Youth, families and communities statewide program created

Dear ANR Community,

As you may be aware, each of ANR's statewide programs undergo a five-year review to assess the program's activities and impacts of the past five years, and to make recommendations for the program's future.  In May 2008, the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) underwent a programmatic review conducted by an expert committee. The review committee was charged with assessing EFNEP's program management, resource utilization, decision-making, communication, and impact in California. After lengthy analysis, the committee forwarded a thorough and well-supported recommendation that the statewide program be subject to a major restructuring effort to allow for greater collaboration and to make organizational changes to utilize ANR's resources more effectively and efficiently. Those recommendations and the EFNEP leadership response were discussed at length at Program Council.

During the same period, ANR has experienced an unprecedented reduction in state funds. To adjust to reduced funding, ANR has consistently taken action to reduce administrative overhead, direct a larger portion of available resources to support program delivery, and to maintain core programmatic expertise.  Following the review of EFNEP, a committee was convened this past winter to explore options for restructuring nutrition education, youth and community programs with the goals of improving the communication between county and state offices, identifying new opportunities for collaborative efforts, streamlining administrative functions, maximizing funds and other resources, and realigning the goals of these statewide programs with ANR's Strategic Vision 2025 (http://ucanr.org/files/906.pdf).

In examining different options for restructuring, the committee explored the feasibility of integrating the 4-H Youth Development Program (4-HYDP) and EFNEP.  The committee analyzed both the pros and cons of integration and found ample opportunities for both programmatic growth and administrative efficiencies.  The model that best meets ANR's needs would maintain programmatic functions of 4-HYDP and EFNEP separately, but place fiscal management and administrative functions under a single unit, which will allow for a more sustainable funding model.  Under this structure, integration of 4-HYDP and EFNEP will be housed in a newly created Youth, Families, and Communities statewide program with the goal of strengthening ANR's capacity to support community sustainability; promote collaborations among UC faculty, specialists and county advisors; and identify effective program delivery strategies for youth and families living in California. During this statewide program reorganization, Sharon Junge will be providing leadership to this new program and will guide the transition.

ANR will carry out this program integration through an orderly transition with a target completion date of October 1, 2010.  We recognize that this administrative consolidation will affect many valued ANR employees and acknowledge the dedicated work and valuable contributions that you bring to ANR and to the people of California. We are confident that this new structure will make more resources available to county programs, provide greater accountability, and expand programmatic opportunities.  The timeline and work plan to carry out the functions of this restructuring effort will be widely communicated in the coming months.

We will continue to discuss this transition with ANR leadership, colleagues, and other key stakeholders to implement this plan as efficiently as possible and to realize this opportunity to improve ANR's service to California.

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This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.