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While financial literacy is paramount, families also should look for ways to manage their collective resources. These range from: time and energy, to personal belongings and the spaces in our homes, to relationships. By managing our resources wisely, we are inadvertently managing our stress levels and mental health.

We are very fortunate to be surrounded by so many generous Cooperative Extension professionals throughout our country. Dr. Brian Raison from The Ohio State University exemplifies the concept of "giving as you go" throughout his distinguished career. In that spirit, this guest series launched with valuable insights for early career professionals! The ideas shared in this series are extracted from Dr. Raison’s 2024 book, The Encouraging Mentor: Your Guide to 40 Conversations that Matter . This...

We are excited to share that Vaccines has published an article from the Washington State University EXCITE project! Congratulations to the team and all involved in promoting this valuable project, we are delighted that EXCITE work captured in this scholarly publication! "Integrating Science Media Literacy, Motivational Interviewing, and Neuromarketing Science to Increase Vaccine Education Confidence among U.S. Extension Professionals" by Erica Weintraub Austin *, Nicole O’Donnell, Pamela...

Written by: Jason Jowers, MS, MFT Working in a high-stress environment requires the use of stress-management techniques to mitigate long-term adverse impacts on a service member’s body, mind, and relationships. One such strategy that you can use daily in your work with military families is mindfulness. The Mayo Clinic describes mindfulness as a meditation practice to increase awareness of yourself, and your feelings and emotions in the present moment without judgment. Mindfulness reduces...

Registration is open now for the Rural Grocery Transition Specialist program! This self-paced, online course is designed to train resource providers to better support rural grocery business transitions. Students who successfully complete the course will earn a microcredential through K-State Global Campus. The course will be held September 9 through December 8, 2024. Register by August 30, 2024 at ruralgrocery.org/specialist.

In the 2024 Military Family Readiness Academy , OneOp will deliver multi-disciplinary professional development programming focused on research, tools, and resources to support the service providers and educators working to improve the economic readiness of military families. At the cornerstone of this programming is the 90-minute asynchronous course, Foundations for Military Family Financial Readiness. This foundational course provides an overview of the impacts of financial readiness on...

by Crystal Williams, Ph.D. What is high-quality child care? High-quality child care programs are settings in which children receive enriching experiences and engage in responsive interactions that promote their development and learning (Barnett et al., 2010). All child licensed care programs meet minimum licensing requirements in their state, which focus primarily on health and safety. High-quality programs meet standards that go beyond the minimum. Some characteristics of a high-quality...

As Extension professionals, you know firsthand the challenges your community faces. Today, we're excited to announce a powerful opportunity to enhance your support for your community and the military families that live within them.

Come work with Virginia Cooperative Extension as a Data Integration Specialist. The position focuses on planning and reporting using PEARS and building data integration capacity across the system. Position is housed in VCE Learning and Organizational Development on campus at Virginia Tech. https://careers.pageuppeople.com/968/cw/en-us/job/530387/data-integration-specialist

Your Personal Mission A personal mission is a statement about your why. This is what drives you to get out of bed in the morning. It describes what you believe is most important in life, what you wish to focus on, and what you want to be known for. If you allow it to direct your thoughts and actions each day, it has the potential to direct your life and achieve the future you want. I often tell my students to consider doing this exercise and then holding on to it. When one finds themself...

Fuel for Life (FFL) is an innovative 6-to 8-week program developed by NC State University to equip high school students with essential life skills. The curriculum focuses on teaching students about nutrition, safe food handling and preparation, food resource management, and physical activity. The goal is to empower students with the knowledge and skills to make healthy choices and lead a balanced lifestyle. Recognizing the scarcity of nutrition programs targeting high school students, NC...

Self-awareness allows financial service providers to respond compassionately to themselves and their clients regarding financial topics and concerns, helping providers identify their potential triggers and biases around money.