Job Title:

Nutrition Educator for the Commission on Economic Opportunity

Job Description for the Nutrition Educator Position at CEO:

The Commission on Economic Opportunity is committed to teaching families about good nutrition and healthy
lifestyles. By teaching young and old how to plan meals, shop, and cook together, I can fight the food insecurity that
creates both hunger and obesity.The Food Bank Nutrition Educators provide educational sessions to children and
adults of all ages, including food and cooking demonstrations, nutrition classes, after-school and pre-school
activities, health fairs, and presentations at senior centers. Educators also work with Food Bank member agencies to
plan healthy menus and prepare safe meals.

CEO Nutrition Educators also work with several local school districts (including Wilkes-Barre Area, Wyoming
Valley Ist, Greater Nanticoke Area, Hanover Area, and Hazleton Area) to provide bi-monthly in-class nutrition
lessons to kindergarten through ninth grade. Over 9,000 students will participate in nutrition classes during the
school year.

The following are examples of tasks I perform as a Nutrition Educator (My Job Description): I provide
evidence-based nutrition education to families and individuals at various school districts, pantries, and farmers’
markets; I take bimonthly inventory of paper products, food, and incentives for the nutrition department; I complete
purchasing orders for the various incentives that I give away at all pantries, produce markets, and farmers’ markets;
and I prepare food samples for food demonstrations using best practices, policies, and HACCP principles for food
safety. I am also entrusted to complete other tasks as needed: attend interdisciplinary meetings; coordinate and plan
team meetings within the nutrition education department; and, because of my strong work-ethic and experience
within the nutrition department, train new employees to become nutrition educators. Additionally, I educate dietetic
interns about what is required with being a nutrition educator and update evidence-based curricula.
Domain 1: Scientific and Evidence Base of Practice

At the Commission on Economic Opportunity, a site in which our Dietetic Internship Director at
Marywood University, Stephanie Minkoff sends DI students to complete the 8-week community
nutrition rotation, along with a field trip where all interns must go on that specific day. I am a
nutrition educator for both adults and children. I teach individuals from ages 5 up to 105 with
various socioeconomic and education backgrounds. I educate in a variety of settings, from food
pantries to farmers’ markets, schools, and summer programs. When traveling to these sites,
nutrition educators bring an incentive for our members, which is an item to aid with cooking or
preparing food. This can range from a serving spoon to a can strainer, educational handout, or a
recipe for a food tasting that is approved from one of the following sites: Food Hero, Just Say
Yes to Fruits and Vegetables, and the USDA Mixing Bowl. These recipes are approved for our
grant funded programs.

CRDN 1.1: Select indications of program quality and / or customer service and measure
achievement of objectives

I use SNAP- Ed approved surveys for both adult curriculums (Just Say Yes and Heart Smarts).
When I travel into the community, the patrons of our pantries are asked to complete an
anonymous survey for the Just Say Yes to Fruits and Vegetables curriculum. After I collect this
data, I use a confidential system called Star Tracks to report all of the surveys I have obtained.
Star Tracks is also where I note the information regarding the pantry location, what lesson I used
to educate, how many people I interacted with at this specific location, and their demographic
information as well. After I have completed this information, the system continues to keep track
of how many people total in the fiscal year I have educated, as well as their demographics. I put
both curriculums, Just Say Yes and Heart Smarts, into Star Tracks.
The Heart Smarts surveys are different for each lesson that is instructed; these lessons are taught
at Children’s Produce Markets or any place where I can educate the members for longer than 15
minutes. The lessons occur once a month with a new recipe and a new incentive every time. I
follow a strict curriculum where I teach 8 different lessons from the Heart Smarts curriculum.
Once I am done teaching these 8 lessons, I must end education at that specific site until the new
fiscal year starts, as I am unable to teach the same lesson twice in one fiscal year. Due to
guidelines concerning the Heart Smarts curriculum, these surveys help track the willingness to
change or behavior changes that have happened. I am able to still receive the demographic
information from these surveys and log them in the same way.

