{"id":247286,"date":"2026-06-16T07:30:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T11:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=247286"},"modified":"2026-06-18T10:50:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T14:50:22","slug":"from-kitchen-tables-to-healthier-futures-50-years-of-efnep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/06\/from-kitchen-tables-to-healthier-futures-50-years-of-efnep\/","title":{"rendered":"From Kitchen Tables to Healthier Futures: 50+ Years of EFNEP"},"content":{"rendered":"

For more than 50 years, nutrition education through UConn Extension\u2019s<\/a> Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) has quietly shaped what happens at kitchen tables across Connecticut, how families shop, cook, stretch their food dollars, and make everyday decisions that affect their health.<\/p>\n

Since its launch in the late 1960s, EFNEP has adapted alongside shifting family structures, economic pressures, food systems, and learning environments. What began as highly personal, hands\u2011on education rooted in home kitchens has grown to include group instruction, adaptable curricula, and virtual learning. Yet the program\u2019s mission has remained constant: providing practical, research\u2011based nutrition education that helps families build healthier, more food\u2011secure lives.<\/p>\n

Early Nutrition Education: Filling a Knowledge Gap<\/h2>\n

In EFNEP\u2019s early years, nutrition education focused largely on addressing foundational gaps in food knowledge. Zoraida Velazquez, a longtime UConn Extension EFNEP professional who retired earlier this year after 47 years of service recalls that simply understanding why nutrition mattered was often new for many families.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first started with UConn Extension, it was hard for me to help people see and believe how much education and knowledge about nutrition was crucial,\u201d Velazquez says. \u201cMany families were just trying to get through the day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"UConn
UConn Extension members Heather Peracchio, left, and Julianne Restrepo Marin give a nutrition class in English and Spanish at the Danbury Farmers\u2019 Market. (Sara Putnam\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

EFNEP professionals frequently encountered households navigating food insecurity, limited cooking skills, and widespread confusion about food safety. Nutrition education extended far beyond what to eat, it included how to store food properly, budget from paycheck to paycheck, and understand how daily food choices affected long\u2011term health.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo many families with young children had no clue how important understanding nutrition was,\u201d Velazquez says. \u201cNot just eating when you\u2019re hungry but understanding how food affects your health overall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Early EFNEP work was highly personal and immersive. Educators conducted home visits, cooked alongside families, and addressed immediate concerns directly within households. Progress was often incremental but meaningful.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if families changed one or two things, it mattered,\u201d Velazquez says. \u201cIt was a change for their own wellbeing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hands\u2011On Learning as a Cornerstone<\/h2>\n

From the beginning, EFNEP distinguished itself through hands-on, skill-based education. Cooking demonstrations, grocery budgeting exercises, and food safety practices formed the program foundation.<\/p>\n

Teaching families how to cook from scratch, plan meals, and stretch food dollars became central to EFNEP\u2019s identity. Educators didn\u2019t just share recommendations, they taught practical skills that families could replicate at home in hands-on sessions, either one-on-one or in group learning. This experiential approach continues to define EFNEP today.<\/p>\n

\u201cTelling someone to eat more fiber is abstract,\u201d says Heather Pease, an EFNEP professional based in the Hartford County Extension Center. \u201cShowing them how to cook a black bean taco in their own kitchen is a life skill.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adapting to New Tools and New Realities<\/h2>\n

As family life, technology, and information access have evolved, so too has nutrition education. Virtual programming now complements in person instruction, allowing EFNEP to meet families in new and flexible ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cVirtual programs can transform nutrition education by moving the classroom directly into the family home,\u201d Pease says. \u201cWhen families cook using their own stoves, tools, and ingredients, those habits are more likely to stick.\u201d<\/p>\n

The program\u2019s virtual offerings like Cook and Chat have turned nutrition education into a collaborative family experience. Virtual formats also remove persistent barriers such as transportation, childcare, and scheduling, leading to stronger attendance and sustained participation.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the digital age has introduced new challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cFamilies today are overwhelmed with nutrition information, much of it contradictory or misleading,\u201d Pease says. \u201cOur role as educators is to help them filter the noise.\u201d<\/p>\n

EFNEP now pairs nutrition education with digital literacy, helping families interpret food labels, evaluate online claims, and identify red flags in viral nutrition trends.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t just want families to know what to eat,\u201d Pease says. \u201cWe want them to feel confident making informed choices.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trust\u2011Based Education<\/h2>\n

Another major evolution in nutrition education is the increased emphasis on adaptable, bilingual programming. Educators recognize that effectiveness increases when teaching builds on, rather than replaces, families\u2019 food traditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we honor participants\u2019 backgrounds and traditions, we all learn from each other,\u201d Pease says. \u201cWe are most effective when we act as facilitators, not lecturers.\u201d<\/p>\n

EFNEP professionals listen first, learning how families shop, cook, and share meals, then adapt lessons to fit real\u2011world contexts. Teaching nutrition through familiar foods helps reinforce that healthy eating does not require abandoning cultural identity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes EFNEP different is consistency. We don\u2019t show up once and disappear; we build relationships over time. That trust creates space for families to try new skills, ask hard questions, and make changes at their own pace,\u201d Dianisi Torres, an EFNEP professional based at the Windham County Extension Center says.<\/p>\n

While EFNEP\u2019s approach is deeply relational, it is also firmly rooted in accountability and research. Through pre\u2011 and post program evaluation, educators measure changes in food safety practices, shopping behaviors, and dietary quality. EFNEP focuses on sustained behavior change, not one-time workshops.<\/p>\n

Data shows that 96% of EFNEP participants demonstrate positive improvements in food behaviors, a testament to the program\u2019s long\u2011term, relationship\u2011driven model.<\/p>\n

Looking Ahead: The Future of Nutrition Education<\/h2>\n

As EFNEP looks ahead, the next chapter of nutrition education will require balancing innovation with its longstanding values: integrity, excellence, teamwork, and respect for diversity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope the next generation of educators continues to reach young children and families early,\u201d Velazquez says. \u201cEducation and hands-on skills give families confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s EFNEP professionals are increasingly addressing nutrition as part of a broader system, connecting food safety, budgeting, waste reduction, and food security into a cohesive foundation for family wellbeing.<\/p>\n

\u201cEFNEP\u2019s strength has always been its ability to grow without losing its heart. As tools and technologies change, our purpose remains the same: helping families build confidence, skills, and healthier futures through education,\u201d Torres says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What began as in-home cooking lessons in the 1960s is now a program that reaches across Connecticut with evidence-based, impact-driven nutrition education<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":220307,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2224,1715,2304,2193,2231,2650,2461,2235,2225,2227,2195],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2140],"class_list":["post-247286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cahnr","category-community-impact","category-extension","category-hartford-county","category-health-well-being","category-blue-impact","category-staff","category-today-homepage","category-uconn-storrs","category-uconn-edu-homepage","category-windham-county"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-26 09:51:05","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247286"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":247421,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247286\/revisions\/247421"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/220307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247286"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=247286"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=247286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}