- Autism Spectrum Disorders Certificate program addresses a growing need for training care providers to those with special needs
The incidence of an autism spectrum disorders diagnosis is 10 times more likely than it was 10 years ago. Education, health and human services providers who completed a UW-La Crosse/Extension Autism Spectrum Disorders Certificate Program developed skills to help improve communication, social and physical skills in autistic persons. These individuals are better able to provide appropriate care based on currently recommended practices than colleagues who did not enroll in the training.
- Autism Spectrum Disorders Certificate Program Addresses a Growing Need for Training Care Providers to Those with Special Needs
The likelihood of an autism spectrum disorders diagnosis has increased dramatically over the last decade. Education and health and human services providers who completed a UW-LaCrosse/Extension Autism Spectrum Disorders Certificate Program developed skills to help improve communication by those with autism, as well as their social and physical skills. As a result of this training, these professionals are better able to provide appropriate care based on currently recommended practices than are colleagues who did not receive the training.
- Electronic applications make a UW education more accessible to students everywhere
More than 94,000 prospective students submitted online applications for undergraduate admission to University of Wisconsin System schools in 2004-2005, representing nearly 75 percent of the total applications received. The popularity of electronic applications - or eapps - demonstrates that students favor online registration over the slower, more laborious paper method. UW campus admissions officers prefer the eapps, too. This faster application system saves the UW system money and better serves student applicants by minimizing errors, eliminating duplication, and moving information more quickly to the UW campuses.
- Extension Response to June 2008 Floods
In June 2008, record rains on saturated soils caused widespread flooding, costing hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. Thirty southern Wisconsin counties were declared disaster areas. Backed by campus specialists, county extension faculty helped their neighbors assess damage and document losses even as floodwaters were rising. They contributed to positive impacts for farmers, families, homeowners, businesses, agencies and communities, from reduced losses, risks, stress and anxiety, to improved local and state agency performance.
- Family caregivers in La Crosse County’s Hmong community come together to discuss challenges and solve problems
In the La Crosse area, local partners are listening and responding to the concerns of Hmong residents who care for sick or aging family members. With sponsorship from the UW-Extension School for Workers and other agencies, Hmong caregivers in the area have established an advocacy and support group to communicate their challenges to each other and to the community. Meanwhile, a program at the local Hmong Community Center offers monthly health and wellness information sessions specific to their needs. These measures occurred in direct response to a health needs assessment and a caregiver summit, both conducted in 2006 and made possible by a grant from the UW-Extension.
- Free tax service nets refunds for low-wage workers
Research shows that many eligible low-income families do not use public assistance programs such as tax credits or Food Stamps. When an advisory committee identified a neighborhood in critical need, UW-Extension led a broad-based community partnership to provide free tax preparation and referrals for financially vulnerable families. Low-wage workers are using their new tax refunds to pay bills and add to savings.
- Gerontology Certificate Program fulfills a growing need for specialists in the field of aging
A heightened compassion and understanding towards the elderly are some of the benefits students received from UW-La Crosse's Gerontology Certificate Program. These courses meet the continuing education requirements of adults in southwestern Wisconsin who have either a personal or professional interest in the field of aging¿from health care and social workers to educators to primary care givers and others. Along with UW-La Crosse faculty and area professionals, students examine physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual issues confronting the elderly. And as the demand for qualified geriatric workers rises, participants complete professional development requirements and become members of a supportive network of gerontology experts, most of whom report sharing their new knowledge with co-workers.
- Leadership program has personal and community impact in Superior and Douglas County
When citizens get involved, raise their awareness of local issues, and sharpen their leadership skills, their communities reap the rewards. To increase civic participation in the Superior area, UW-Superior's Center for Continuing Education/Extension teamed with the Superior/Douglas County Chamber of Commerce and the Development Association to design a leadership program for local achievers. Since 1992, more than 400 area residents have taken part in the 10-month course. They credit the program with improving their ability to work with others, increasing their community involvement, and expanding their knowledge of the community and of change-making.
- Long Term Care Promotion and Recognition
Through this EDvantage grant, UW-LaCrosse Continuing Education and Extension (UWL CEE) engaged and challenged community leaders and providers to address the state’s critical long term care workforce issues. The Coulee Region Long Term Care Workforce Coalition has a growing membership of 26 long term care providers of services for elders and people with disabilities. Providers have additional tools to recruit and retain young workers and workers over age 55. Workforce development agencies and elected officials are equipped with information and personal accounts of the workforce crisis and its impact, and city and county planners and officials are exploring ways to make neighborhoods and LaCrosse-area communities more aging-friendly. This EDvantage grant embodied the outreach and engagement ideal of the Wisconsin Idea.