CRDN 1.2: Apply evidence-based guidelines, systematic reviews and scientific literature

Using a predetermined template provides consistency so that all our programs receive the
same evidence-based information. I use Just Say Yes to Fruits and Vegetables and Heart Smarts,
which are both approved by Penn State Extension. I also utilize MyPlate and the Healthy
Guidelines for Americans to incorporate evidence-based guidelines into our lessons. The Food
Trust has provided CEO with the Hearts Smarts Toolkit to receive more data about the behavior
changes related to our education.
CRDN: 1.3: Justify programs, products, services and care using appropriate evidence or data

While being a nutrition educator at Commission on Economic Opportunity (CEO), I am

required to use government funded evidence-based research when providing nutrition education.
These programs have been justified as important due to the nature by which our success is
measured with SNAP-Education. I am continually evaluated for our nutrition education and
program retention in order to provide evidence for why our services are needed. The programs
that I am required to use for adult education are Just Say Yes to Fruits and Vegetables and Heart
Smarts. The program that is required to be used for child educators is the Show Me Nutrition
from Drexel University, and during the summer I use the Catch Kids Club for nutrition
education. Both of these programs are designed for community nutrition to reach the public and
provide evidence-based information. Being a nutrition educator comes with many
responsibilities, including: interacting one-on-one with members of the Weinberg Food Bank
located in Pittston, PA; teaching cooking classes and cooking skills to various patrons that are
interested in learning more about cooking; and ordering incentives, along with developing and
following a tight budget for food supplies needed for the recipes.
CRDN 1.4: Evaluate emerging research for application in nutrition and dietetics practice

The programs that are implemented are all evidence-based, and I only provide
educational handouts that are pre-approved (from Penn State Extension for adults and Drexel
University for children) to ensure literacy level accuracy. CEO continually searches for the
newest research for nutrition education. As a nutrition educator, I am able to attend conferences
each year to learn about the newest information in order to effectively apply it to the populations
with whom I work. CEO wants to make sure that I am giving evidence-based nutrition to the
general public and they take this research seriously when deciding the curriculum for the
following years.

When I travel to community events, such as the farmers’ market, I educate on more than
just our nutrition education lesson; I also educate on where to buy local fresh fruits and
vegetables, how to support local farmers, and knife skills, as I have had the proper education on
how to cut various fruits and vegetables. Our biggest goal at the farmers’ market is to show
people different ways to incorporate various fruits and vegetables into meals that they are not
typically accustomed to making. This helps me impact our community by enhancing their health
with increased fruit and vegetable consumption. Our recipe usually goes hand in hand with our
nutrition topic, but the farmers’ market is a great way to teach a variety of socioeconomic
backgrounds about healthy eating. Having a cooking demonstration allows people to see that: 1.
It does not take long to prepare and cook the dish 2. If they are able to try something that they
saw be made, they may be more likely to bring it home and try it with their families and 3. Every
recipe is able to be altered, so those that want to change the recipe and still receive the same
great experience are able to do so.
CRDN 1.5: Conduct projects using appropriate research methods, ethical procedures and data
analysis

I have also contributed to the start of the CDC’s Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) at
CEO. I was selected over the other 10 team members to co-head this initiative at CEO. This is
the first year CEO has participated in DPP and it can continue for as long as it is needed within
this population. DPP allows me to serve individuals differently in pantries and other community
places (mobile pantries, children’s produce markets, health fairs, rehabilitation centers, etc.) in
the local four counties that CEO services. With this health promotion initiative, I first ask if the
participant wants to learn more about prediabetes with engaging flyers, posters, and use of
motivational interviewing. Specifically, I use the CDC’s prediabetes prevention risk test and
infographic. The risk test and infographic are research methods approved by the CDC’s
prediabetes statistical measures. I help analyze this data to help provide further information on
this subject and to encourage people to join the DPP lifestyle change class. This survey collects
responses and allows those that want to receive more information about the lifestyle change
classes to be contacted through a secure system. Through this program, I educate the public
about how to prevent diabetes and help those that may be at risk to change their lifestyles. This is
known as a primary prevention method in community nutrition because I am attempting to
screen and intervene before someone has prediabetes. This could also be considered secondary
nutrition intervention if I intervene for someone with prediabetes or diabetes in order to halt the
progression of the disease, because the lifelong cost of diabetes is astronomical. I do inform
those that come to me and have questions about the risk test to go to their primary care physician
because, ethically, I am not qualified to answer more in-depth questions that they may have
about their specific health needs.

