Iowa State Extension Looks to Help Families |
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Friday, 25 January 2013 13:46 |
Families in Mahaska County looking for a little help have some new options. The local Iowa State University Extension and Outreach office is introducing some new programs - one encourages families to read together, another helps with some communication issues. CRI's Chris Redfern has more.
The local ISU Extension office provides learning opportunities for the community. The extension office's program coordinator, Natalie Ferguson Spray, explains some of the benefits of one of those programs, called Strengthening Families. "It is an extension based program and people seek Iowa State University, the extension, for this program. Like when they look at all of the prevention programs, this one is rated number one out of all the prevention programs in the nation," says Spray. "It's a two hour session and each focuses on teaching parents ways to make reading fun, interactive. Teach predicting, just helping families get children excited about reading, and teaching them some skills to feel more confident in reading." |