Fresno County's UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program has a long standing partnership with the Fresno State Dietetic Internship Program. This blog post is part of our Intern Reflections Series.

Days full of dancing with 5-year-olds to the “MyPlate Shaky,” having kids yell “Hi Miss Powers!” in the hallway, and getting to teach others about my favorite topic ever—nutrition: Where do I sign up?

That's right, people actually get paid to do this! All of my mentors and preceptors at UC CalFresh are extremely hard working and incredibly passionate and enthusiastic about what they do. The experiences I have had through my time with this program have further emphasized my love for community nutrition education.

Haley giving a MyPlate demonstration in a preschool class at Birney Elementary.

One of my experiences during my time with UC CalFresh was helping to create various materials and resources for the program. One such project involved creating a newsletter for parents and teachers highlighting healthy celebrations for families and children. These newsletters introduced important tips like making small changes to make the holidays a healthier season. Another project I worked on was finding scientific articles related to factors affecting the amounts and kinds of foods consumed during lunch at schools. I researched and summarized several articles that investigated the length of lunch periods and the consumption of entrée foods, fruits, vegetables, and milk in order to see if there was a general trend.

Perhaps my favorite part of my time with this program was getting to observe and teach nutrition lessons in the classroom. I was able to see first hand the way that lessons are created and geared towards each grade level, from preschool to 6^th grade. Each lesson had its own focus, however a brief MyPlate overview and some sort of physical activity was always included. I found that this was very important because it gave the lessons consistency and helped underscore the two most important concepts we want students to know: exercise is important and a healthy balanced plate is a must! Lessons were very interactive, and the children were very receptive to the information given to them. I enjoyed not only observing different employees' teaching techniques, but I also enjoyed getting to jump in and teach some of the lessons myself. I was also fortunate enough to observe an adult education class. This class was structured very differently than the elementary school classes, however MyPlate and physical activity were still included. There were also multiple tastings, which helped introduce participants to new foods and keep them involved and focused on the lesson. I was able to contribute to their nutrition education experience by answering some of their tough questions, which made me feel great!

Haley singing the "Plant Parts" song with a kindergarten class at Kratt Elementary.

After gaining a better understanding of the curriculum, the classroom environment, and the goals of the UC CalFresh program, I was able to create my own lesson plan that I felt would be an effective tool for teaching students about added sugar. I researched and came up with activities that were hands-on and interactive, while still emphasizing the importance of MyPlate. I would be honored to get to teach this lesson to students in the future!

“The general goal of UC CalFresh is to improve the diet and nutrition-related skills of CalFresh recipients and their families.” When I read this objective from the UC CalFresh website after my experience with the program, I can honestly say that the daily efforts put forth by all of the members of the staff are with this particular goal in mind. Objectives and mission statements can sometimes be so far removed from the day-to-day reality of certain organizations, but for UC CalFresh it is their everyday mindset. The work atmosphere, goals, and practices of this program are absolutely in line with where I see myself working in the nutrition field.

Sign me up!

Fresno County's UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program has a long standing partnership with the Fresno State Dietetic Internship Program. This blog post is part of our Intern Reflections Series.

I wasn't exactly sure what happens at UC CalFresh, but I did know it was community based, and that the program promoted nutrition education. I also knew that the nutrition educators would go into elementary schools and provide a 20-30 minute lesson about nutrition. Since school had just started, I was told that we would, unfortunately, not be able to see the nutrition education in the classroom. This was a bit disappointing because I love teaching and being exposed to different styles and techniques (especially classroom management).

Me putting together teaching tools used for Youth Nutrition lessons

I started my two-week rotation like that of any other new job: paperwork. There is an online certification process that takes about 4 hours. Being one to like to do things the hard way, I completed the wrong certification and had to start all over the next day. Good times! I did learn a lot about privacy, participant's rights, and other legal matters pertaining to studies, so it was all worth it!

There is also an assignment during the first few days where you are required to complete questions pertaining to the curriculum of the UC CalFresh program. This was an excellent opportunity to begin to understand the idea behind the lessons taught, how they are delivered, and what was appropriate for the audience being addressed.