I had mentioned that I am co-head in this initiative to help prevent Prediabetes in the four
local counties. What this means is that I meet bi-weekly with the other co-head along with our
CDE at CEO, and my boss. The conversation begins by comparing the numbers from the surveys
that have been collected with the other co-head and seeing if the people I have reached are
attending the lifestyle change class. Many of the lifestyle change classes are being filled from our
program. This means that our initiative with the DPP is working and I am getting those that are
concerned with their health to go to these meetings and educate them about prediabetes and
diabetes. Recently I have been informed that the amount of people that want to go to these
classes far outweighs the number of classes that are being held. So at this moment I am asking
other places (i.e. YMCA) if they would consider holding another lifestyle change class since
there is such a high demand for people to take this class (because of my marketing in this new
and very important program). As co-head I along with one other person are the only people that
are going out into the community to reach people for these lifestyle change classes. I am also one
of two people that are in contact with other agencies that host these classes to find out when the
classes will be offered and where. When meeting with the other team members (as mentioned
above) I am one of two people in the nutrition department that sees the change in class
attendance; meaning, before CEO took on this project of DPP, there were only 1 or 2 classes
every 3 to 4 months being offered and there were low attendance levels. After CEO has taken on
this project there are more classes available a month that are being offered in several locations
and every class is being filled.

How I am getting the word out about DPP is through social media and going to sites that
I, along with the rest of the team have decided would allow us to get the word out about these
lifestyle change classes. The link to the survey that is being used to take the survey that was
created gets posted on the CEO Facebook page along with a little video clip as well. Now that
the weather is getting warmer I will be going to the local bus station, and eventually farmers
markets, and local parks with more information about DPP and the screening tool to encourage
those in the community to enroll in a lifestyle change class if they are at risk for prediabetes. I
target the population (and specific area) where I know that the class will be held next. This
allows for the class in that area to get filled up and shows the community that there are people
out there that are willing to learn more about DPP so our hard work can get more lifestyle classes
started.

CRDN 1.6: Incorporate critical-thinking skills in overall practice

As a nutrition educator, I travel to sites alone and have to adjust my teaching style to
various groups. When teaching about various topics to the public, it is important to speak to them
and provide education to them at a 7th grade level (or lower depending on the population), as
many of them do not have above a high school education reading level. It is important to connect
with them. Many people have multiple questions or “myths” about nutrition that I as an educator
are expected and required to answer with critical thinking. By going to multiple sites in a week
to teach nutrition education to many pantries, I’ve gotten to know and understand many people
and what they go through, like the struggles they face on a daily basis. Nutrition education in the
community is a vital aspect of learning for the low socioeconomic population because I teach
about ways to cook foods that they may be unfamiliar with, how to save money if on a budget
while still eating an adequate diet, and tips on food safety and how to store and prepare foods
properly.
Domain 2: Professional Practice Expectations

CRDN 2.1: Practice in compliance with current federal regulations, state statutes and rules, as
applicable, and in accordance with accreditation standards and the Scope of Nutrition and
Dietetics Practice and Code of Ethics for the Profession of Nutrition and Dietetics.

As a nutrition educator, it is mandatory to be ServSafe certified at CEO. I am required to

prepare the food samples in a kitchen and are instructed to follow sanitation for food prep,
cleaning, and storing. If I do not have the ServSafe certification then I am unable to cook or
prepare the food, whether that be in the kitchen at CEO or in the community. I follow federal
regulations as well when preparing and storing food, such as critical control points when cooking
foods and sanitation. I have cooked numerous times at the farmers’ market and at pantries. I
prepare food for all my sites every time I go out into the community. I am expected to go grocery
shopping for food items that are needed for not only myself but the department as well. I also
increase recipes based on how many people I am seeing at the pantry or school I am going to.
CRDN 2.3: Demonstrate professional writing skills in preparing professional communications.

