Welcome to our team!  We are pleased that you have agreed to be a state contact.  As a state contact you may be wondering what you’re roles and responsibilities for the satellite program, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Implications for Professionals and Agencies, are and how you might go about accomplishing them.  To help you out, we’ve developed state contact roles and responsibilities descriptions which can be found on our web site at www.uwex.edu/ces/gprg/gprg.html.  Please review them as they’ll give you a better understanding of what you need to do.  We will also develop several in-depth pieces which are task specific to help make your job easier.  The following information is designed to help you secure sites and site facilitators.  We are posting a local site facilitators guide on the web, too.  You may want to use it when recruiting.  This message will be posted on the web also so you can refer to it when needed.

How many downlink sites should a state have?

The number of downlink sites per state will vary due to state size and population.  Our hope is for every state to have 8-15 sites.  What’s important is that the program is available throughout your state so individuals won’t have to drive far to participate.  Also, the program is designed to encourage local participants to work together on grandparents raising grandchildren issues and concerns. 

An easy way to see where gaps are in sites in your state is to use a state map.  Highlight the counties or communities which are registered sites and then look at the map as a whole.  Ask yourself some of the following questions:
 1.  Are the sites distributed throughout the state?
 2.  Are there sites near major population centers?
 3.  Are there sites in communities where grandparents raising grandchildren has been identified as a concern?
 4.  Are there sites in communities which are noted for being on the cutting edge of providing services and programs
      to families?

There are other questions you might ask as you identify areas where you need to recruit organizations and agencies to host a site.

How do I find downlink sites in my state?

Networking is the key.  Who in your state has an interest in the topic of grandparents raising grandchildren or related topics? Are there organizations who have a satellite system that is accessible to the public?  Are there individuals who have facilitated educational programs before?  Answering these questions will help you identify individuals and organizations to contact for their support and involvement.
Some individuals or agencies may have an interest in grandparents raising grandchildren but may not have the technology or space necessary to be a downlink site.  Or the opposite may be the case: an agency or business may have the downlink capabilities but may not have an individual interested in facilitating the video conference.  By encouraging these organizations to share interest and resources, they can host a site for the program together.
 

What organizations and agencies may have access to satellite equipment and be a potential site?

Satellite video conferences are becoming fairly common, even in some rural locations.
Consider these locations and/or sponsors as potential video conference sites:
1.  Cooperative Extension Offices - almost every county in the nation has an office, many with satellite dishes and capabilities for downlinking video conferences.
2.  Community and technical colleges
3.  Two or four-year universities or colleges
4.  Local school systems – even many rural school districts have satellite dishes as a way of bringing teachers and programs to small classes.
5.  Local television stations may downlink this program as a public service
6.  Many public and non-profit organizations and large businesses have satellite dishes to downlink training programs for their employees and may provide the technology as a local public service. Possible partners include: your local chapter of the American Red Cross, United Way, or national chain stores who may have a downlink.
7.  Hospitals and health care facilities.

What organizations may have individuals who could be site facilitators?

The topic of grandparents raising grandchildren is of interest to a wide variety of professionals who may be concerned about the well-being of both or either grandparent and child. Many of these agencies have individuals who facilitate various educational programs and some may have experience facilitating a satellite program. Agencies and organizations to consider:

1. Area Agencies on Aging
2. Local Aging offices – including Benefits Coordinators
3. Senior citizen centers
4. Headstart
5. American Association Retired Persons (AARP) Chapters
6. Social services agencies
7. Churches
8. “Retired” groups such as local chapters of retired teachers, retired human service professionals, and other retired professionals groups within your community.
9. Family resource centers
10. School systems – teachers, day care providers, counselors, social workers
11. Social Service agencies/organizations
12. Health care agencies and organizations such as public health, pediatricians, or providers of care to grandparents
14. Family life agencies and organizations with professionals such as researchers, extension educators, Family Preservation and Support directors, Family Resource Center workers, parent educators
15. Mental health organizations and agencies with professionals counselors and therapists
16. Law offices with attorneys  who deal in child support, custody, guardianship and related issues
17. Financial organizations and agencies with advisors, loan officers, retirement counselors, and financial planners/counselors
 

When should local sites register for the satellite program?

