USU Extension Press Release
Local community agencies gathered recently to receive training on a program that can help strengthen families. Strong Children, Stable Children: Building Protective Factors to Strengthen Families, a 4-hour train-the-trainer event, was hosted on Oct. 29 in the Alumni Room in the Jennifer Leavitt Student Center on the campus of USU Eastern. Sponsored by USU Extension, the training pulled together family support professionals from Carbon and Emery counties. Agencies represented at the training included Carbon and Emery School Districts, Four Corners Behavior Health, Carbon County Family Support Center, Southeastern Utah Health Department, RUCD Head Start, Building Blocks Daycare Center, Castle Country Youth Center, Utah Department of Human Services and Tolley Toddlers Daycare Center.
The training was taught by Dr. David Schramm, Assistant Professor and Family Life Extension Specialist at Utah State University in Logan. Dr. Schramm has a PhD in Human Development and Family Studies from Auburn University and developed the Strong Parents, Stable Children program while he was a professor at the University of Missouri. Appointed by Utah Governor Gary Herbert to serve on Utah’s Commission on Marriage, he appears monthly on Fox 13’s “The Place” and he launched a Facebook page (DrDaveUSU) where he shares research and tips on helping individuals, parents and couples flourish.
Dr. Schramm defined the protective factors as buffers that help families succeed and thrive, even in the face of risks and challenges. He stated that, “Numerous studies support the notion that protective factors serve to reduce the likelihood of abuse and neglect; they create healthy environments that promote optimal development of children. Parents who might otherwise be at risk of abusing their children are able to find resources, supports or coping strategies to help them parent effectively despite risks.”
Christina Pay, Family and Consumer Sciences Assistant Professor with USU Extension, organized the event. She pointed out that the reason for offering the training coincides with the purpose of USU Extension. which is to provide research-based programs and resources with the goal of improving the lives of individuals and families within the community.
“The implementation of Strong Children, Stable Children: Building Protective Factors to Strengthen Families has great potential to change and improve the lives of families in our community,” Pay said. “We have given family support professionals the training, resources and tools. Now, it is up to them to help create change.”
Information on additional programs offered through USU Extension in Carbon County can be found at https://extension.usu.edu/carbon/ or on their Facebook page (carboncountyextension).