Before I go to pantries, schools, or summer programs, I am required to reach out to the

volunteers that are running the pantry, the teachers in the schools, and the program directors for
the summer programs. I am required to tell them who I am, what I do as nutrition educators and
ask them if I can give nutrition education at the pantry, the school, or the program. Many of the
programs that I have worked closely with before do not need more of an explanation. If this is a
new site, I visit with the pantry director or the school district principle and bring some sample
handouts and incentives to show what I do.

I also call pantries before I go to remind them that I am coming to be sure that I am still able to
come. Since CEO is well known around Luzerne, Lackawanna, Wyoming, and Susquehanna
counties, most of the volunteers at the food pantries already know who I am and are aware of
what I am bringing when I ask if I can come teach nutrition.

CRDN 2.5: Assign duties to NDTRs and/or Support personnel as appropriate.

As a nutrition educator who has vast community experience over the past two years, I
have been entrusted by my supervisors to help train new employees to be nutrition educators.
This training includes how to prep the recipe, what is needed to bring to a site, and how to
interact with the members of CEO. I also assign duties to our Dietetic Interns. I have functioned
in this role confidently, long enough to assign duties to my team when needed. Tasks include
office work, kitchen work, and other duties that help support my role.

CRDN 2.8: Demonstrate negotiation skills.

This past June I was asked by my supervisor to order 13 types of incentives (at 2500
count each) that I will be using throughout the year for various pantries, children produce
markets, and farmers’ markets. After each person in the department sent me a quote from 10
different sites for each incentive, I created an excel sheet to compare prices, styles, and colors.
After I found a website that had the cheapest items for 9 out of 13 incentives, I asked our
representative from that company if she would consider price matching the other sites for those
same incentives. Below is an email to the representative of the company asking to order the
majority of our incentives from them, an email asking if she would consider price matching the
alternative incentives that I found at a lower price at other stores, and a screenshot of a few of the
incentives that were found from various stores.
CRDN 2.9 Participate in professional and community organizations

I am a member of the Academy of Nutrition in Dietetics. I read the journal when it is sent out, I
feel it is imperative to keep up with the latest nutrition news by reading the journal. I attended
FNCE in Philadelphia as well. This allowed me to network and receive the latest information by
attending lectures and speaking with vendors at different stands. I actively participate in
GetFruved as a social media member. GetFruved is a campus wide organization that promotes
health and wellness on campus. I collaborate with other clubs to spread wellness on campus. For
this club I have produced multiple infographics for GetFruved about events and nutrition and
wellness information. I have been a member of the Student Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
since becoming a graduate student at Marywood. I have also designed and coordinated the
Marywood University Community Cookbook through my work as the Graduate Assistant. I
marketed the cookbook through the Marywood Community via email, social media, and word of
mouth. Along with the Cookbook I started the very first Marywood University nutrition
programs clothing store as a fundraiser not only to support the club, but also to support
Marywood students when attending FNCE and other conferences. I marketed the clothing store
through email, flyers, and social media as well.
CRDN 2.10: Demonstrate professional attributes in all areas of practice

When working at CEO it is important to stay professional when talking with our target
audience in the schools and at produce markets. I try to eliminate the stigma of addressing our
target audience as clients, so I refer to them as members. I connect with every individual I meet.
In order to maintain a high level of professionalism I have completed an Ethics and Civil Rights
training course. These training courses are held at CEO and conducted once a year.

Within the nutrition department at CEO there are rules and regulations that are needed to
be followed when receiving orders, ordering items online, and going to the grocery store for our
food sample. I must fill out expense reports for grocery shopping, with the receipt attached, and
submit them to our director, Gretchen Hunt. When I go grocery shopping, I am mandated to buy
items in bulk, buy the generic brand, and the cheapest item, especially if it is a recipe for the
entire month, like Just Say Yes. This allows me to save CEO money and time for going to the
grocery store. For ordering incentives online, I price check multiple stores to be sure that I am
ordering the cheapest item. I then must get it approved from upper management to ensure that I
have enough money in our budget. This allows me to help CEO stay on track for the rest of the
fiscal year to be sure that CEO has enough money to fulfill our duties as nutrition educators.

