Rural Single Mothers and Extension Educators:
Building Relationship
Leslie Speller-Henderson, FCS Program Leader
Tennessee State University
Shea Austin, FCS Area Specialist
Tennessee State University
Who We Are…
• TN Land-grant University 1862 & 1890
• FCS Extension Community Engagement
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Community Food & Nutrition Education
Health Education
Family Education
Financial Education
Healthy Home Education
Did you, your family or friends
attend a State College or
University?
Land Grant University (LGU) System
A LGU is designated by its state legislature or Congress
to receive the benefits:
Morrill Acts of 1862 & 1890
Teach – Educate
Hatch Act of 1887
Research/Experiment Stations
Smith-Lever of 1914
Cooperative Extension Service
Do Family and Consumer Sciences
(FCS) Professionals
wonder where the nation’s poor
receive practical, hands-on
adult education?
You may have heard about 4-H
Youth Development
But did you know….
Cooperative Extension Service (CES) is thought
to be the largest publicly funded informal adult
education organization in the world.
(Franz, 2007; Seevers, 1995; Titmus 2014)
Ice Breaker
Odd rows: turn to the
person behind you and
share something about
yourself with each other.
Overview of Research
on Single Mothers
Did you know…
• in 2014, 83% of all single parent families in the US (9,929,000
families) were headed by single mothers.
• 39.6% were poor and 51.9% lived in extreme poverty,
defined as living on half or less of the Federal Poverty Level
(DeNavas-Walt & Proctor, 2015)
• Single mother-headed families in the US fared the worst in a
study of 18 affluent democracies (Brady & Burroway, 2012)
• Standard North American Family or SNAF (Smith, 1993)
Overview of Research
on Rural Single Mothers
Did you know…
• Poor, rural single mothers are under-studied, undercounseled and more at-risk (Myers & Gill, 2004).
• Rural single mothers in the Black Belt region of AL had 36%
food insecurity-and linked food insecurity with higher
instances of maternal depression (Zekeri, 2010, 2013).
• Educational level impacted single mothers health, well-being
and coping mechanisms in poverty (Zekeri, 2010, 2013).
• Rural, single mother-headed families make up a large
percentage of the rural homeless.
Department of Health and Human Services
FEDERAL POVERTY GUIDELINES
2016
Food Insecurity and Hunger
Food Insecurity and Hunger
The Impact of PRWORA
• Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity
Reconciliation Act (PRWORA)
• Established the Temporary Aid to Needy Families or
TANF-block grants given to states
• Set work requirements and established a lifetime
benefit clock.
• Limited time for postsecondary school to 2 years
and the amount of participants who could attend
post secondary school as part of work requirements
The Impact of PRWORA on Rural
Areas
• Act did not provide allowances or recognition
for rural differences (i.e. geography,
transportation, lack of jobs, low wages)
• Created the concept of time poverty which
greatly impacts Extension programming with
this audience
Group Activity
What obstacles can you think of that
prevent rural single mothers from
participating in FCS Extension
programming?
What ideas do you have to help
overcome these barriers?
The Case of Baby & Me
Rural Communities Benefit
When Extension & Community Agencies:
• Network
• Cooperate
• Coordinate
• Collaborate
On efforts to support the health and well-being of
low-income rural single mother populations
Places to look for data and
resources
• Map the Meal Gap
• Tennessee Economic Council on Women
• Rural Family Economic Success Action
Network
• Annie E. Casey Economic Opportunity In Rural
Areas
SMART Goal and Activity
Describe one program idea
that reaches out to rural
single mothers as an
audience.
Write a SMART goal to
actively recruit and engage
rural single mothers.
The Challenges for Extension
• Learn the TANF requirements, time limits, and educational
requirements for participants in the state.
• Determine how many rural single mothers live in the state,
region, and/or county.
How are they doing as a group in regards to well-being?
• What Extension FCS programming could address their needs?
What resources in the community could be utilized to help
this audience?
What is your challenge in reaching
out to this vulnerable population?
References
Brady, D. & Burroway, R. (2012). Targeting, universalism, and single-mother poverty: A
multi-level analysis across 18 affluent democracies. Demography, 49, 719-746.
De Navas-Walt, C. & Proctor, B.D. (2015). Income and poverty in the United States: 2014 current population
reports. (Report). Retrieved from
https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-252.pdf
Falk, G. (2014). Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): Eligibility and benefits amounts in state TANF
cash assistance programs. (CRS report 7-5700). Retrieved from Congressional Research Service website
https://www.crs.gov
Franz, N. (2007). Adult education theories: Informing Cooperative Extension’s transformation. Journal of
Extension, 45(1). Retrieved from Journal of Extension website:
http://www.joe.org/joe/2007february/a1.php
Katras, M.J., Dolan, E.M., Seiling, S.B., & Braun, B. (2009). The bumpy road off TANF for rural mothers.
Family Science Review, 14, 1-15.
Myers, J.E. & Gill, C.S. (2004). Poor, rural, and female: Under-studied, under-counseled, more at-risk.
Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 26(3), 225-242
Seevers, B.S. (1995). Extensionists as adult educators. Journal of Extension, 33(3). Retrieved from the Journal of
Extension website: http://www.joe.org/joe/1995june/rb2.php.
References
Smith, D. (1993). The standard North American family: SNAF as an ideological code.
Journal of Family Issues, 14(1), 50-65.
Titmus, C.J. (2014). (Ed.) Lifelong Education for adults: An international handbook. Oxford, UK: Pergamon Press.
Zekeri, A. A. (2010). Household food insecurity and depression among single mothers in
rural Alabama. Journal of Rural Social Sciences, 25(1), 90-102.
Zekeri, A.A.(2013). Educational attainment and self-related health status among single mothers in rural
Alabama. Psychological Reports: Employment Psychology & Marketing, 113(1), 175-179.
Questions?