What is Virginia Cooperative Extension
VCE is the educational outreach of Virginia’s
land grant universities, Virginia State in
Petersburg and Virginia Tech in Blacksburg
Administrative
Organization
Virginia Tech
College of
Agriculture &
Life Sciences
Extension
& Outreach
Virginia
Cooperative
Extension
Teaching
Research
Administrative Organization
What is Family Nutrition Program?
• In Virginia, the Family Nutrition Program
includes two programs:
– Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program
(EFNEP)
– Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Education, SNAP-Ed (Formally Food Stamp
Program)
Mission of
Family Nutrition Program
The mission of FNP is to teach limited-resource families and youth to make healthier food choices
and become better managers of available food resources for optimal health and growth.
How do we Reach our Audience
Paraprofessionals:
Program Assistants deliver nutrition
education with hands-on activities in
eligible schools and after school
programs.
Schools and other programs must
meet a free and reduced lunch
criteria of at least 50% participation
rate
The other method to reach our
Audience
Nutrition Outreach Instructors:
• Recruit and Train volunteers and
collaborators to deliver classroom
education (50% schools) and teach
SNAP/WIC eligible adults
• Provide curriculum, student workbooks
and on-going support for our partners
Classroom Education For
Preschoolers
Reaching
Preschool
Parents
Backpack Newsletters
Classroom Education Grades K-2
Classroom Education Grades 3-7
Skill-Based Nutrition Education6-12
Nutrition Education for Schools
receiving the USDA Fruit and
Vegetable Grant Fund
Partnerships for Reaching Parents
Nutrition Messages for Websites
• Text
• Photos
Partnerships for Reaching Parents
We can work with you one on one to develop a social
media plan to engage and educate your parents around
healthy eating.
The purpose of social media is to bring people together, spark
conversations & share information.
We use social media to reinforce in-person nutrition lessons with
supportive content & messaging.
We are constantly creating & disseminating nutrition, physical activity,
food safety, & food resource management content to our followers.
Partnerships for Reaching Parents
Digital Media (Online or on smartphones)
• Parents can be invited to follow us on social media
• Daily tips on smart choices for nutrition and health
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
www.facebook.com/vafnp
www.twitter.com/vafnp
Partnerships for Reaching Parents
Future Developments
• Online Low-Cost, Healthy Recipe Database
– Will be posted to Pinterest (social media sharing site)
Partnerships for Reaching Parents
Future Developments
• Eat Smart, Move More Blog
• Ask the Expert feature
– Picky Eaters, Physical Activity ideas, family meal
ideas, cooking tips
• Videos
– Cooking Skills (knife skills, cooking methods, etc.)
– Podcasts by VT Students, such as shopping
techniques, switching to whole grains, making
smart drink choices, etc.
Where are we located?
How Do We Partner?
Contact Us
Austin Brooks
anb1044@vt.edu
540-250-5411
Judy Stevens
jstevens@vt.edu
540-432-0932