A reading program incorporates the popularity of Harry Potter.

As the youngest child of seven, Dr. Daniel Perkins learned the lessons of family life early on. "I experienced family in such a great way and always really enjoyed being around people," says Perkins.

Those formative experiences led Perkins to his work with children, youth and families. Now at Penn State as an associate professor of agricultural and extension education and a Cooperative Extension faculty member, Perkins' work, along with that of Penn State Cooperative Extension professors Dr. James E.Van Horn and Dr. Matthew Kaplan, is aimed at strengthening family bonds throughout Pennsylvania and the nation.

Take, for example, a recent project of Perkins' called Putting Youth Back in Sports. Designed with faculty from South Dakota State University, this curriculum for those involved in youth sports enhances the developmental outcomes of the children as well as their interaction with parents and coaches. Another program of Perkins' is Reading Wizards, which incorporates the popularity of Harry Potter to engage both parents and children. It is currently in use in 40 counties throughout Pennsylvania in cooperation with local libraries.

Perkins' latest project focuses on the high-tech: he is currently piloting a program to give youth in Pennsylvania's most rural areas an opportunity to gain experience in such technologies as robotics and Web site development.

Training Providers
Van Horn's Better Kid Care program, monthly satellite training workshops for providers, currently reaches up to 1,500 providers in Pennsylvania, more than 100,000 professionals throughout the nation and countless others in Western Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

"Basic research has demonstrated, again and again, that the more training providers get, the better the care they will provide," said Van Horn. What's more, "the research showed us that if parents worried about their children's welfare while working, their productivity decreased."

It's not just parents worried about their child's welfare. With 80,000-plus grandparent-headed households in Pennsylvania, Kaplan found a need to create programming that would provide increased support for grandparents--as well as other relatives--raising children.

ON THE WEB

Dr. Daniel Perkins http://resiliency.cas. psu.edu Dr. James Van Horn http://betterkidcare. psu.edu Dr. Matthew Kaplan http://intergenerational.cas. psu.edu

Due to factors such as the growing prevalence of drug and alcohol abuse and divorce, explained Kaplan, grandparents are increasingly being called upon to raise their grandchildren. Kaplan worked with the Pennsylvania Department of Aging and the AARP's Pennsylvania state office to create Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, a database of resources for financial assistance, support groups, legal rights and much more.

Kaplan's other projects have helped older adults become more involved in their communities and have improved family care of aging and disabled persons.

Dr. Marilyn Corbin, associate director of Cooperative Extension and state program leader for Children, Youth and Families, summed it up this way: "We offer pathways for individuals and families to gain basic skills and competencies ... and to manage and improve their lives."

A struggling single parent might have to choose between paying the phone bill, buying groceries for the week or even paying for child care to make ends meet. For single-parent households in Pennsylvania--raising a total of more than 20 million children--the $83 billion in unpaid child support is the critical link to easing financial woes. Penn State has been playing a major role in helping Pennsylvania state and county workers enforce the child-support laws meant to protect children. Central to its efforts is the Pennsylvania Child Support Training Institute (PACSETI), launched in May 2002 with a three-year, $10.85 million contract from the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. The institute aims to arm professional and administrative staff with the knowledge and skills necessary to strengthen the state's child-support enforcement program.

About two years into the program, faculty are now researching PACSETI's impact. During the first 19 months of PACSETI, 369 participants have completed New Hire Training (NHT), and 731 participants have completed Performance Enhancement Training, a modified version of NHT for more experienced workers. Also, nearly 800 participants have completed specialized and professional development training through PACSETI. With rare exception, participants have experienced significant overall improvement in knowledge after training, regardless of length of time on the job, education level and region of employment.

The goal is to perform additional evaluation that will indicate improved performance on an even larger scale--showing how the training is ultimately benefiting children statewide, said Dr. Jennifer Mastrofski, associate professor in the Justice and Safety Institute and co-director of PACSETI. "Our ongoing research will measure how training makes a difference in the performance of those who participate in it," she said.

Building programmable robots is just the beginning.

Through the Youth Engaged in Technology (YET) program, developed by Dr. Daniel Perkins, Penn State associate professor of agricultural and extension education, high school students in some of the most rural parts of Pennsylvania are learning Web page development, robotics, GPS/GIS and other high-tech skills.

For example, the kids have used LEGO® to build basic, programmable robots. Using sensors, the students "train" their robots to follow a designated course.

The program also helps to build leadership skills by encouraging participants to share their expertise with community groups. "The purpose of the YET program is to promote leadership, information sciences and technology," explained YET State Project Coordinator Phil Hoy. "Community service and volunteerism are also important components." Ultimately, added Perkins, "we'd like to enhance these communities' abilities to raise productive citizens who are technology-savvy." To date, the pilot program has 73 participants in Potter and Washington counties. The goal is to offer it statewide through 4-H.