Family & Consumer Science (FCS) programs offer educational opportunities and information on virtually all issues relating to families to equip them with vital information to live successfully in today’s society. The department offers information on various segments of Family Life:

• Foods & Nutrition: nutritional needs and food preparation.
• Health: maintaining a healthy lifestyle and disease prevention.
• Family Living: human development, relationships, parenting, credit restoration, self-esteem for women, and communication.

Educational programming is available through group methods such as workshops, seminars and classes; multi-media techniques such as exhibits, newsletters, radio, television and newspaper; and responses to individual requests.

Personnel & Volunteers
County agents serve as community educators. They are supported by Extension specialists who provide current research applications and educational material. These specialists are located on the Texas A&M University campus and at district research and Extension centers across the state.

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Virginia Alonso, M.S. County Extension Agent-Family and Consumer Sciences 190 San Elizario Road P.O. Box 929 Clint, TX 79836 (915) 851-2515 (915) 851-5312 FAX E-mail: vlalonso@ag.tamu.edu

Although children are influenced by many different elements in their environment (e.g. peers, extended family members, child care providers, teachers, and the media), parents occupy a central role in their children’s healthy development.

Parenting is not an easy job. Parents share that they are often uncertain about what is the right thing to do regarding their children. "Parenting Along the Border" is a four-week curriculum that seeks to increase positive parenting skills through a series of educational sessions focusing on the following subject matter areas:

Child Development

Communication, Self-esteem, & Positive Discipline

Health & Safety

Nutrition

With the growth in the population of grandparents aising their grandchildren, it is necessary to include grandparents who may find themselves parenting for the second time. Grandparents in this situation are always welcomed to participate in Parenting Along the Border to share their experiences and to learn positive ways to cope with their new care-giving situation.

Texas EE Clubs are a segment of the Texas Cooperative Extension. Clubs are organized groups of women (and sometimes men, too) who meet monthly with the focus on areas that concern families. Topics include wellness, financial management, child development, nutrition, food safety, parent education, consumer education and community education. The mission at the local, state and national levels is to strengthen and enrich families.

Who belongs to TEEA?
People from all stations of life and from all parts of the country belong to EE clubs.

How Can I join?
Contact Family & Consumer Sciences for information on the club nearest you.

There is currently one TEEA club organized in El Paso County:

East El Paso TEEA Club
Meetings held 7:30 p.m. each 4th Monday in member's homes

What do TEEA Members Do?
Participate in monthly club meetings and enjoy fun and fellowship while they learn. Topics include anything the group wants to learn about.

Attend District, State, National and International Conferences where they meet people from other locales with a common interest in strengthening families. Workshops and educational seminars are presented at these events.

Support Extension Educational Programs. Some TEEA members have joined other educational projects such as Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists, Master Parenting volunteers. They use this additional training to become community educators.

TEEA members also support 4-H, the youth development program of the Extension Service. TEEA members may lead project groups or serve as judges for contests. TEEA also provides scholarships for 4-H members: 7 at the state level, one at the district level, and one in the county. There are also scholarships at district and state levels to assist FCE members in obtaining an education or additional training.

Community Service - TEEA members are interested in improving the life of all families in the community. Clubs and individuals have their own favorite projects.

East El Paso TEEA regularly supports the Ronald McDonald House. Each month they bring a certain type of item the house can use. One month it is cleaning supplies, or canned goods, or kitchen staples, or paper supplies.

East Club also "adopts" four needy families every Christmas season and provides groceries, clothing and personal gifts for every member. They've been helping five families a year for 15 years - that is 75 families whose holidays have been merry because these ladies care.

The Better Living for Texans Program is to assist limited resource families, including food assistance participants and applicants; acquire the knowledge, skills and behaviors necessary to maximize resources, have nutritionally sound diets, improve health status and self-sufficiency.

Strategic Goals:

• Increase health promotion strategies that encourage individual and family well-being.
• Maximize the use of individual and family resources through budgeting and sound consumer decision making.
  Make informed food choices based on an understanding of the Dietary Guidelines and My Pyramid to plan safe, economical, nutritionally sound meals for the family.

Target Audiences

• Food Stamp Recipients
• Parents of young children
• Pregnant Teens
• Senior Citizens
• Unemployed Adults
• Homemakers
• Parents of Free or Reduced School Lunch Programs

Subject Matter

• Knowledge and practices that increase skills in food buying.
• Knowledge of financial management related to family budgets.
• Healthy lifestyles, healthy weight and fitness.
• Awareness of other community resources.
• Nutrition knowledge, skills, attitudes and practices necessary to improve diets.

• Family & Consumer Sciences State Website
• Better Living for Texans State Website