Cornell University Cooperative Extension New York City

Cornell University Cooperative Extension New York City CUCE-NYC is a research-based educational organization that bridges Cornell University and NYC communities, bringing together shared knowledge and expertise.

Cornell University Cooperative Extension – New York City Programs have served as an essential link among researchers, students and faculty, and the land grant mission of Cornell University for more than 50 years. Our work – to identify connections between New York City’s needs and the research agenda of the university – is ongoing. Our programs are supported by Cornell research and are well-suited to the diverse needs of New York City residents. Through our Nutrition and Health workshops we reach families in all five boroughs of New York City by working in partnership with community organizations, schools, job training programs, faith-based organizations and emergency food assistance providers. During 2015 more than 42,174 individuals participated in our Nutrition and Health programs:

3,237 youth participated in our workshop series and received education designed to increase awareness of healthy eating and the benefits of being physically active

3,900 adults and youth received information at one time events such as training workshops and demonstrations at community organizations

30,985 people at 9 farmers’ markets visited Cornell University Cooperative Extension cooking and learning stations in NYC. Most tasted farm fresh produce cooked using simple nutritious recipes. Our 4-H programs engage New York City youth in projects and activities that build youth skills in engineering and math, literacy, nutrition & health, STEM, civic engagement and teen leadership. Want to learn about sustainable food production, nutrition and science by working in a real lab? The Cornell Hydroponics, Aquaponics and Aquaculture Learning Labs in New York City are real-time, applied science and research laboratories allowing students to learn about sustainable food production, nutrition and science. Additionally, our positive youth development & parenting trainings and workshops enhance the knowledge, skills and practices of adults who interact with youth and adolescents, at home or through agencies and other organizational settings. CUCE-NYC offers many site-based, on-demand, fee-for-service and tailored training programs in your community. Contact us for more information.

40 E. 34th Street, Suite 606,
New York, New York 10016
Office: 212-340-2910
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://nyc.cce.cornell.edu/

CUCE-NYC programs are responsive: We partner with individuals, families, and communities to help meet their evolving nee...
09/24/2026

CUCE-NYC programs are responsive: We partner with individuals, families, and communities to help meet their evolving needs.

That means our work doesn’t stop with the workshops, trainings, and programs we lead.

It also looks like combining our time, knowledge, and resources with those of trusted partners doing important work across New York City.

This summer, our staff participated in Repack to Give Back, City Harvest’s annual campaign that brings volunteers together to repackage food and help ensure New Yorkers have access to nutritious food during the upcoming holiday season.

Supporting thriving, food-secure communities takes partnership, and we thank City Harvest for giving our team an opportunity to give back to the city we call home.

Hands-on learning. Food science. New York agriculture. And, of course, a tasting.CUCE-NYC’s Dairy in the Classroom progr...
09/23/2026

Hands-on learning. Food science. New York agriculture. And, of course, a tasting.

CUCE-NYC’s Dairy in the Classroom program turns food science into something students can see, make, and taste. 🥛🧀

Classroom learning comes to life as students explore the science and process behind cheesemaking—from heating and whisking milk to separating curds and whey and comparing different cheeses.

The program grew from the NYC Dairy Education Pilot Project as part of the New York Agriculture in the Classroom, where students explored the farm-to-table continuum, food science, and dairy production through activities including making butter, fresh mozzarella, and ice cream.

Our Positive Youth Development (PYD) work is more than delivering programs directly to young people. Through capacity bu...
09/17/2026

Our Positive Youth Development (PYD) work is more than delivering programs directly to young people. Through capacity building, skill development, and train-the-trainer approaches, CUCE-NYC equips youth-serving professionals and organizations with research-informed tools to strengthen their ability to engage, support, and respond to the young people they serve.

Sometimes, that capacity building looks like learning a new youth development framework. Other times, it looks like playing a game together like here Global Kids giving staff a chance to build stronger relationships with one another while also participating in activities they can adapt and use with the young people they serve.

By building the capacity of those who serve young people, we strengthen the organizations around them and expand the reach and quality of positive youth development across New York City.