Not only do these examples show how I am professional in the community, but they also
show examples of how I am professional and ethical in the office setting as well.

CRDN 2.11: Show cultural competence/ sensitivity in interactions with clients, colleagues and
staff

To show cultural competencies for our various populations I change the surveys,
handouts and recipes to the Spanish language so those that do not have English as their primary
language are still able to get the same information that those who do speak English receive. I do
not discriminate against any person as I want everyone to have the same opportunities when they
come to our table to receive nutrition education. I try to reach as many people as I can, so
altering the language on surveys and handouts can allow me to be sure that I am able to
accommodate the needs of a variety of community constituents. When in the community I can
reach a wide variety of people of all different socioeconomic statuses and educational
backgrounds. How I do this is, I must present and communicate our education at a seventh-grade
level, for adults (or lower for children) and this allows me to include everyone in the
conversation. I also bring a Nutrition Educator, who is a Spanish speaking individual, as a
translator when I know the target audience I am reaching at a specific place speaks Spanish so I
can educate them and allow them the same opportunities that those that speak English have.
Lastly, I bring an “And Justice For All” poster that I are required to have at every location I
attend to ensure that there is no discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin,
disability, age, or political belief based on the Civil Rights Act. Along with this I complete a
civil rights training yearly as well; the certificate can be noted above in CRDN 2.10

CRDN 2.12: Perform self-assessment and develop goals for self-improvement throughout the
program.

I develop goals for self-improvement as a whole department every month. I go over

updates referring to our department, including any changes for the new year such as: new
recipes, new lessons and handouts, new places to provide with nutrition education, any
departmental changes, and changes regarding the kitchen and storing of foods. I also discuss the
strengths and weaknesses of all sites and new sites. During these meetings one person is assigned
to provide a team building exercise. Strong communication and creativity are required of
Nutrition Educators.

At these meetings I report on the demographics, discuss new recipes, and discuss various
successes/weaknesses at each place I visit. I address any new sites or potential sites that would
be interested in having me come and give nutrition information. I often revisit our policies and
procedures to ensure that I am following them effectively. Guest speakers from other
departments in the CEO building (accounting, social workers, case managers, budgeting) come
talk with the nutrition department to give the nutrition department (along with myself) more
information about how CEO works as a whole organization to help serve our community.

I also have yearly performance evaluations with our two managers and director to go over
any issues that I may have, but also to evaluate my performance throughout the year. This is to
be sure that I am meeting our individual goals that I am setting for ourselves and meeting the
departments goals as well. During these meetings, I can hear how I benefit the team and help the
nutrition department grow. Being a nutrition educator, I contribute to reaching as many people as
I can to help meet the required goals set forth for our department. I also aided in the training of
three new employees becoming nutrition educators by helping them food prep, taking them to
new sites, and allowing them to observe me teach at several different sites. This was so they
were able to see a variety of teaching styles and a vast number of places.
Every quarter I have a fidelity assessment performed on myself. This is to ensure that I am
teaching adequately to our target population. The moderator for the fidelity assessment pulls
aside two members (either adult or child depending on who you are teaching) and asks them a
series of questions. Below you can see the two fidelity assessments (one for child and one for
adult) that were performed on me. One review is typically completed each quarter. These help
assess if I'm a quality nutrition educator and perform my job well. Through the fidelity
assessment this is where the members of our food bank are asked what they like and dislike
about the program. The questions below are answers from adults and children when I was
presenting at local summer programs and at a mobile pantry. With this feedback our bosses can
see the quality of the single nutrition educator and the way they present the information through
the eyes of the community.
CRDN 2.13 Prepare a plan for professional development according to CDR guidelines.

I am unable to complete this here at CEO through my work experience and knowledge
because it is something that must be completed during orientation in June 2020 and updated
throughout my internship rotations.