- Long-term care initiative leads to improved job satisfaction among direct care workers
In La Crosse and Monroe Counties, supervisors in the long-term care industry are taking part in a sweeping effort to improve their workplace cultures and retain employees. UW-La Crosse’s Continuing Education and Extension logged 105 enrollments in 2006-07 in a new leadership development series designed to improve the management skills of long-term care supervisors. Participants’ employees report that positive changes in their supervisors’ workplace behaviors have led to higher levels of trust, worker satisfaction, and teamwork. A recently formed regional coalition is advancing the effort, too. While continuing to promote supportive supervision of direct care workers, Coulee Region Long Term Care Workforce Coalition advocates for better pay, workplace conditions, and training.
- Nursing home administrators' course enhances quality of management and practice in long-term care facilities
Nursing home administrators in Wisconsin are required to pass an exam to be licensed in their profession. A University of Wisconsin-Madison Continuing Studies course not only prepares students to pass this exam, but also increases their knowledge of management, issues, overall practice, other-care facility departments, and the development of long-range goals, plans or policies in the profession of long-term care. Some students said the course helped expand their perspectives; others received promotions because of their new knowledge and skills.
- Partnership training helps social workers provide services for the developmentally disabled in northern Wisconsin
Developmentally disabled adults integrated into the community and their families rely on knowledgeable case workers who are well versed in up-to-date information to help them successfully live more independently. In the past few years, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Continuing Education Community-Based Service Training Partnership (CBSTP) for Adults program has provided more than 1,300 professionals with updated knowledge on current research and practice. The trainings improve the case workers' job performance and consequently benefit the clients they serve. And, because participants follow up with peer training, programs reach beyond the participants and add to the knowledge base of other professionals.
- Poverty training increases teacher awareness and builds opportunities for Fond du Lac children
To respond to a local poverty crisis, the Fond du Lac School District-in partnership with the UW-Fond du Lac Continuing Education Department-offers a Framework for Understanding Poverty in-service to all district employees. Developed by scholar Ruby Payne, the nationally regarded training has inspired teachers and staff from both institutions to develop a series of community projects, all aimed at giving underprivileged children their best chance at academic success. Faculty and staff say the workshop profoundly impacted their teaching and their attitudes towards their students. These programs enhance students' confidence, thus increasing the likelihood that they will pursue an educational degree and perhaps break the cycle of poverty in which they have become trapped.
- Social workers in northeastern Wisconsin meet certification requirements while learning how to better support their clients
A 1999 change in certification policy created a need for increased professional development opportunities for Wisconsin social workers. Since then, a workshop series in northeastern Wisconsin that was designed to fulfill this new demand has logged more than 5000 enrollments. Social workers who attended one recent workshop on women and alcohol say the program not only met their training requirements but also helped them to support their clients. The ongoing series is a collaborative effort between the social work and outreach departments at the UW-Oshkosh and the UW-Green Bay.
- Substance abuse certificate helps human-service professionals work more effectively with patients and in the workplace
A training program in substance abuse provides social workers, psychologists, nurses, teachers, clergy, prison staff and other human-service providers with the knowledge and skills necessary to identify and work more effectively with substance abusers and their families. Several persons made changes in workplace policy as a result of the training. Others gained confidence and learned to appreciate cultural-sensitivity concerns.
- Summit poises African American trade unionists for leadership roles in their workplaces and communit
More than 120 African Americans from the Milwaukee area attended conferences in 2004 and 2005 to discuss issues facing African American workers and their communities. Participants, who have pledged to continue the annual event, particularly value the opportunity for African American community and trade union leaders to meet, identify needs and goals, and begin to build a supportive network. Some participants even report that the summit experience inspired them to run for public office. The event received funding from UW-Extension''s Diversity Program Development Initiative program.
- Training partnership improves youth and family services in Superior community
Northwood Children's Services in northern Wisconsin is a national leader in training social services providers and educators who work with youth in need of special services. By teaming up with UW-Superior's Center for Continuing Education/Extension, they've provided university level training for 68 persons, resulting in a more qualified and competent workforce that is more responsive to the special needs of youth in the social services system. The Youth and Family Services Certificate program gives professionals comprehensive knowledge and skills to use when working with children and their families. Participants have been able to use the information in their jobs, some have made changes in policy or decision-making, and many have received increased responsibilities or promotions as a result of their training.