How can nutrition education better reflect the financial realities New York City families face every day?The Expanded Fo...
09/09/2026

How can nutrition education better reflect the financial realities New York City families face every day?

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) provides nutrition education to families with limited incomes throughout New York City and across New York State. Our educators use curricula developed by teams of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell of College of Human Ecology at Cornell and partner institutions to promote nutrition, healthy eating, and practical skills that support family well-being. Over the past several years, however, we have increasingly recognized that financial constraints and other stressors can make it difficult for families to purchase, prepare, and eat nutritious foods.

To help address these challenges, we received funding to develop Healthy Habits, Healthy Budgets, a curriculum that integrates nutrition education with practical strategies for managing food resources. After piloting the curriculum at four sites in Brooklyn and the Bronx, we are now working to refine its content and approach so that it better reflects the needs, experiences, and assets of the communities we serve.

As part of this next phase, we are inviting New York City community-based organizations and other stakeholders who serve communities with limited resources and have an interest or expertise in nutrition education and community health to participate in our Community Co-Design Workshop Series.
Participants will have the opportunity to review and provide feedback on selected curriculum lessons, identify gaps, and share their community knowledge and expertise to help shape Healthy Habits, Healthy Budgets. The workshops will use a participatory and collaborative approach to better understand and address community needs.

The workshop series will include two cohorts, with three online sessions per cohort. Participants will also be asked to complete research surveys about their experiences and will receive an incentive for their participation.
In addition to the workshops, we plan to interview parents with limited incomes to better understand the barriers they experience in trying to eat healthfully, as well as the resources, strategies, and supports that could help them and their families along their healthy eating journeys.

Together, this input will help us strengthen the curriculum and prepare it for use by other organizations and communities.
Interested in participating?

Register here: https://forms.gle/wrBucaSqqyQmynSt5

For questions or additional information, please contact us at [email protected] or 267-253-8461.

Plates full, hands up, certificates in the air at East Harlem Bilingual Head Start This is what the graduation ceremony ...
09/01/2026

Plates full, hands up, certificates in the air at East Harlem Bilingual Head Start
This is what the graduation ceremony of a nutrition and health workshop series looks like with CUCE-NYC.

Our nutrition and health work is rooted in a community-based paraprofessional model: our educators come from the communities they serve, bringing shared language, culture, and lived experience into hands-on nutrition education. Trust is cultivated when the person at the front of the room knows your block, your neighborhood, your grocery store.

And the certificate of completion isn’t just for the fridge. Participants bring it to job applications, add it to resumes, and count it as a professional development milestone. It’s one way CUCE-NYC supports health and opportunity.

Con los platos llenos, las manos arriba, y los certificados en el aire en el East Harlem Bilingual Head Start.

Así es como se ve una ceremonia de graduacion de los talleres de nutrición y salud de CUCE-NYC.

Nuestra labor en nutrición y salud se centra en un modelo del paraprofessional basado en la comunidad: nuestros educadores provienen de las comunidades de donde sirven, traen un idioma en común, la cultura y la experiencia vivída a una educación de nutrición que es práctica. La confianza se cultiva cuando la persona al frente conoce tu cuadra, tu vecindario, y tu bodega.

Y el certificado de finalización no es solo para el refrigerador. Los participantes lo traen consigo a entrevistas de empleo, lo agregan a su currículum (résumé), y lo cuentan como un logro de desarollo professional. Esta es una manera en como CUCE-NYC promueve la salud y la oportunidad.

Spanish translation by Yvonne Bravo

08/31/2026

What does it take to turn decades of research into meaningful change for New York's kids and families?

Our 2026 Extension Spotlight shows how, moving research into communities across the state and beyond. Examples include:

-PRYDE's Youth Investigators Program, which puts research tools directly in teens' hands

-Farmers' market nutrition programs with Cornell University Cooperative Extension New York City, reaching thousands of New Yorkers

Trauma-informed training from the Residential Child Care Project, Cornell University, reaching many of the state's public schools

This report highlights five programs translating Cornell research into meaningful impact.

