Responsibilities. Responsibilities of the County Extension Agent For Family and Consumer Sciences

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1 Responsibilities Responsibilities of the County Extension Agent For Family and Consumer Sciences The Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) agents provides leadership and supervision for the county s Nutrition Education Program (NEP) and is responsible for planning, organizing, directing, implementing, and evaluating all facets of the program. Supervision functions include: Define job responsibilities of assistant Plan and establish workload of assistant Allocate assistants time to youth and adult NEP (80% to adults and 20% to youth) Define geographic work area of assistant Conduct regular office conferences with assistant to review progress; plan to involve assistant in other Extension programs. Obtain weekly schedule of activities. Accompany assistant on teaching visits and group meetings for program monitoring and control (twice a year recommended) Evaluate assistants performance using NEP Required Performance Standards Supervise preparation and ensure completion of required reports Agents consider needs of NEP and other limited resource audiences in program planning. They coordinate and plan for NEP programs with assistance from other county staff, assistants, advisory groups, program families, District Directors and NEP State staff to: Recruit and enroll limited resource youth in 4-H programs Assist in locating and training volunteer leaders to participate in all facets of NEP Arrange for marketing and publicity of NEP to keep local officials, County Extension Councils, and the public informed of program accomplishments Cooperate with other agencies and groups working with limited resource audiences in their county. 1

2 Responsibilities of the County Extension Agent for 4-H Youth Development 4-H Youth Development agent provides leadership for planning, organizing, directing, implementing, and evaluating youth Nutrition Education Programs. Agent ensures that other county staff, assistants, advisory groups, program families, and District Directors are involved and informed concerning youth programs. Assists the NEP assistant with: Recruiting and enrolling youth in 4-H programs Planning and implementing procedures for involving limited resource youth from NEP families in other 4-H programs Cooperating with other agencies and organizations that work with limited resource youth to develop programs Compiling appropriate reports on youth participation for 4-H and NEP reports Developing and implementing plans to recruit and train volunteer leaders to work with youth in cooperation with Family and Consumer Sciences and Agriculture and Natural Resource agents Distributing educational materials for use by volunteers who are working with youth groups Arranging for appropriate publicity and public relations to keep local officials and the public informed of youth program accomplishments Implement procedures for NEP assistant and volunteers to meet Client Protection Guidelines Responsibilities of the County Extension Agent for Horticulture and Agriculture/Natural Resources Horticulture and Agriculture and Natural Resource agents provide input into the NEP county plan of work. They help identify ways NEP farm families can supplement their income through new or improved agricultural practices and help locate community resources suitable for NEP families. Horticulture and Agriculture and Natural Resource agents serve as a resource in planning programs and training NEP assistants in gardening skills and pest control in homes or gardens. 2

3 In addition, they develop and implement plans to recruit and train volunteer leaders to work with youth in cooperation with the Family and Consumer Sciences and 4-H Youth Development agents. Nutrition Education Program State Staff Nutrition Education Program State Staff serve as a liaison to Assistant Director for Family and Consumer Sciences and with the Assistant Director of 4-H Youth Development to create unified programs. Nutrition Education Program staff provide training for supervising agents, assistants, and other Extension personnel with the involvement of food and nutrition specialists and other agencies. They develop new materials and programs for limited resource audiences as well as adapting existing resources. With state specialists, the Nutrition Education Program staff develop long-range planning for NEP and interpret polices and program activities. This includes providing orientation and training for NEP assistants to achieve training goals with the vision and mission of NEP. Along with supervising agents, NEP staff evaluate assistants and county programs. They serve as a resource for foods and nutrition programs for youth and adults and for programs with limited resource audiences. They also interpret pertinent needs to appropriate staff in order to facilitate innovative programs. Nutrition Education Program state staff build rapport and develop relationships with agencies and organizations that have missions similar to NEP. They prepare regular and special reports and newsletters and participate in other public information functions. These include analysis and interpretation of NEERS data for program evaluation. Responsibilities of the Assistant Directors The Assistant Directors serve as liaison among Family & Consumer Sciences staff, 4-H Youth Development staff, District Directors, and Nutrition Education Program state staff. They coordinate and unify 4-H Youth Development programs. Along with food and nutrition specialists and other agencies, the District Directors ensure that training for supervising agents and assistants is provided with materials prepared and adapted for limited resource audiences. 3

