Service Providers Learn About New Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program

 

On Wednesday, December 12, new Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) Coordinator Brooke Walker met with over 20 school employees, local service providers, and interested citizens to discuss how the community can take advantage of the recently launched nutrition program.  At the meeting, Brooke shared that the program teaches low income families how to make nutritious meals while on a budget.  It features six fun lessons for families: (1) Your Food, Your Choice; (2) Stress-Free Mealtimes;  (3) Color Me Healthy; (4) Winning Ways with Fast Food;  (5) Keep Yourself Well; and (6) Keep your Health Out of Jeopardy.  At the end of the class, participants get a certificate and a cook book. 


Brooke Walker discusses the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP).

Meeting participants discussed how EFNEP can best impact local families.  The group discussed hosting the program, which can be held at any location, at different facilities in the area that will be the most convenient for local residents to attend the lessons.  They also discussed obstacles that some families have, such as transportation and childcare, and how their organizations might be able to assist with those obstacles. 

Brooke stated that, if asked, she will offer presentations to groups such as Rotary and Kiwanis to inform residents of EFNEP and the benefits of attending the lessons.  She also mentioned that EFNEP will be hiring a full-time, bilingual paraprofessional this spring.  

Local organizations discuss EFNEP.

Dalton-Whitfield County was selected as an EFNEP site after the Archway Partnership Prenatal to Pre-K work group identified nutrition and its impact on early brain development as a key issue facing the community’s birth to age five population.  Following those meetings and a presentation by UGA faculty member Gail Hanula regarding EFNEP, UGA’s Whitfield County Cooperative Extension Service and the Whitfield County WIC program entered into an innovative partnership to launch the program in Whitfield County.  In October, Brooke, a registered dietician, was hired to lead EFNEP in Dalton-Whitfield to address these issues.

EFNEP classes can be offered at any site in the community and requires a class of 3-20 participants.  If your organization would like to host the classes or you would like more information on EFNEP, contact Brooke at: brooke1@uga.edu

Community Launches Education Survey

On December 11, 2012, Dalton Public Schools and Whitfield County Schools launched a survey to measure public perceptions of education in Whitfield County.  The school systems issued the survey to better understand what the general public thinks about public education and what the public is basing those perceptions upon. 

The short survey was developed through the Archway Partnership by University of Georgia law student Matthew Wilson with input from College of Education faculty JoBeth Allen and Janna Dresden.  It was constructed to follow national surveys so that local results can be compared to perceptions across the country.  Local stakeholders had multiple opportunities to review and edit the questions.

Local stakeholders hope that 10,000 residents will take the survey.  The survey is provided in English and Spanish.  Hard copies can also be found at any school.

To take this short survey, please go to the following link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DaltonWhitfield

To read an article from local School Board Chairmen Louis Fordham and Danny Crutchfield discussing the survey, please go to:

http://daltondailycitizen.com/opinion/x1332354860/Letter-How-do-you-think-we-re-doing

Database Created To Boost Involvement in Literacy and Prenatal to Pre-K Programs

On Wednesday, December 5, Archway Partnership employee/Dalton State student Jordan Manis and University of Georgia Masters in Nonprofit Administration student Leize Marie Baschon spoke with the Dalton-Whitfield Archway Partnership Executive Committee about a newly created literacy and prenatal to age five database.  The database contains a list of programs and services in the Dalton-Whitfield area that support literacy for all ages.  The database also has a list of programs and services that support early brain development for the prenatal to age five population and programs for their families.  Programs listed in the database include tutoring programs, GED preparation courses, English classes for non-native English speakers, nutrition programs, parenting classes, and many more. 

At the meeting, Jordan and Leize Marie shared that their goal was to make a public database that the community can use to learn about what programs and services are available, where they are located, and the requirements to attend.  The database will also be beneficial to the non-profit community because it will allow them to collaborate with one another, refer their clients for additional services, or join forces with other organizations to ensure that all of their clients’ needs are addressed.  In addition, the directory may help organizations identify possibilities for collaboration with other organizations that will increase their potential to receive funding from federal and private grants.

