ultimate audience is the general public, specifically parents and caregivers with young children. Project evaluation takes place on many levels. Extension agents and other participants at training sessions are asked for feedback and reaction the day ofthe program. Extension agents are polled frequently and asked to submit evaluation results trom programs conducted at the county level. Program impact statements submitted by Extension agents each year are routinely searched to identify and document results from programs related to children's environmental health. These evaluation results are compiled in quarterly reports and annual project reports. While much attention has been focused on developing educational materials during the past 12 months, program implementation will be the focus for the next 18 months. Major activities will include: . Distributing the new publication "Protect Your Child From Environmental Health Risks," and promoting its use through educational programs and activities. Providing support for county and multi-county outreach activities. Continuing and expanding the state-level Children's Environmental Health Working Group. Promoting October as Children's Environmental Health Month through media outlets, county programs and special environmental health fairs. Partnering with the Expanded Foods and Nutrition Education Program to reach lowincome families in the 53 participating counties. .