John C. Martinez Elementary School Back to School Night with my fellow intern, Gene Thao

My first teaching observation was with a Jobs 2000 class taught by nutrition educators Javier and Yolanda. It was the first of four lessons for this class, so I was able to understand where the nutrition education began, and how it was delivered to older adults. It was a fun experience, and the educators were great at not only teaching, but also interacting with their class. 

Later in the week Brittanny Zweigle took me to an elementary school to sign teachers up for the program. This was an eye opening experience, as Brittanny explained how important the relationship is between UC CalFresh and the staff and faculty of the schools in Fresno County.  There truly was a great relationship demonstrated between not only Brittanny and the staff and faculty, but also the teachers and the UC CalFresh program itself. Everyone, students and adults alike, were so excited when they saw her! It was evident that other educators believe that the UC CalFresh program is essential to promoting a healthy lifestyle in the community. 

Me sitting in a Pre-School classroom

 I ended my first week at a Back to School night with nutrition educator Angelica at John C. Martinez Elementary School in Parlier. What a great school! So many families came out to celebrate the new school year. Our display had wonderful, easy to understand information about MyPlate. Although we were initially there to survey parents, we interacted with kids who knew so much about MyPlate! Why did they know the 5 food groups in 1^st grade? Because they had UC CalFresh nutrition education in kindergarten, providing another great example of how many people are being reached with this amazing program! Angelica was awesome with her bilingualism and also training two interns. Very impressive!

I ended my second week in the best way possible:  I was going to see an amazing nutrition educator teach to preschoolers! Shawna Rogers has been my guardian angel while doing my rotation at UC CalFresh, and I could never thank her enough for her patience, respect, and professional expertise. Seeing her in action was amazing, inspirational, and so much fun! She knows her audience and can teach a lesson while providing an entertaining and learning-friendly environment. I wish I had Mrs. Rogers as my nutrition educator!

The people who work at UC CalFresh were extremely welcoming and willing to teach me all about their job and how this program impacts the community. Thank you for sharing your space, knowledge, and time with me! I envy the next intern at UC CalFresh, and I can't wait to hear about their experience!

Fresno County's UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program has a long standing partnership with the Fresno State Dietetic Internship Program. This blog post is part of our Intern Reflections Series.

UC Cooperative Extension is the perfect example of a local hero. While rotating through my dietetic internship at UC CalFresh, I had the opportunity to see what their program is all about. The UC CalFresh employees work very hard to bring nutrition to the table for families, adults, and children of all ages by teaching nutrition lessons at schools and taking part in community events. What I love the most about the program is their nutrition education for pre-school age children. Early prevention of obesity is crucial to keeping our community healthy and building a solid nutrition foundation for these children will have a huge impact on their future.

Here is a picture of me sitting in one of the pre-school classes while observing Nutrition Coordinator, Shawna Rogers, work with the students. She did a fabulous job teaching about nutrition through her use of games and songs about MyPlate. 

This is a picture of Nutrition Coordinator, Brittanny Zweigle, going into Balderas Elementary School to sign  teachers up for nutrition education lessons in their classrooms. She does a great job interacting with the teachers and building healthy relationships with them.

Seeing these nutrition educators behind the scenes was such a great experience and will serve as an amazing resource when I become a Registered Dietitian.

UC CalFresh Fresno County has a long standing partnership with the Fresno State Dietetic Internship Program. This blog post is part of our Intern Reflections Series.

The Carnaval Children's Festival, held at the Mosqueda Community Center on September 19th, offered family fun and entertainment with bounce houses, wildlife exhibits, and swimming pool games. Families visited colorful booths that offered a wealth of information about their community and a handful of freebies.

Children enjoyed getting physically active in the bounce houses!

So many great vendor booths to visit!

The UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program joined in the event and set up their own booth to promote the importance of milk and calcium-rich food consumption.

UC CalFresh's "Milk is for Me" workshop display

Different models of milk—whole to fat-free—were displayed to reveal their fat content along with other interesting hands-on visuals. Many parents were amazed to discover the amount of fat they were consuming on a daily basis. They were also surprised as they felt the actual weight of both one pound and five pounds of fat. Most importantly, they learned the pivotal role of calcium in bone health.

We would like to extend a special thank you to Parks and Recreation, the City of Fresno, Fresno Unified School District, and PG&E for sponsoring yet another awesome community event for the city of Fresno!