It’s All About Relationships

Starting in March 2020 and continuing into 2021, the COVID 19 pandemic altered the way Nutrition Education Programming could safely be conducted with community partners in Kenton County, Kentucky.  In order to keep students, faculty, and staff healthy and safe in school, no outside organizations were permitted to go into the Kenton County Schools or the Erlanger/Elsmere School district in Kenton County Kentucky.  

The need for healthy food and proper food safety practices was at an all-time high due to the world-wide pandemic.  The Senior Nutrition Education Program (NEP) Assistant of the Kenton County Cooperative Extension Service emailed several teachers that she had worked with in previous years to present nutrition education programming.  The NEP Senior Assistant inquired as to whether they would be open to programming through a virtual format.  The Kindergarten and first grade teachers at White’s Tower Elementary declined since the NEP Senior Assistant needed to provide “live” virtual programming or a pre-recorded lesson for the students.  However, the fourth-grade teachers at White’s Tower Elementary School answered with a resounding yes!  “Our students in the past have loved having you come into the classroom to teach them about nutrition.  They always learn so much.  We would be happy for you to present your program in our Google Classroom.”

The second-grade teacher at Arnett Elementary, who had worked with the NEP Senior Assistant in the past, quickly agreed to virtual programming as well.  The teacher even wrote detailed instructions for Google Classroom to her long-term substitute teacher who would be coming into her classroom when she went on maternity leave, so the series could continue.   

Later in the school year one of the first-grade teachers from White’s Tower Elementary emailed the Senior NEP Assistant saying that she had received special permission from her principal for the Senior NEP Assistant to come to the school to teach first grade students only.  The Senior NEP Assistant had to decline since the University of Kentucky was allowing virtual programming only at that time.

Establishing, building, and maintaining relationships with community partners is so important even through the challenges that are presented when teaching nutrition education in a virtual setting.  As demonstrated through the NEP Senior Assistant’s efforts, those relationships                                   can survive and sometimes even thrive during a global pandemic!  One hundred fifteen students were able to benefit from and learn about nutrition topics because of these previously cultivated relationships.  In addition, the first-grade teachers at White’s Tower look forward to joining with the Senior NEP Assistant during the next school year when outside program partners will be allowed back into the     classroom.