Families with children and day care providers who are income eligible may participate in free home-based nutrition education lessons intended to help parents, children and caregivers develop healthy eating and fitness choices for life.
Through the EFNEP program you will learn: Managing a food budget, feeding picky eaters, cooking quick and healthy meals, after school snack ideas, and keeping food safe. CCE Nutrition Teaching Assistants are available to give lessons in a group setting or on an individual basis. They will provide you with up-to-date nutrition information and cooking tips, help you make healthy choices to maintain a healthy weight, help you understand the importance of physical activity in a healthy lifestyle, and provide a supportive learning environment.
In June 2020, CCE Delaware partnered with CROP to create 500 Healthy Meal Kits for local families!
Cornell program celebrates 50 years of nutrition education: Cornell Chronicle, By Stephen D’Angelo
Over the last 50 years, more than a half-million children in New York state have benefited from the Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), a federal program delivered through Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) that helps families with limited resources learn how to eat healthy meals on a budget and lead active, healthy lives.
How can you benefit from EFNEP services?
- DAY CARE PROVIDERS – Can use home-based lessons provided through EFNEP for their training credit requirements – Nutrition and Health Needs of Children, Learning Through Play/Fun Time with Foods/Other Child Care Activities, Discipline as Guidance, Child Development – Ages & Stages, Communicating With Children, Financial Management, Business Records and Child Day Care Program Development.
- EFNEP YOUTH PROGRAM – Each summer and throughout the year, Cornell Cooperative Extension offers a series of six lessons to school age youth groups. “Passport Adventures to Food and Fitness” Summer Youth Program focuses on the new dietary guidelines and healthy food lifestyle and fitness choices. Activities and games keep youth learning about basic nutrition, healthy snack choices and how to strive to eat five fruits and vegetables each day.
- BREASTFEEDING HEALTHY BABIES – One of the most important decisions parents will make is how to feed their baby. Deciding to breastfeed can give babies the best possible start in life. Cornell Cooperative Extension provides breastfeeding support and education through the ESNY and EFNEP programs; and offers breast pumps to mothers who are high risk or enrolled in WIC, Public Health Well Baby Visits and ESNY/EFNEP. For further information on Breastfeeding Healthy Babies contact Jeanne Darling at jmd30@cornell.edu.
Home-based breastfeeding lessons include information on:
- Benefits of Breastfeeding
- How Breastfeeding Works
- Getting Started
- Beyond the First Feedings
- Special Concerns
- Breastfeeding and Returning to Work
- Breast Milk Expression and Storage
- Weaning Your Baby
Gardening
In the Spring we enroll families and youth in gardening lessons for container gardening, growing a pizza or home garden, herbs for flavoring foods, or community/worksite gardens. Participants learn how to prepare the soil and composting garden for growing plants, soil testing, planting, growing produce, harvesting produce & integrated pest management.
Farmers’ Market
The Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program encourages eligible seniors and WIC families to eat more locally grown vegetables. Coupons may be available at Office for the Aging and WIC in the summer to purchase fresh vegetables at local farmer markets. Cornell Cooperative Extension provides nutrition education lessons for WIC families participating in the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program.
Helpful EFNEP Resources
- EFNEP Enrollment Form – free home-based lessons that will help you eat better, do better, and feel better.
- Recipes – healthy and delicious!
- Farmers’ Markets
- EFNEP Newsletter
For more information contact
Ashley Silano-Moore, Human Ecology Team Lead
(607) 865-6531