1. The Future of Community-Based Services and Education
By: Toni McCrary

2. Community-Based Health/Wellness
More medical professionals that specialize in geriatrics care and more pediatric services
Preventative testing and curriculum within schools and the community about diabetes, healthy lifestyle, health education
Revamp of the current SNAP nutrition program to exclude high sugar and high fat foods in addition to high-end cuts of meat

3. More specialists in geriatrics, pediatrics and in specialized areas of education
There will be a need for more specialists in geriatrics as the baby boomers will be up in age
There will be a larger market for those educated in intergenerational studies
The increase in illnesses that normally affect adults in children will drive up the need for pediatric specialists
With the baby boomers in their eighties and the generation x nearing retirement age, there will be an increased need for doctors and counselors who are knowledgeable about the needs of the elderly. There needs to be availability to see bone and bone specialists, mental health and memory specialists that have experience with seniors.
Due to the different generations having to care for and work with each other there should be increase in opportunities for those who study intergenerational studies and like disciplines. 69% of the population is projected to be 65 or older by 2030.
The increase in children suffering from chronic illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and different cancers will drive an increase in the need for pediatric specialists

4. Preventative Programs in Schools and the Community
Schools will have to offer screening to combat pediatric diabetes and high cholesterol. There will be curriculum to teach healthy living. This is in response to rising obesity rates in children.
Schools and community programs will need to add family planning and sexual health to the curriculum in light of the loss of funding to the Family Planning Program in 2016 (US House of Rep, 2015).
Although there are already programs in place that promote physical activity through the First Lady and her Lets Move campaign, there will need to be some sort of response in schools to ensure that the education is reaching the majority of children. There has to be an active response to the heightened obesity and diabetes rates in adults and children. The programs in the schools is preventative education
Schools and community-based programs will need to pick up the slack of loosing funding of the Family Planning Program. The education system and community will have to seek ways to teach about sex-education, pregnancy prevention, and personal health. Teen pregnancy and other issues are still prevalent in many states (Texas is in the top 5 states in teen pregnancy rates) and these issues can not just be forgotten about because they have been defunded

5. Revamping SNAP Benefits
According to Kuhn, B. A., Dunn, P. A., Smallwood, D., Hanson, K., Blaylock, J., and Vogel, S. (2010) “Food stamps are intended to help low-income families and individuals meet their basic nutritional needs by ensuring they have the means to buy a nutritionally adequate and palatable low-cost diet” (p. 189).
Many families are using these benefits to buy the same foods that the program was supposed to keep them from having to buy. In order to ensure healthier diets for low-income families, SNAP will need to impose some restrictions on the approved foods
The SNAP program was created with a specific idea in mind. Presently they can be used to buy ANY kind of food product regardless of the nutritional value of the products. This negatively affects the diet of the recipients because they tend to buy cheap processed food for their families. Some simple restrictions made to the foods that are approved similar to those on the WIC program would help solve this problem. There could be a site where recipients can share healthy recipes they have tried using approved foods.

6. Community-Based Education
More open access to Head Start and Early Head Start programs to include the lower middle class and increase availability of these programs
More support and incentive for studying adult education, intergenerational studies, or social work by offering grants to create a more skilled workforce for the older community’s needs

7. Widening Income Guidelines for Head Start Services
Head Start is a research proven early childhood education program that is available to low-income families (hhs.gov, 2010)
Currently the income guidelines render lower middle class families with no option to participate, however alternate options do not provide quality education within their price point
There is an entire class of Americans that are underserviced by many programs. This one in particular should be addressed in the future because the children of the lower middle class do not have access to as many quality child-care options because their parents are not low poverty level. With the increases in the cost of living, the money that is made does not go as far as it used to. These families often times do not qualify for any services and therefore must carry all household costs on their income. Childcare costs are very high and this often leaves these families settling for less than favorable conditions for their children. Having to settle in their early childhood education options will eventually create the same deficiencies in development that they originally saw in the children of families below the poverty level.

8. Providing Support for those Studying in Specialized Fields
Educators possess the enormous potential to be utilized for the purposes of preventing and solving problems, increasing quality of life, intergenerational cooperation, and personal progress in relation to all ages (Hatar, 2013). Offering specialized training in high need areas of education such as intergenerational studies and social work will encourage study in these areas.
This will create a specialized group of educators equipped to handle the specific needs of the young and the old in the community.
The government can set up a grant or cancellation program for those who go into a high need field of study just as they did with children’s teachers. These fields will be necessary because the elderly population is projected to be the largest we have ever known

9. Diversity
LGBT Community
Immigrants

10. Embracing the LGBT Community
Current diversity issues include meeting the needs of the prevalent LGBT community
Issues such as STD’s, date rape drugs, and tobacco have a higher prevalence and consequence in the LGBT community (Science Letter, 2005).
There will be a need for healthcare and community based service workers who have education, sensitivity, and experience in serving the unique needs of LGBT citizens. There may need to be incentives offered to those who go into study in these fields

11. Supporting Immigrants
We must be prepared to meet the social needs of immigrants in light of the immigration reform on the horizon
There must be personnel that have some type of expertise in this area

12. Policy Same Sex Marriage Immigration Reform
Defunding of Family Planning Program

13. References
Határ, C. (2013). NEW TRENDS IN EDUCATION. Technologia Vzdelavania, 21(3), 1-2. Retrieved from
Health promotion; healthy pride web site launched to address health issues in LBGT community. (2005). Science Letter, , Retrieved from
Kuhn, B. A., Dunn, P. A., Smallwood, D., Hanson, K., Blaylock, J., & Vogel, S. (1996, Spring). The Food Stamp Program and Welfare Reform. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 10(2),
US Department of Health and Human Services Retrieved from
US House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations. (2015). Retrieved from