The Metcalfe County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences Education, partnered with Metcalfe County Head Start to provide monthly family involvement nutrition and safe cooking with children, go program bags during the months of April – June 2022.  Thirty-three families representing 111 adult and youth family members, received once monthly, hands – on nutrition/cooking with kids go program bags.  Go program bags were distributed on Thursday afternoon, as families picked children up from summer care at Head Start, which runs Monday – Thursdays.  Families were post surveyed with a hard copy assessment, regarding their access/use of those go program materials, on the following Monday mornings, as they dropped their children off for the day.  Grandparents raising grandchildren account for 24 % of the thirty-three families with enrolled children.  Thirty-six individuals were enrolled children under the age of five, with 11 % having a diagnosed disability.  Of the one-hundred-eleven family participants, 8 % are Hispanic/Latino.

The April kit contained ingredients and instructions for homemade cooked playdough, colored with unsweetened dry Kool – aid.  April kits also contained print information, including Wally Cat proper handwashing, the kitchen safety and measuring dry ingredients sections from the 4 – H Cooking Curriculum, 2022 NEP recipe calendar, and dry ingredient measuring cups as NEP incentive.  The May kit contained ingredients and recipe from the 4 – H Cooking Curriculum chewy granola bars (double fruit/no nuts) with an aluminum 8 x 8 pan.  Kits contained print information, including UK FCS Extension handwashing procedure sheet, Wally Cat nutrition coloring book, the Spring 2021 Chop Chop Magazine, four new Plate – It – Up – KY – Proud recipes, NEP grains nutrition information, and measuring spoons as NEP incentive.  The June kit contained ingredients and recipe from the 4 – H Cooking Curriculum mini vegetable pizza recipe.  Kits contained print information including, CDC handwashing information, 4-H curriculum cutting with kids safely, the Spring 2022 Chop Chop magazine, NEP vegetable nutrition information, and the vegetable brush/peeler tool as NEP incentive.

Post evaluations for all three programs showed that an average of 87% of families utilized the recipe ingredients provided, in making the recipes with their children at home.  An average of only 13 % of families who prepared recipes, indicated that they did not have their children wash hands prior to cooking in the kitchen, with each activity.  Seven families showed an increase in the number of times they make home – cooked meals weekly, from the first go kit to the final go kit of the series.  One family moved from zero home cooked weekly meals noted on the first post survey to two, homecooked meals weekly, on the final survey.  Seventy-three percent of families indicated that they were highly likely to try or had already tried, one or more of the additional family friendly recipes, provided with the go program materials.