During our monthly meetings at CEO we as a team frequently review our upcoming goals
of reaching 100,000 adults and children with nutrition education. I discuss how I can reach these
goals in the fiscal year and how we need to grow as a department to work together to educate
100,000 patrons of Luzerne, Lackawanna, Susquehanna, and Wyoming counties.

CRDN 2.14 Demonstrate advocacy on local, state, or national legislative and regulatory issues or
policies impacting the nutrition and dietetics profession.

I had written to my local legislator about an important topic that I am passionate about
which connects to CEO and what they do during the summer as well. My first year working at
CEO I was not only a nutrition educator but I was also part of the Summer Feeding Summer
Program, which is where I helped prepare and deliver food to participating places in the four
counties where more than 50% of the children living in the area receive free or reduced lunch.
This allows kids of various ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and races to eat free meals
during the summer when school is no longer in session. This legislation means a great deal to me
as I am now helping to fight hunger with CEO. When I sent this letter, I unfortunately never
heard a response back.

Thomas Reed

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Representative Reed:

The legislation addressing 3268 Stop Child Summer Hunger Act of 2018 is of
paramount interest to me because I am a current nutrition and dietetics
graduate student with a bachelors in exercise science. This issue directly
impacts your district, my friends and family.

I am primarily concerned about the amount of low socioeconomic status

children in your district that do not have access to nutritious foods during the
summer because they rely on the school lunch and breakfast programs during
the school year for nutritious foods and unfortunately cannot afford these types
of foods during the summer months. This legislation can greatly increase the
health and wellbeing of students, allowing them to perform better during the
school year. Other aspects of this same issue that affects our town are all
students should have access to nutritious meals during the summer, not just
the school year.

Although I have read reports of your position in the newspapers, I realize this
may not fully represent your viewpoint. Therefore, I will look forward to your
reply expressing your opinions, and your current stance on the issue.

Thank you for your consideration of my viewpoint on this matter. I believe it is

an important issue and would like to see the legislation pass to ensure effective
educational services for the students involved.

Sincerely,

Amanda Sandroni,

116 Mynderse Street Seneca Falls, NY 13148

315-877-4662

ajsandroni@m.marywood.edu
Domain 3: Clinical and Customer Services

CRDN 3.3: Demonstrate effective communication skills for clinical and customer services in a
variety of formats and settings.

At CEO I am constantly talking with members. I can talk with members at a pantry to
talk and cook with them in a cooking matters class where I show and teach each person how to
make a healthy meal. I love speaking with all the members at the foodbank and all of the
pantries. In order to provide education at a school or pantry, I must contact those that volunteer
at these sites to make sure it is acceptable for me to come and give education to those utilizing
the pantry.

I also attend member agency conferences where there are other volunteers and agencies
that work closely with CEO or want to learn more about CEO and the services they offer. I bring
samples of our incentives, handouts, and a flyer to explain the various classes that CEO has to
offer here. Below is a sample of a flyer that I made to hand out when I attended a member
agency. I also give an informational sheet to those that are interested in the DPP services that I
provide for their agency.

CRDN: 3.4: Design, implement and evaluate

presentation to a target audience.
 Along with being a nutrition educator I also have had the pleasure of implementing and
designing the CDC’s DPP here at CEO. With the DPP program I have helped develop the
curriculum along with finding sites to present this program at (since DPP does not run on an area
specific grant I am able to go to more places than just food pantries and produce markets because
the goal of the DPP is to reach as many people at risk for prediabetes, not just people in the four
counties). When I go to these sites, I bring tip sheets backed by the CDC, and an incentive. I also
instruct about Prediabetes and what it means to have Prediabetes at a 7th grade level. With this
program there is a survey designed by the CDC with questions that refer those who are at risk for
prediabetes to go to a free lifestyle change class. I have helped develop the survey so it is easier
to read, and it connects directly to our CDE’s email address, allowing her to forward them
information about certain classes and when they will be held. After they take the survey, I refer
them to our Certified Diabetes Educator who can help direct them to a lifestyle change class. An
example of the survey is above, under CRDN 1.5.