The need for the database was articulated by the Archway Partnership Executive Committee and the Investing in Public Education Issue Work Group after noting that there is no comprehensive list of all the programs that support literacy and early brain development in the community.  The Archway Partnership Executive Committee hopes that this list will be a useful tool in supporting the Readers to Leaders goal of getting children on grade level at an early age --- hopefully by grade 3.  To learn more about the Readers to Leaders movement, please see the following links:

http://dalton-whitfieldarchway.blogspot.com/2012/06/community-leaders-join-in-commitment-to.html

http://dalton-whitfieldarchway.blogspot.com/2012/07/archway-hosts-successful-community.html

http://dalton-whitfieldarchway.blogspot.com/2012/11/readers-to-leaders-partners-with-local.html

http://dalton-whitfieldarchway.blogspot.com/2012/11/mayor-pennington-shares-local-literacy.html

The Archway Partnership Executive Committee is currently working with Jordan, Leize Marie, and local partners to improve this database before it is made public.  If you would like to be a part of this effort, please email Melissa Lu at mdlu@uga.edu.

Local Students Explore Career Options

On October 30 – November 1, 40 high school juniors had the opportunity to job shadow local professionals through the Explore Experience, a program coordinated by the Dalton-Whitfield Joint Development Authority.  Explore Experience gives high school juniors an opportunity to spend three days exploring careers of interest alongside local employers.  

Sadoth Fraire works on painting part of the set for the Snow Queen during his Explore Experience at the Creative Arts Guild. His mentor, Bradley Wilson, looks on.

Matt Brown of Mohawk Industries with David Travisano, Jonathan Sanchez and Chesalon Dean during their Explore Experience.

Participating students and employers agreed that the program was beneficial.  All responding students and employers agreed that it was a positive experience and reinforced the need for postsecondary education.  Moreover, all responding students agreed that the Explore Experience provided them with a variety of learning opportunities, assisting them with the exploration of their career choice.

Amber Stephens relaxes in one of the donor chairs at Blood Assurance where she completed her Explore Experience. Amber wants a career in phlebotomy.

One student said, “What I like about the Explore Experience is that I learned more things each day that I was there and the fact that everyone was friendly there and encouraged me in the career I wanted to do after high school.”  Another student said “I liked how it gave me an in depth idea of how to go about preparing myself for the position that I want to do for a career.”

Pictured are seven of the eight students who enjoyed their Explore Experience at Shaw Industries. Students shadowed in departments of their career choice. Areas included engineering, customer service, accounting, nursing, video, risk management, information technology and international business.

The local businesses that participated in this educational program believed that Explore Experience was a good opportunity for the students and applauded the Joint Development Authority and its Workforce Development Director, Barbara Ward, for offering and organizing the Explore Experience program. 

The next Explore Experience is scheduled for April 2013.  If your business would like to host a student please contact Barbara Ward (ward@daltonchamber.org) for more information.

Kayla Rogers, from Southeast High, displays the cupcakes that she made at Irene's Cakes and Confections during her Explore Experience.

Special thanks to employers who participated in the Explore Experience:

• Blood Assurance
• Creative Arts Guild
• Dalton Animal Care
• Dalton Ear Nose & Throat
• Dalton Fire Department
• Dalton Police Department
• Dart Drugs
• Deb McDaniel at Dr. Frank Patterson's Office
• Dr. Steve Knox
• Dr. John Richmond
• Friendship House
• Grove Level Baptist Church
• Irene's Cakes and Confections
• Mohawk Industries
• Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center
• Peds Care
• RossWoods Adult Daycare
• Shaw Industries
• St. Joseph's Clinic
• White's Pediatrics
• Whitfield County District Attorney Office
• Whitfield County Health Department
• Whitfield County School Teachers: Tammy Freeman, Jessica Sills and Jennifer Long