Posts By Date

A community member shared an astute assessment about how to transform a street corner in the Belmont community in West Philadelphia into a space with learning opportunities for young children. The result has become known as “Urban Thinkscape,” a collaboration between the Belmont community, Temple University’s Infant and Child Laboratory, and architect Itai Palti to build engaging learning opportunities directly into places families frequently go. On what was once a regular city street corner, there are now puzzles incorporating images of Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders into the back wall behind benches where families wait for the bus. Follow this link to learn more. Sourced from: Brookings

Join James S. Bates, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Extension Field Specialist, Family Wellness and the team at the Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center for a brainstorm discussion via Zoom on Friday, November 8, 2019 at 10 a.m. to learn about your experiences related to school-family-community engagement in the communities and schools you serve. They are also interested in your feedback on an infographic toolkit they would like to develop around school-family-community engagement. For those who are not able to attend but would still like to be part of this initiative, please feel free to email Dr. James Bates at bates.402@osu.edu or Dr. Barbara Boone at boone.32@osu.edu with your thoughts. Viewing the recording may prompt additional thoughts you could share. Below is the outline for the meeting:

• Welcome and Introduction
• Introduce Topic:
• What is school-family-community engagement?
• How does it help families and communities?
• How did FCS Extension become involved?
• Open discussion of the following:
• Introduce the infographic material
• What topics related to school-family engagement might be of interest to schools, families, community?
• Delivery options for the curriculum?
• Other community resources?
• Close

Zoom Meeting Information: https://osu.zoom.us/j/8739675185 One tap mobile: +16468769923,,8739675185# US Dial by your location: +1 646 876 9923 US, Meeting ID: 873 967 5185

When we think about the issues cities are facing, we tend to categorize challenges and solutions by city size. After all, it makes sense that a community with a population of 2,000 would require different solutions than cities the size of New York or Los Angeles. But while this approach holds some merit, the truth is that when addressing issues like housing and homelessness, size is just one piece of the puzzle. In the new report by NLC - Housing Market Conditions Across America’s Cities, they found when we put population count aside and focus on other characteristics, the housing crisis in cities like Columbia, Missouri (population: 123,180) and New York City (population: 8.623 million) begin to look similar despite differences in size and geography. Follow this link to learn more. Sourced from: Cities Speak 

This summer, Ohio State University Extension (OSUE) Cuyahoga County piloted the WIC Perks program in partnership with MetroHealth-Cuyahoga County Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and local farmers’ markets. WIC Perks is an expansion of the Produce Perks nutrition incentive program, which offers Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients a dollar-for-dollar match when shopping with an Ohio Direction Card at local farmers’ markets. Four local markets in Cuyahoga County participated in the pilot program; Lakewood Farmers’ Market, Old Brooklyn Farmers’ Market, North Union Farmers’ Market at Shaker Square, and North Union Farmers’ Market at Van Aken. Historically, the Produce Perks program has only served families who receive SNAP benefits. However, many families in Cuyahoga County do not fall within 130% of the poverty line and therefore have been unable to access Produce Perks. The WIC Perks pilot program expanded Produce Perks to serve families receiving WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) vouchers in addition to SNAP; eligibility for WIC requires families to fall within 185% of the poverty line. By expanding Produce Perks to serve WIC FMNP, recipients we were able to reach new families who may or may not also be receiving SNAP benefits. The WIC Perks pilot aimed to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables for WIC recipients, engage new families, and increase sales at local farmers’ markets. WIC recipients who attended one of the eight select Cuyahoga WIC FMNP distribution dates were given the opportunity to participate in a brief cooking demonstration or educational table activity. In exchange for their participation, families received an additional $20 farmers’ market voucher that could be spent on fresh, local fruits and vegetables. Participants also received culinary tools including peelers, cutting boards, storage containers, dry and liquid measuring cups, and vegetable scrub brushes. Over the course of the pilot program Ohio State University Extension provided $13,640 worth of farmers’ market vouchers to 682 families. Formal data analysis using farmers’ market redemption data, customer shopping patterns, and follow-up surveys from participants will be conducted in December. Pilot findings will be shared in early 2020. The partners intend to continue the WIC Perks program in 2020. Follow this link to lean more. Article courtesy of: Amanda Osborne, Community Development Educator, OSU Extension Cuyahoga County Courtney Woelfl, Family Consumer Science Educator, OSU Extension Cuyahoga County