4 With the input from specialists and Nutrition Education Program state staff, the Assistant Directors develop long-range planning, interpret policies, and plan program activities of NEP and limited resource audience materials. They interpret pertinent needs to facilitate innovative programs. The Assistant Directors responsibilities include: Building rapport and developing relationships with agencies and organizations that have missions similar to NEP and general limited resource audiences Preparing regular and special reports and newsletters Participating in other public information functions Analysis and interpretation of NEERS data for program evaluation Consulting with county Extension staff and District Directors in planning, implementing, and evaluating NEP Nutrition Education Advisory Council Purpose The purpose of the NEP Advisory Council is to: -assess the impact of EFNEP and SNAP Education in Kentucky, -communicate the objectives of the programs to the Cooperative Extension staff -serve as a network to appropriate partner agencies and resources -implement and evaluate the goals of the nutrition education programs in Kentucky. Function The function of the NEP Advisory Council is to: 1. Provide input for long range goals; 2. Review impact data for behavior changes and food consumption patterns 3. Assist in identifying underserved areas and audiences in the state. 4. Communicate program guidelines and reporting procedures to agents, assistants and administrators. Membership Members of the Advisory Council will be identified by District Directors and Assistant Directors, and will represent all geographic areas of the state, and each program area. Agents and assistants will serve two year terms. Council Membership will be as follows: o 1 FCS agent per district 4

5 o 1 Agriculture and Natural Resource agent per region o 1 4-H Youth Development agent per region o 1 EFNEP or SNAP-Ed assistant per region o Nutrition Education state staff o Extension Nutrition Specialist o 2 District Directors o 1 Regional Director o 4 Assistant Directors o Associate Dean for Cooperative Extension Service Committees Committees may be appointed as deemed desirable to develop, implement and evaluate various aspects of the Nutrition Education Programs. Committees will be appointed from the council membership, with other Extension staff as needed, and will report to the Advisory Council. The need for committees will be determined by the Council. Officers The Council will elect a chair and secretary from the membership for a two year term at a fall meeting. Officers will complete term of office before they rotate off. The chair will work with NEP staff contact and Assistant Director for FCS to determine program dates and agenda items. The secretary will publicize meeting dates and locations to the membership, and will send minutes of previous meetings to members. Responsibilities of the District Directors District Director - Responsible for direct supervision and administrative support of county level agents and programs in each of the districts of the Cooperative Extension system. Serves as a leader, mentor, coach, and advocate for agents in developing county level programming. The District Director advises and assists agents in: Securing funding for the local NEP position Giving guidance on the hiring procedure requirements Facilitating administration of the program Training and assisting agents in supervision and counseling Providing training to ensure agents and assistants comply with affirmative action and civil rights laws Representing University administration to field staff. 5

6 Responsibilities of the NEP Assistant The assistant s responsibility is to conduct a nutrition education program with limited resource audiences, with an emphasis on young families with children and SNAP eligible persons. The assistant is to work with clients in groups. Emphasis should be placed on adult group work. Time shall be allocated as 80% adult and 20% youth. SNAP-Ed assistant s time shall be allocated to SNAP recipients and /or those eligible for SNAP. Adult and youth NEP objectives should be detailed in the county Plan of Work. The NEP assistant, with guidance from the supervising agents, performs the following: Recruits and enrolls adult limited resource clientele into NEP; maintaining a minimum caseload of participants and youth groups as identified by NEP Required Performance Standards Identifies food and nutrition-related needs of the participants and plans education experiences identified by the NEERS behavior checklist and 24-hour diet recall Teaches NEP nutrition curriculum lessons to limited resource audience in small groups Evaluates progress of the client. Works to graduate participants within 12 months Contributes program ideas for other Extension programs that benefit NEP participants and other limited resource audiences Refers participants to other agencies or organizations within county, with consultation of supervising agent Identifies and recruits potential volunteers from participants to assist in youth and adult NEP Attends all required trainings Provides nutrition educational opportunities for children of enrolled NEP participants Helps plan Youth NEP activities and learning experiences Develops awareness of community resources, such as housing authority, Head Start, Family Resource Centers, schools, parks and recreation, community centers, food banks, churches, other youth groups and community action groups Assists in programming, implementation, and evaluation of Youth NEP activities such as day camps, fun and food camps, after-school activities, and school enrichment programs. Works with supervising agent to recruit leaders from NEP and community to assist with youth programs Assists agents in reporting Youth NEP participants. 6

7 Role of the Volunteer in NEP Volunteers are an important part of the success of Extension programs. Volunteers can assist with NEP by: Expanding Extension s outreach and educational programs Serving as a communication liaison between staff and clients Providing assistance in the progress of program families and youth by bridging the gap between NEP and other Extension programs. The role of the volunteer may include: Initiating group meetings for adults or youth Recruiting youth or program participants Providing and arranging for meeting facilities, organizing transportation, planning programs and activities, teaching youth and adult subject matter, and soliciting funds As in all Extension programs, NEP volunteers, working with the youth, are required to follow county client protection guidelines. 7

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