Family and Consumer Sciences Education Grant (FACS)
The FACS grant provides learning and networking opportunties for teachers of Vocational and Occupational Family and Consumer Sciences. A feature of this grant is the introduction of the Tennessee FACS - ER, an electronic resource filled with information for teachers. The FACS grant is funded by the Tennessee State Department of Education. Principal Investigator: Dr. Sue Bailey, assisted by Melinda Swafford and Lee Ann Jolley.
Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance (TECTA)
The TECTA program offers child care providers and administrators orientations and academic degree courses related to early childhood care and education. In addition, the staff mentors and advises child care providers and child care facilities administrators. TECTA is funded through Tennessee State University by the Tennessee Department of Human Services. Principal Investigator: Dr. Sue Bailey. Program Manager: Darcey Neyman
Upper Cumberland Child Care Resource and Referral (UC-CCR&R)
Upper Cumberland CCR&R, housed in the School of Human Ecology, serves 17 counties in Middle Tennessee. This grant provides training to child care providers based on the Tennessee Child Care Provider Training (TN-CCPT); technical assistance to state-licensed child care facilities, including family child care homes, group child care homes, and child care centers; and child care referral and quality care information to parents. The Upper Cumberland CCR&R is funded through Signal Centers by the Tennessee Department of Human Services. Principal Investigators: Drs. Sue Bailey and Lee Ann Jolley. Program Manager: Betty Vaudt
USDA-CSREES Bridge Grant
The College of Agricultural and Human Sciences (AHS) at Tennessee Technological University (TTU) in partnership with DeKalb County High School has received funding from the USDA for an integrated research, education, and extension project entitled, “Testing a model to increase vegetable intake and reduce obesity indices in rural families through hydroponic gardening.”
The goal of this project is to increase vegetable intake and reduce obesity indices in rural adolescents and their families through a model of hydroponic gardening, In November, 2007, the USDA-CSREES office awarded a $100,000 Bridge grant to TTU to test the proposed hydroponic gardening model. The two objectives for this project are: (a.) To determine cost effective strategies for using hydroponic gardening in high school vocational classrooms to produce vegetables for rural adolescents and their families; and (b.) To determine the impact of class-produced hydroponically grown vegetables on obesity indices in participants. At DeKalb County High School, the three vocational classes will be included (one Agriculture and two Family and Consumer Science classes). The county extension officer will be invited to observe and participate in this project.
By involving university researchers, the vocational director and teachers, rural families and community agencies including extension officers, this integrated proposal will contribute to the body of knowledge exploring how to end the obesity crisis in America.
The Center for Management, Utilization and Protection of Water Resources ( Water Center) at TTU is providing accounting support. Drs. Melinda Anderson in Human Ecology, and Janice Branson in Agriculture are Co-Principal Investigators of the project.
