This collection of short (2 - 4 page) articles appeared in Broome County Living magazine, published from 1975 to 1989 by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County, New York and available to the public for low-cost purchase or subscription. The publication included information on local programs, farming practices, gardening, nutrition, home finance, and family living, supporting Cooperative Extension's mission of “Helping you put knowledge to work,” i.e. making current research from land grant universities available and accessible to the public.

These articles, published from 1986 through 1988, focused on child rearing and family life. They covered topics such as division of labor between male and female members of the household (“Changing Roles of Men and Women,” “Men and Housework ,” “Women at Home – How They Cope”), child raising issues and insights (“Living with Toddlers and Two Year Olds”), coping strategies (“Preventing Parent Burnout,” “How to Balance Work and Family”), and commentary on contemporary issues such as Kindergarten readiness (“Is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten?”) and children’s activity schedules (“Are Your Children ‘Over-Programmed?’”)

Child development and parenting information was illustrated with local examples, anecdotes, and excerpts from popular books, with the aim of distilling current child care theory and research for everyday use by families. A recurring theme was changing societal trends in the 1980s, especially mothers’ increased presence in the workforce and changing gender roles in the home. Each article ended with practical suggestions and recommendations for additional resources, primarily low-cost publications from the Cooperative Extension’s Information Center.

Since 1914, Cooperative Extension agents have provided such information on agriculture and homemaking. The author was employed as a program assistant in home economics for the Broome County Cooperative Extension at the time these articles were written. During the period of publication, county Cooperative Extension offices throughout New York State sought to emphasize the research underpinning their services by highlighting their ties to Cornell University and the two affiliated land grant colleges, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Human Ecology. This increased Cornell branding and use of school colors (red and white) within the magazine can be seen over the course of the articles.

Keywords: Broome County New York, Cornell Cooperative Extension, family life, parents, toddlers, families, gender roles, children’s activities, parenting in the 1980s