A&T Curriculum Accepted into National Collection

For Immediate Release
April 20, 2001

Greensboro, NC: Down-to-Earth, the highly successful curriculum developed by the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Cooperative Extension Program, has been accepted into the Juried 4-H Youth Development Curriculum Collection.

Down-to-Earth is designed to encourage youth and educators to use gardening as a means to explore growing food or fiber. Through the program, children use hands-on approaches to learn the scientific method while solving a food or fiber growth problem.

According to Dr. Bob Williamson, who, along with Dr. Ellen Smoak, developed Down-to-Earth, the program also helps children build their self-esteem and learn life skills, such as patience.

"A number of schools have had great success using Down-to-Earth with children of various backgrounds and learning abilities," said Williamson. "The program is flexible enough that it can be valuable to almost any student at any school."

To be accepted into this national collection, experts from several fields must be satisfied that a curriculum meets high standards in every area, from subject matter content to design and evaluation, and that it is appropriate for national use. Once accepted, curricula remain in the national collection for five years, and will then be eligible for resubmission.

In recognition of Down-to-Earth, Smoak and Williamson also recently received one of three L. A. Potts Memorial Success Story Awards from the 58th Annual Professional Agricultural Workers Conference at Tuskegee University.

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For more information, please visit the program's Web site (www.ag.ncat.edu/dte) or contact Drs. Bob Williamson and Ellen Smoak, NC A&T Cooperative Extension Program, (336) 334-7956.