Over 21,000 families choose to homeschool their children in the state of Kentucky. In Clinton County, the number of families making the decision to homeschool is growing rapidly.  Today, approximately 38 Clinton County families choose homeschooling.  As homeschool parents look for more and more ways to enhance their children’s educational experiences, the Nutrition Education Program is there to help. 

The Clinton County Extension Nutrition Education Program in partnership with Clinton County 4-H and the Clinton County Public Library hosts monthly Lunch and Learn classes, geared toward the homeschool population.  These classes are designed so students and their parents gain nutritional knowledge, as well as budgeting techniques, menu planning, cooking techniques and food safety.  There are six families that attend these classes regularly.  Following a lesson titled “Eating Healthy with MyPlate”, one student decided to make MyPlate the topic of an oral presentation for one of her homeschool assignments.  She used the information presented by the Nutrition Education Program Assistant to research and prepare her presentation and used the materials provided during the Lunch and Learn class as her supporting evidence and visual aids.   The mother was so impressed by the amount of knowledge the child was able to absorb from the Lunch and Learn lesson.  She stated, “I thought she was just having fun participating in the class, I never dreamed she absorbed so much information.  Another mom stated, “I love that we are learning these things side-by-side.  Thanks to these classes, my daughter and I have started planning out our weekly suppers…we are spending more time together and a lot less money!”

Clinton County home-school families continue to embrace the various nutrition classes offered through the Clinton County Extension Office.  Several parents have expressed their appreciation for having such an educational source to help supplement their homeschooling goals.