Changing More than Teen Behavior

According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation for Juvenile Justice and Detention, Kentucky spends an average of $87,000 annually per bed in a juvenile detention center.  Most juveniles are sent to these facilities because of no parental supervision, or the juvenile is bored at home.        

The director of a juvenile detention center observed the students knew little about basic cooking skills or healthy eating habits. The director wanted the juveniles to learn skills they could use after they left the facility, perhaps even a life-time skill.

 The Boyd County Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) Assistant was contacted by the director expressing concern about the students’ lack of basic cooking skills and healthy food choices.   The SNAP-Ed Assistant partnered with the juvenile detention center to teach classes using UKNEP TEEN CUISINE curriculum, with an emphasis on easy to prepare recipes and snacks.  

After the completion of six (6) lessons,  48 students completed an evaluation regarding the knowledge they gained.  The evaluation results are as follows:

 89.5% stated that they learned how to properly use a knife and cut up ingredients for a recipe

93.7% stated that they learned the importance of reading and following a recipe

97.9% stated that they learned cooking skills such as the proper way to measuring ingredients and food safety/handling,

95.8% stated that they did not think nutritious recipes could taste good or that healthy foods would be easy to prepare until Teen Cuisine classes

Several students created notebooks to save each recipe to take home and prepare for their families.   One young girl stated that she could now cook for herself and younger sister so that they didn’t have to always eat a sandwich.