Empowering individuals, youth, and families with limited resources with information to support a nutritionally sound diet and enhance personal development.
EFNEP adults focus on educational programs to enhance the quality of the families' diet. The adults are taught in small groups or individually by EFNEP assistants trained by Extension educators. The majority of participants complete the EFNEP curriculum in less than 8 sessions. Eating Smart• Being Active is designed for paraprofessional nutrition educators to use when teaching limited resource fam
ilies with young children to learn healthy lifestyle choices. The curriculum consists of eight core lessons, 60 to 90 minutes. The lessons used in Eating Smart• Being Active is centered on adult learning principles and is dialogue-base learner-centered education. The EFNEP youth program focuses on providing food and nutrition education to contribute to personal development of youth from families with low income. The youth are taught in summer or year-round enrichment programs conducted by EFNEP assistants and volunteers. The Kids in the Kitchen curriculum is designed to encourage youth to eat healthier meals and snacks using hands-on cooking experiences. Youth will learn how to prepare simple, healthy foods that they can make for themselves and other family members at home. Youth will also learn about food safety practices. The Kids in the Kitchen youth program can be used for summer and after-school programming, as well as in the school classroom for kids 5 to 18 years of age. EFNEP provides food and nutrition education for limited resource audiences in 16 counties in Arkansas, including Craighead County. The programs are free, informal and available at convenient locations and times in the home and community. Dominique and Jerrie, who are indigenous to the target population, deliver intensive, multi-session nutrition education programs that are fun and hands-on.
