Summer 2006, Volume 11 Number 3

Table of Contents

Many of us can remember a time during our childhood when we tied on an apron and stood on a chair in order to help a parent, grandparent, or caregiver in the kitchen. It didn’t matter if the recipe was chocolate chip cookies or chicken noodle soup, as kids, we enjoyed the experience of being around food, spending time with family, and learning new skills in the kitchen. And as children, we probably didn’t realize that such experiences would provide us with the skills and confidence needed to prepare meals on our own later in life. 

Unfortunately many children in today’s world, especially children in families with limited resources, are less exposed to such valuable experiences.  In our “constantly on the go” society, families are pressed for time and often choose frozen foods or convenience meal kits over homemade meals. Family and Consumer Science classes, additional opportunities for youth to learn cooking skills, have also seen a decline as many schools have made such classes optional for students. This means that many youth are growing up without the skills and knowledge needed to prepare healthy, nutritious meals on their own.

Cooking for Life: Youth, a program offered through a collaboration of the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger (VTCECH) and University of Vermont Extension’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), is working to reverse this trend by offering hands-on cooking and nutrition classes to low-income youth. The six-week program empowers youth, ages 11-14, to choose and prepare healthy, affordable dishes by increasing their nutrition, shopping, and cooking skills. Since the program began in 2001, over 60 series have been offered to over 700 at-risk youth in Vermont and the program is continuing to expand in 2006.

Instead of directly recruiting participants for classes, Cooking for Life: Youth works with host agencies such as after-school programs, youth centers, and Boys & Girls Clubs, to offer the program in their community. Jaime Comtois, a 4^th grade teacher and after-school coordinator at Coventry Village School, says: “Cooking for Life: Youth is a tremendous asset to our school. Our school has 80% of students on free or reduced lunch and many of our students come from homes where eating healthfully is not affordable. Cooking for Life: Youth teaches different life skills that the students will use to help them make better choices with their dietary needs.”

During each 2-hour session, a local chef and a nutrition educator present the Cooking for Life: Youth curriculum to a class of 12-15 participants. The theory-based curriculum was developed by dietitians at VTCECH and EFNEP and uses a variety of innovative strategies to meet lesson objectives.  Each lesson covers one or two age-appropriate topics such as: MyPyramid, Calcium, Body Image, Fruit and Vegetable Intake, Food Safety, and Sugars. Through the curriculum’s hands-on approach, participants not only learn what is needed to eat healthfully, but actually learn how to do it.

And the learning doesn’t stop when the class ends. At the end of each class, participants are provided with a bag of ingredients as well as a binder with recipes and handouts. With the ingredients in hand and the experience from the classroom, participants are sent off to make the recipes at home for their families. This additional opportunity reinforces the lessons learned during the class and encourages families to try new foods together. For families with limited resources, bringing home ingredients also allows for an opportunity to try a new recipe without the risk of wasting food or time. As one student put it: “It was a really good thing to bring home the food. A lot of times kids learn how to do things, but don’t have the stuff so they never try it. Our family got food to make some of the things again”

In order to measure the full impact of Cooking for Life: Youth, a pre/post evaluation tool is used to assess food-related knowledge and behavior changes of participants. Results from evaluation analysis indicate that program graduates are better equipped to choose and prepare healthy meals and snacks. Student evaluations include statements such as “This class has made me start to eat more fruits” and, “Cooking for Life taught me how to make healthier choices.”  Reaching youth at an early age with positive nutrition messages, as well as lessons in cooking, allow youth to form healthy eating habits that can last a lifetime.

                Karen Dolan, RD is the Program Manager for Cooking for Life. She may be reached at kdolan@vtnohunger.org. For further information about this program and the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger please go to their web site at www.vtnohunger.org.

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