Rooted in our land-grant mission, this year's spotlight tells the story of a center closing the gap between what research knows and what our communities experience, one classroom, farmers' market and community center at a time.

Plant it. Study it. Grow it. Harvest it.That’s hands-on STEM learning in action through our Hydroponics and STEM Educati...
08/26/2026

Plant it. Study it. Grow it. Harvest it.

That’s hands-on STEM learning in action through our Hydroponics and STEM Education program.

📷: Danielle Parks

08/25/2026

What if a grocery store could do more than make healthy food affordable, and become part of the healthcare system?

In a recent New York Daily News op-ed, three Cornell-affiliated experts, Saurabh Mehta, Janet and Gordon Lankton professor and director of the Cornell Joan Klein Jacobs Center for Precision Nutrition and Health; Marian Flaxman, the center’s communications and advocacy lead; and Michelle Loy, a faculty fellow at the center, argue that New York City’s planned city-run grocery stores present an opportunity to rethink the relationship between food and health.

Their proposal: transform the stores into Food-as-Medicine health and grocery hubs that bring nutritious food, healthcare resources and nutrition education together in one place.

The authors point to existing programs that could help make that vision possible, including Medicaid-supported produce prescriptions, medically tailored meals and nutrition counseling; Food is Medicine initiatives through Medicare Advantage and the Department of Veterans Affairs; and programs that stretch SNAP benefits for fresh produce.

The hubs could also offer cooking and nutrition workshops, connect shoppers with clinicians and dietitians, and source food from New York farms, creating benefits that extend beyond the stores themselves. The authors cite research estimating that locally sourced Food as Medicine programs in New York could direct nearly $30 million to local farms each year.

“True innovation in grocery requires recognizing that food and health are inseparable,” they write. “Food choices can drive disease, or they can be powerful medicine for preventing and reversing chronic illness.”

By integrating Food as Medicine into the city’s grocery initiative, Flaxman, Loy, and Mehta argue, New York could create a model that expands access to nutritious food while addressing diet-related chronic disease, supporting local economies and demonstrating how food and healthcare can work together to improve human health.

Read the full op-ed in the New York Daily News: https://www.nydailynews.com/2026/08/23/healthcare-is-the-missing-ingredient-in-mamdanis-grocery-plan/

08/18/2026

Nidia Vasquez has spent more than 20 years helping New York City families build healthier lives. As a Community Nutrition Educator, she brings practical, research-based nutrition and health education directly to adults, young people, and families in communities across the city.

Her commitment is reflected not only in the years she has dedicated to this work, but in what it takes to show up each day. Nidia commutes from Staten Island to communities across New York City, driven by a deep connection to the families she serves and a belief that education can give people the knowledge and confidence to make meaningful changes in their lives.

For Nidia, Extension is ultimately about meeting people where they are, building relationships, and helping families recognize the power they already hold to strengthen their health and well-being.

“Empowering families. That’s what Extension means to me.”

Video editing by Juan Vazquez-Leddon & Danielle Parks

Honoring our past. Responding to the present. Preparing for the future.This month, Jenny Weil Malatras, Ph.D., ABPP, con...
08/17/2026

Honoring our past. Responding to the present. Preparing for the future.

This month, Jenny Weil Malatras, Ph.D., ABPP, convened the inaugural meeting of Cornell University Cooperative Extension - New York City's Family and Youth Development Advisory Committee and Youth Subcommittee— a milestone that grew out of listening— to our communities, to young people, and to what this moment requires of us— and a deep belief that we cannot reimagine this work without first hearing from those we serve.

Community and youth voice are not additions to this process— they are the foundation of it. Young people are at the table as genuine thought partners, alongside community members, educators, clinicians, and city agency partners who bring deep knowledge and lived experience of the communities we serve. Their voices, combined with a rigorous, data-informed needs assessment, will shape the future of CUC-NYC's Family and Youth Development programming across New York City.

“I am grateful to be doing this work alongside ACT for Youth and Cornell's Organizational Development and Effectiveness team, whose partnership is helping us ask better questions and build something more responsive and sustainable,” Malatras stated.

What do you believe young people and families in New York City need most right now? We’d love to hear from you.

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