Fresno and Madera Counties' 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.

Before interning at UC Cooperative Extension, I never thought about how important health education is to a community. During this fun rotation, I had the opportunity to participate in both the adult and youth nutrition education programs at UC CalFresh. The classes deliver healthy eating and living concepts through interesting stories, pictures, cooking demonstrations, food tastings, simple physical activities and fun games and activities. UC CalFresh also gives out colorful and easy-to-read nutrition handouts, healthy recipe books, and cooking and measuring tools for people to stay healthy. All the nutrition classes greatly emphasize eating according to MyPlate, consuming proper portion sizes, and getting adequate physical activity.

It was such a rewarding moment for me to see the smiling faces of my kindergarten and first grade “audience” while I read them a nutrition storybook. 

Another fun project I enjoyed a lot was creating a “Nutrition Corner.” The theme of my corner was “Proper Hydration,” targeting the senior population. The information displayed on the corner will help them to understand the importance of proper hydration and provide ways to help them stay hydrated every day. It took me a while to create a cohesive message, but I felt that my hard work paid off when the final product was complete.

Overall, the UC CalFresh team taught me many things through projects, assignments, and fun activities. From my two weeks at UCCE, I observed the community's need for nutrition information, the participants' appreciation of the classes that UC CalFresh offers and the changes people are making thanks to UC CalFresh's efforts. I am very thankful I could be a part of these meaningful moments.

Fresno and Madera Counties' 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.

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Before starting at UC CalFresh, I had never heard of the program. I quickly learned that the UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program is a part of the UC Cooperative Extension and uses the research from the University of California system to provide nutrition education to children and adults.

During my two weeks at UC CalFresh, I had the opportunity to work with both the adult nutrition education program and the youth nutrition education program. All of the lessons included MyPlate, which clearly illustrates the five food groups that are the building blocks of a healthy diet.

I asked this classroom of students to flex their muscles. Using Myplate, I explained that the protein group helps us develop strong muscles. 

I asked this group of students to tell me what vegetables they recognize on the MyPlate display.

I enjoyed working with the students. They were fun, creative, and loved sharing their favorite healthy foods! The UC CalFresh curriculum helps children learn about healthy foods to encourage good choices and habits. It was refreshing to hear that some students have had UC CalFresh Nutrition Education for multiple years, some starting the program as early as preschool!

This student helped me complete the MyPlate Puzzle. 

I also assisted with the adult nutrition education program at sites including Jobs and Beyond and Rescue the Children. This was my first nutrition education experience working with adults in a professional setting. While assisting the classes, I recognized the need for nutrition education. The UC CalFresh educators and I taught topics such as the MyPlate food groups, food safety, and how to read nutrition facts labels. The information will help participants make healthier choices for themselves and their families.

Additionally, I created a Nutrition Corner focused on the dairy food group. The Nutrition Corner will be displayed at elementary schools and will enhance the school environment by providing indirect nutrition education. My display will help students understand low-fat and fat-free sources of dairy and the important nutrients dairy foods contain. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at UC CalFresh! My two weeks were packed with fun and challenging experiences. I learned a lot about nutrition education curriculum and how to effectively teach to children and adults from the UC CalFresh staff. The UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program is helping to build and maintain healthy communities and families. I am proud to have been involved with such an important program that is influencing the future health of Fresno and Madera Counties.  

Fresno and Madera Counties' 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.

My two weeks at UC Cooperative Extension with the UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program have been packed with both new and familiar experiences, and I can truly say I have enjoyed every minute. I was reminded of how much I enjoy educating children and I learned that teaching adults has its own benefits and challenges. I've worked with children quite a bit in the past, so I was very excited to be able to teach a MyPlate lesson to children at a local elementary school during my time at UC Cooperative Extension. After my first day, however, a majority of my time was spent sitting in and assisting with classes for adults at Jobs and Beyond. I had never taught a group of adults before, so I was nervous when I was told that I would be helping with an entire, four-class series. Despite my nerves, I had a great experience with Jobs and Beyond. The adults were very receptive, and I realized that there is a large need for nutrition education in this age group.

Exposing children to nutrition information early in life is important, but parents are the ones who do the grocery shopping and make the decisions regarding whether to buy healthy or unhealthy foods. The more information they receive, the easier it will be for them to keep themselves and their families healthy. I received more experience with “real world problems” during my time at Jobs and Beyond. The class participants asked great questions like, “Which is better, canned or frozen vegetables?” and ,“My mom defrosts her meat on the counter, is that okay?” I learned that food choices and food handling information is passed down through generations. Being able to answer questions like these and provide explanations that could be passed on to others made me feel that I was making a difference.

 

 

Here is the nutrition corner I created during my time with UC CalFresh. I hope it encourages children to be more aware of why their bodies need breakfast and inspires everyone to eat a nutritious breakfast. 

 

Most importantly, I learned that working at a community site, you can't just be a teacher. You must also have the skills of an artist, a mechanic, a fitness instructor, an IT service person, and above all, a problem solver. While at UC Cooperative Extension, I had to think through my ideas for projects from different perspectives, trying to anticipate problems that could arise. With some help from the UC CalFresh staff, I was able to take the ideas I had and make them more realistic for their setting. In making my nutrition corner, a nutrition education poster that will be placed in a school, I experienced a few complications that required different skills and problem solving, including one issue that now allows me to add "laminator mechanic" to my resume. I quickly discovered that it is important to look at things from a child's perspective and anticipate how to make the poster stay together despite the chaos of a school hallway or lunchroom. I learned that it is important to stay calm, try as many solutions as you can think of, and ask others for help when needed. Overall, I had a great experience working in community nutrition alongside the helpful and enthusiastic staff at UC Cooperative Extension in the UC CalFresh program.

At the University of California Cooperative Extension, we are proud to partner with the dietitians of tomorrow!

Since August we have worked with 5 dietetic interns from California State University, Fresno.  I have had the pleasure of taking them to school sites, and showing them a typical day in the life of a Community Education Specialist working in community nutrition.

Intern Cori Vankerkhove presents a lesson about why it's important to wash your hands to Ms. Ramos' 1st grade class at Chavez Elementary.

Cori Vankerkhove teaching another class. This time she's teaching our Healthy Body lesson to Ms. Silva's 5th grade class at Chavez Elementary.

Intern Reshma John teaching our 'wash your hands' lesson to Mrs. Llamas 1st grade class at Bishop Elementary in Coalinga.

We look forward to working with additional Fresno State dietetic interns in January! To learn more about the Fresno State Dietetics Program, Click here.

If you'd like to gain experience in community nutrition by volunteering with UC CalFresh, apply to participate in our Master Education Extender Team by clicking here.