We encourage sites to register as soon as they know they will be offering the program.  Once a site has paid the site registration fee, they will be listed by state on the web page.  The local site facilitator will also be added to an e-mail list (those without e-mail will receive a fax).  The e-mail messages will provide additional information about the program that may not be on the web site.  This is a quick and easy way to keep the local sites informed.  Remember that sites WILL NOT receive the satellite coordinates for the program until they are a registered site.
 
Who should be involved in promoting the satellite program?

While local site facilitators will promote the program locally, we encourage the state contacts to work with state agencies and organizations.  One way to do that is by developing a statewide advisory committee.   The committee’s purpose would be to identify potential sites and site facilitators and to promote the program through their organization and networks.
 
Past experiences find that having a statewide advisory committee saves time and effort for everyone.  The statewide advisory committee only needs to meet a couple of times and that can be over the telephone or face-to-face.  Individuals on the committee could be representatives from state agencies such as the Agency on Aging, Department of Public Instruction, Department of Health/Human/Social Services.  They will have ideas on promotion and potential audiences and publications, seminars, classes, or other methods you can use to promote the program. You can provide them with brochures, flyers, and other promotional materials available from the web page.

When should state contacts start securing local sites and site facilitators?

State contacts should be securing sites from October through December.  Remember, the site registration fee is higher after December 1.  The sooner a state has their sites identified the easier it will be to promote the program statewide as you’ll be able to identify where the program will be offered.

What marketing or promotional materials are available for state contacts?

You’ll find several specific pieces designed for state contacts on the web page (Click here to see the promotional materials for state contacts).  They include:
 1.  Media releases for state organizational and agency newsletters
 2.  Letter to recruit sites and local site facilitators
 3.  Fact sheet to share background information about the satellite program.  This piece could be included with letter to agencies and organizations you ask to be a site or modified as a promotional flyer for  state meetings.

Will professional development credit be available?

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from the University of Wisconsin-Extension, Professional Development Units from the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, and credit from the National Council on Family Relations will be available. There will be an additional charge to participants requesting continuing education credits so that we can process the paperwork.

You can also offer continuing education credit for professionals in your state and if you do, use this in your promotion. Some states require no prior application or paperwork, while others have simple forms to complete.
Directions on how to do this, and the information you need for applications such as program goals, the videoconference agenda, and program speakers will be available on the web site. The web site will also provide internet addresses for licensing and certification offices in your state. You do not need to charge for state level professional development units if you are handling the paperwork, but you can. You'll want to distribute this
information to local site facilitators in your state so they can include this in their program promotion.
 
What marketing or promotional materials are available for local site facilitators?

Several promotional tools for site facilitators are also on the web page (Click here to see the promotional materials for local site facilitators).  They include:
1.  A letter to potential participants.  A brochure announcing the program can be included with the letter.
2.  A brochure which can be localized
3.  A newsletter articles and public service announcements for local media outlets.
4.  A poster for local distribution

When should local site facilitators start promoting and marketing the program?

A local site should start promoting the program as soon as they know they will be offering the program.  Remember, many community, agency and organizational newsletters need several months notice to print announcements of upcoming educational programs.  The more outreach you have the better attendance you’ll have at the program.  It’s never too early to start promoting the program.  Encourage the local sites to go for it and promote, promote, promote.
 

If you have trouble accessing this page, require this information in an alternative format, or wish to request an accomodation because of a disability, contact: flp@uwex.edu

© 2001 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, doing business as the Division of Cooperative Extension
of the University of Wisconsin-Extension.

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Updated  Friday, 14-Dec-2001 14:40:48 CST