Debra teaches consumer education programs for youth and adults in the areas of family financial management, consumer credit, housing and indoor air quality for the following counties: Bureau, Grundy, Henderson-Mercer-Warren, Henry-Stark, Knox, LaSalle, Marshall-Putnam, and Rock Island.

Debra has a masters degree from the University of Illinois in vocational and technical education in home economics and a bachelor of science degree from Northern Illinois University in home economics education.

With 28 years at University of Illinois Extension, Debra is the Consumer and Family Economics Educator at the Quad Cities Center. In earlier years, Debra worked with the Bureau County Cooperative Extension Service in the home economics education programs for 4-H, youth, and adults. She was a Specialized Adviser in Family Resource Management for 12 years. Debra taught high school consumer education and home economics in Illinois before coming to University of Illinois Extension.

Debra's professional affiliations include the National and Illinois Associations of Family and Consumer Sciences, serving on the NEAFCS Public Afffairs External Marketing national committee, serving on the board of directors for the Illinois Consumer Education Association, and a member of Epsilon Sigma Phi. Debra also serves on the board of directors for the Quad Cities DollarWi$e group for financial literacy. In her community, Debra served as an officer in the Bureau County League of Women Voters.

Bartman has received state and national awards for Distinguished Service and Continued Excellence from IEAFCS and NEAFCS, the state team award from Epsilon Sigma Phi for the radon website, and state and national team awards for enviromental education from Epsilon Sigma Phi, NEAFCS and IEAFCS, and the state Extension Director's Award of Excellence for team work on environmental education on radon and indoor air quality.

Program Offerings

Managing Your Money - Learn how to make a spending and savings plan, how to track your spending, save for important goals, pay your bills on time, and how to use credit wisely.

What Your College-bound Student Needs to Know about Credit and Credit Cards - A program for parents and their high school juniors and seniors to prepare them for the credit decisions the students are likely to face in college or living on their own after high school.

Decluttering Your Life - Learn how to reduce the paper and clutter at home.

Record Keeping: What important records to keep and where to store them

What Is Your Credit History and Score? Learn how your history of paying off loans, credit card debt, and rent can affect you in getting a job, getting an apartment to rent, insurance rates, and your interest rate for loans. See a sample credit report and learn how to order a free credit report without offers to buy other products and services. Learn how to establish credit in your name.

Safely Aging in Place: Families of all ages and stages should consider ways to make their home safe, assessible, and comfortable for the tasks of daily living. An overview of simple, low-cost and more expensive modifications and a list of resources, devices and tools will be provided. These modicafications can help families live in their homes longer as they age and have physical changes.

Where Do You Want to Live in Retriement? Evaluate your retirement needs, look at the factors to consider when choosing a place to retire, consider your options for the types of housing options, and review the questions to decide whether to stay in your current home or move.

Radon Poster Contest - For youth ages 9-14. Schools, FFA, 4-H clubs, Scouts, other youth groups and after-school groups are invited to enter the contest. Visit the www.TakeActionOnRadon.uiuc.edu website. Look under "For More Info" and under "Teacher Resources" for details about the radon poster contest.

Buy Recycled Kit - Teachers and youth club leaders can borrow the kit to show youth ways they can help close the recycling loop by buying products made from post-consumer recycled content. Lesson plans are included.

Home Buyer Education: A four hour class for perspective home buyers. Learn about the steps in buying a home, what are the costs of owning a home, and how much home can you afford? Also a banker will discuss financing the home. A home inspector explains the home inspection process.

Schemes, Scams, and Flim-Flams - A review of the common types of consumer fraud occuring. Learn the warning signs of fraud to protect yourself from fraud. Learn who to contact if you have been a victim of fraud.

Protect Your Identity - Learn how personal information is being shared and how identify theft occurs. Take action to protect your personal and financial information to reduce your chances of becoming a victim of identity theft.

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