In our Heart Smarts curriculum as stated above, each lesson has a different survey to ask
questions about the lesson, such as, “How many times do you eat fruits and vegetables in a
week?” The survey also asks if their habits have changed from the past lesson when talking
about the MyPlate. This can indicate if a behavior change has happened since the last meeting
with a nutrition educator.

As nutrition educators, I can teach a wide variety of classes; one is called the series
classes. These classes are implemented throughout 4-5 weeks, with one class every week using a
set curriculum. During these series classes I am to give one pre-test before I start teaching to see
where their knowledge is at, and at the end of the 4-5 weeks I give a post test to see how their
knowledge has changed. Within these lessons, the education is about 45 minutes to an hour long.
I bring a food tasting which will usually include a partial food demo with an incentive. For me to
keep track of the surveys and behavior changes I must see the same people every week. At the
end of the 5 weeks, I give another posttest where I can see how the knowledge has changed
along with the quality of the program. These surveys are then reviewed to decide the quality of
the program that is being presented and if there needs to be anything changed further.

CRDN 3.5: Develop nutrition education materials that are culturally and age appropriate and
designed for the literacy level of the audience.

For children I design games and materials that are age appropriate, depending on if I am
teaching 9th graders or if I are teaching first graders.

For first graders, if the lesson is about the MyPlate I usually bring a PowerPoint (during
the school year) or I lecture for about 20 minutes (if at a summer program). For first graders, I
may ask them their favorite food off the MyPlate, explain how there are 5 major food groups,
and then end the session with coloring the MyPlate or drawing their favorite foods in the
MyPlate. For 9th graders, I may start off with a review of the 5 food groups and examples of
each, then go in depth with how each aspect of the MyPlate helps our body and compare it to real
life situations (such as playing basketball, etc.). After this I may play hot potato by naming five
foods from each food group without repeating the other members of the group.

Each grade, class, and child have a different way of learning, and it is required to be able
to change our teaching style based on the group. I have taught 1st graders that would rather do a
relay race of the MyPlate than play MyPlate freeze tag. Being a child nutrition educator requires
you to be able to switch up your lesson in 30 seconds. It is important to ask the kids which they
would rather do because you want the learning to be fun for them, but you also want it to be
beneficial. I also bring a fun activity sheet for them to take home with them that provides indirect
education. During the school year I bring a food sample to the kids each time, but during the
summer I only bring it to them on the very last day of our education series.

During the school year it is a little different compared to the summer. When I go into the
school, I have different classes each day where I teach each class for approximately 30 minutes.
During these classes I have age appropriate lessons that are fun and educational. Sometimes,
depending on the learning level I read a book pertaining to that lesson. Other times, I give a short
lesson and then play a review game if it is the last class of the year. The children in these schools
always get extremely excited when they see me coming through the door and that is an indicator
that they enjoy nutrition and they are learning something. To track how many children are being
taught, I bring a documentation form (much like the one in CRDN 4.4). After I teach a lesson at
the schools, I hand the teachers a folder with the recipe from the snack I brought, along with a
newsletter informing the parents of the produce market and when it is. Also, I hand the teachers
an extended lesson so there is more education going on in the schools and the kids can learn
more to become healthier when they grow up.

When instructing adults, I am required to bring a flip board of the lesson I am teaching,
along with a food sample and an incentive. I have people from the community that are visiting
the pantries visit our nutrition education table and hear the lesson for approximately 15 to 30
minutes, depending on the curriculum I am educating on. Some people have more questions than
others that do not relate to the given topic, so it is important for us to stay focused on the topic I
am presenting on and possibly have a conversation regarding the questions after the education
lesson or refer them to a dietitian to have additional questions answered.

I also provide every survey, recipe, and all education materials in Spanish, as I have a
large population that speaks Spanish as their first language. When I go into the summer programs
and have a child that only speaks Spanish, I adapt the lesson to what the child does know by
playing a game and having a translator translate the rules of the game to them so they are able to
participate. Making sure that every child has an equal opportunity to play and learn is important
to me as a nutrition educator, regardless if they speak English or not.
CRDN 3.6: Use effective education and counseling skills to facilitate behavior change.

