Author: dearn

Position: Expanded Food and Nutrition Program Assistant Type of Position: Life of the grant

Location: Fairfield County

To apply visit: http://www.clemson.edu/careers/

Deadline: September 24^th, 2021

Job Responsibilities: Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) is a federally funded nutrition education program that has been delivered in South Carolina since 1969. The mission of EFNEP is to empower individuals, families and youth with limited resources to acquire knowledge, skills, attitudes and behavior changes necessary to maintain nutritionally sound diets and enhance personal development.

Under the general supervision of an EFNEP Specialist/Supervisor, the EFNEP Program Assistant ( Nutrition Educator) will:

• Identify and recruit eligible participants using marketing strategies that will encourage enrollment into
• Recruit a target number of eligible limited resource adults/or caregivers of children (aged 5-19) such as parents, grandparents, and guardians, who purchase and prepare food for their children/families and enroll them in groups and/or individual home
• Recruit and enroll a target number of eligible limited resource children (aged 5-19) into a series of group education sessions that will be delivered at schools, churches, after-school programs, camps and other community
• Create and maintain a professional network of community resources (individuals, institutions, agencies and organizations) to obtain program participant referrals and assistance with program implementation.
• Plan, prepare lesson plans, activities and materials from EFNEP approved Curricula, and deliver intensive education to EFNEP participants in the areas of: general nutrition, physical activity, food preparation, food safety, and food resource management
• Collect, document, and report data related to participant demographics, enrollment, lesson delivery, and program completion on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis
• In this position the Nutrition Educator (NE) will work remotely. Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service will NOT provide internet service, office furniture and/or equipment ( printer, copier, scanner etc.) for remote work. However, laptop computer, I-pad, program curricula and support materials will be provided.
• Serve as an upstanding representative of Clemson University Qualifications:

Minimum high school diploma. Must live in the assigned county currently. Must be able to demonstrate basic computer skills, use effective verbal, writing, and listening skills, and have the physical ability to transport supplies and equipment (less than 50 lbs.). Must have and maintain a valid driver’s license. Must be able to meet travel requirements (daily out of county travel for training in the first 6 months followed by in-county travel ongoing). Rare but possible need to work flexible hours that may include weekends and/or evenings. Bilingual English/Spanish speaking preferred.

Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer.

In Fairfield County, Extension Agent Ryan Bean hosted the McCrary Tree Farm Tour on August 25, 2021. The tour had 24 people in attendance. This was supposed to be Part 2 of a tour from back in 2019 which got cancelled because Part 2 was scheduled for the Spring of 2020.  There were 31 in attendance for the tour in 2019 which registered for both tours.

This was a partnership with Forestry Association of SC and Tree Farm SC.  Dr. Cory Heaton, TJ Savereno, Emily Oakman (FASC), and I spoke to the participants about wildlife habitat management using prescribed fire and other forest management practices.

Contact Ryan Bean for additional details about his upcoming educational events.

Phone: 803-432-9071
Email: rbean@clemson.edu

Stephanie Eidt

4-H Youth Development Agent

seidt@clemson.edu

803-589-8977

Hello! My name is Miss Stephanie, and I am the new 4-H youth development agent for Fairfield County. As part of Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service, South Carolina 4-H supplements traditional K-12 classroom learning through hands-on demonstrations and projects in five major areas:

– Natural Resources

– STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)

– Agriculture and Animals

– Healthy Lifestyles

– Civic Engagement and Leadership

My personal favorite subject area is natural resources. I grew up in Ohio, raising turkeys and collecting bugs in my backyard. I have a bachelor’s degree in Zoo and Wildlife Biology and recently acquired a Master of Science with an emphasis in environmental education and interpretation.

4-H serves youth through in-school demonstrations, full-family workshops, and clubs comprised of peers with similar interests. The direction within the five program areas is guided by the needs and interests of the community’s families. If you would like to share your opinions regarding future programs, please take our five-minute interest area survey. Share your thoughts through the survey link that matches your relationship to 4-H (student, parent, or community member) or stop by my office.

I look forward to serving the community as we learn together by doing. I am grateful for the citizens of Fairfield for their ongoing enthusiasm and support for these endeavors. If you are interested in sharing your passion and knowledge of topics such as sewing, gardening, or fishing with local youth, please contact me.

To stay in the loop on upcoming events and opportunities, like the Fairfield Co SC 4-H page on Facebook and sign up for the Fairfield 4-H email list. Thanks, and I hope to meet you soon!

Situation:
The onset of the COVID19 pandemic in March 2020 presented pragmatic and logistic challenges to conduct traditional face to face, hands-on and interactive Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) workforce training.   In order to reduce the spread of COVID19 and overcome the hinderance of social distance, the EFNEP management team developed a creative and strategic plan to transition face to face training to virtual learning to our EFNEP staff and EFNEP participants. Since 1969, EFNEP remains devoted to reaching low-income citizens where there are and embracing best practices for (virtual) learning. The Clemson University’s EFNEP team utilized the EFNEP National Guidelines for Social Media and best practices for effective online teaching to develop EFNEP virtual online learning workforce development training.

Educational Response:
From March to present, Marlyne Walker, Registered Dietitian and EFNEP Training Coordinator / State Specialist has conducted and facilitated 5 different virtual workforce development trainings. Some of the trainings consist of multiple days and totaling over 40 hours. The EFNEP workforce trainings are designed for EFNEP nutrition educators to teach EFNEP participants- youth and adults. All the EFNEP interactive trainings were held on ZOOM. The initial training consisted of Tips to Reach and Teach EFNEP Participants/ Classes Online. It was a collaborating effort conducted with the EFNEP management team and an EFNEP agent. Also, Walker trained 9 newly hired EFNEP nutrition educators on the adult curriculum and middle/ high school curriculum.  In addition, Walker planned quarterly EFNEP Check-In.  She has facilitated two EFNEP Check-In for all EFNEP team members. The purpose of the EFNEP Check- In is to promote team building, review nutrition concepts and/or demonstrate ways to engage and interact with EFNEP participants online.

Outcome/ Impact:
After attending the EFNEP training, 100% EFNEP nutrition educators reported to be able to use some, most or all the content/ strategies in their county program. EFNEP nutrition educators were able to reach 306 adults with 100% graduation (completing series of 9 lessons) and changes in decrease consumption of solid fat and added sugar (SoFAS) and 81% improvement in food resource management.  In addition, EFNEP nutrition educators reached 2326 youth (130 groups) with 82% graduation that is completing a series of 6 lessons. The end of year report revealed 82% of youth improved diet quality and 57% improved physical activity.

The Health Extension for Diabetes program is a free diabetes self-management and support group. The program has been recognized by the American Diabetes Association as a practice-tested diabetes self-management and support program. The main goal of this program is to help you to better manage your diabetes so that you prevent or delay complications. The program includes 7 education sessions and 7 support sessions designed to help you learn more about diabetes and provide you with the necessary skills and support that you need to successfully self-manage your diabetes.

The program is funded by the Greenville Health Authority. The classes are delivered by a Health Extension Agent with Clemson Extension in a partnership with Prisma Health-Upstate. Your health coach will provide you with bi-weekly materials, facilitate weekly group discussion, and provide weekly follow-up to help navigate resources and assist you in reaching your healthy lifestyle goals.

The program is available both online or in-person. Online groups are held by Zoom, and in-person groups are held at various locations. Choose an available class time that fits your schedule: 10-11am, 12-1pm, or 5-6pm.

Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer.

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