HEAD START MULTICULTURAL FOOD SAFETY AND NUTRITION PROGRAM

IN PHASE I, NEUWIRTH ASSOCIATES WILL DEVELOP A PILOT NUTRITIONAL PROGRAM FOR USE WITH SALVADORAN FAMILIES INVOLVED IN HEAD START, LITERACY, WIC AND OTHER NUTRITION PROGRAMS. THIS CURRICULUM INCLUDES THREE COMPONENTS: A COMMUNITY OUTREACH GUIDE, COLLABORATIVE COOKING LESSONS, AND PARENT NEWSLETTERS. THESE MATERIALS PROVIDE A SOLID BASE FOR EXTENDING THIS CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT TO OTHER HISPANIC POPULATIONS. IN PHASE II WE PROPOSE TO BUILD ON THE TOOLS AND METHODS DEVELOPED IN PHASE I TO CREATE PARALLEL CURRICULUM MATERIALS FOR TWO ADDITIONAL POPULATIONS. BASED ON DEMOGRAPHIC DATA, PHASE II WILL MOST LIKELY FOCUS ON MEXICAN AND PUERTO RICAN FAMILIES. AS IN PHASE I, THE CURRICULUM FOR EACH CULTURAL GROUP WILL CONTAIN A COMMUNITY OUTREACH GUIDE, THREE RECIPES, LESSON PLANS, AND PARENT NEWSLETTERS. IN ADDITION, WE PROPOSE TO EXPAND AND STRENGTHEN THE PARENT NEWSLETTER COMPONENT. MANY HEAD START CENTERS AND OTHER PROGRAMS NOW PROVIDE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND READING CLASSES, BUT LACK APPROPRIATE BILINGUAL MATERIALS OF INTEREST TO ADULTS. WE THERFORE PROPOSE TO PROVIDE GUIDELINES AND BASIC TOOLS FOR USING THESE NEWSLETTERS INSTRUCTIONALLY IN LITERACY CLASSES AND ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL) PROGRAMS. THESE GUIDELINES AND TOOLS WILL BOTH EXTEND THE USE OF THE PARENT NEWSLETTERS AND LEAD TO INCREASES PARENT UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONCEPTS AND ACTIVITIES. A THIRD GOAL WILL BE TO CONDUCT MARKET RESEARCH IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY OPTIONS FOR PHASE III DISSEMINATION.