Connecting with individuals is vital for people wanting to come to the nutrition education
table. Being able to talk to people about what they know or letting them tell about their
experiences with cooking will make them want to continue to come talk to you. Listening to their
stories on what they are doing and giving some suggestions will allow them to accept and
consider the behavior change. Sometimes people are set in their ways so they are not willing to
change, but still talking with them and giving them the indirect education materials, as well as
asking them questions about what they like to cook to get them excited and encouraging them to
try the food tasting you brought, can help facilitate behavior change. Motivational interviewing
can be used at any readiness level.

Even during the education of the diabetes prevention program, I teach about how you can
lower your risk from prediabetes. Teaching about behavior change is much more difficult than it
looks, especially at pantries with people from various socioeconomic backgrounds. Being able to
adapt your lesson to each person helps make everyone’s experience unique and allows them to
consider changing their opinion. After I educate the members at the food bank I ask if they want
to take a risk test. When they finish the risk test they are then asked if they want to receive more
information from the Certified diabetes educator from CEO and receive information about a
lifestyle class. This helps me identify with the members of the pantry what stages of change they
are in and help them by meeting them where they are at.

CRDN 3.7: Develop and deliver products, programs or services that promote consumer health,
Illness, and lifestyle management.

The recipes that I make are approved from Penn State extension and the child education
material is from Drexel University, which is what the entire state of Pennsylvania implements.
Our goal is to promote consumer health and help with wellness and lifestyle management when I
go to educate; that is our main goal.

Every time I go into the community, I bring a recipe that incorporates a variety of fruits
and vegetables that has been approved through Penn State Extension. I also bring incentives to
reinforce cooking at home, which is cost effective and can be healthier than going out to eat.
These incentives allow those who are low SES have some of the essentials needed to cook in the
kitchen, such as a serving spoon, cutting boards, vegetable peelers, and can openers, to name a
few. I help our nutrition managers pair our incentive to recipes that are required to make so the
consumer knows how to use the utensil and how it can help make their life easier.

CRDN 3.8: Deliver respectful, science-based answers to client questions concerning emerging
trends.
 The materials that I bring to use to educate are from the approved programs that I use for
adult education, these programs are Just Say Yes to Fruits and Vegetables and Heart Smarts. The
program that is required to be used for child educators is the Show Me Nutrition from Drexel
University; during the summer I use the Catch Kids Club for nutrition education. All these
materials are rooted in dietary guidelines, and I refer to MyPlate. All our materials are evidence
based, and I always respond to clients’ questions with science-based answers. For many of the
questions that I receive, the answers can be found on the handouts that I give to the public. The
handouts I give to those in the community are directly from the evidence-based nutrition
curriculum. The handout below is also offered in the Spanish language. The first two MyPlate
handouts and the first two recipes are for the month of November for our Just Say Yes
curriculum, and the recipe that goes with it is also pasted below. I have two recipes because
some pantries allow us to cook and have a food demonstration inside.
Domain 4: Practice Management and Use of Resources

CRDN 4.4: Apply current nutrition informatics to develop, store, retrieve and disseminate
information and data.

When I educate the food pantry members, I collect their demographic information anonymously
and put it on a demographic sheet where I can then enter it into Star Tracks to keep track of the
age, gender, race, and ethnicity of those that I educate, in a secure location. This data is then
retrieved by our supervisors to be sure I are meeting our goals of reaching 20,000 adult
participants with nutrition education; I need to meet 80,000 duplicated and unduplicated child
participants with nutrition education. I unfortunately am not able to analyze the data as I am not
an official “Star Tracks member”.
Health Promotion and Illness

HP/W1: Demonstrate the ability to obtain nutrition surveillance data for the community

HP/W2: Develop Health Promotion and Wellness Programs

HP/W3: Conduct Health Promotion/ Wellness nutrition program outcome assessment and
evaluation

Due to the strict curriculum I must follow for teaching and documenting, I am unable to
complete this aspect of the CRDN’s because I cannot perform my own project and present it to
our target population under the SNAP education grant.
Below are three-character references from my current CEO managers: