Thriving in Saline County--March-April, 2005

Help Wanted
University of Missouri Extension - Family Nutrition Education Program is accepting applications for a full-time (40-hour week) program assistant. Responsibilities include teaching basic nutrition and food safety education to limited-resource families in Saline County. High school diploma or GED required. Must provide own transportation and work flexible hours. Experience working with families and computer skills preferred. University of Missouri benefits, $8.50 per hour. This position is dependent upon continued USDA funding, which is expected, but not guaranteed. Apply: Saline County Extension Center, 153 S. Odell, Marshall MO 660-886-6908. AA/EEO/ADA employer.

Please Don’t Shoot the Messenger
I’ll be honest. I don’t much like the information in the rest of this newsletter. It is really important information, but I don’t like what it says. While working on the newsletter I’ve gone to the title twice and almost changed the title to “Living Well in Saline County?” I can’t do it, though. This is where I choose to live, work and raise a family.

Let’s not forget there are many positives about Saline County! However there are warts and beauty marks everywhere—including here.

Kids Count in Missouri is an annual report released by the Children’s Trust Fund, the University of Missouri’s Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis (OSEDA) and Citizens for Missouri’s Children.

The first question we should always have about data is whether it comes from a reliable source. OSEDA certainly passes that test.

I’ll answer the Who? Individually we can all do something positive, working together we can do even more!

Beware of simple answers to these complex issues. If the answers were easy, we’d have solved the issue a long time ago.

I hope this newsletter raises more issues and questions. I think you’ll want to explore the OSEDA website for more information:

How are children and families doing in Saline County compared to all families in Missouri?

Children eligible for free and reduced lunches in Saline County compared with all children in Missouri:

Births to mothers with 12 years of education or less in Saline County as compared to all of Missouri:

Out-of-home placements of Saline County children as compared to all of Missouri:

Average annual wages and salaries in Saline County compared to all of Missouri:

Juvenile law violations in Saline County compared to all of Missouri:

Child-deaths age 1- 14 in Saline County compared to all of Missouri:

How are children and families doing in Saline County compared to families in surrounding counties?

Births to Saline County mothers with 12 years of education or less compared with surrounding counties:

Out-of-home placements in Saline County compared to surrounding counties:

Children eligible for free and reduced lunches in Saline County as compared to surrounding counties:

Average annual wages and salaries in Saline County compared to surrounding counties:

Juvenile law violations in Saline County compared to surrounding counties:

Child-deaths age 1-14 in Saline County compared to surrounding counties: