CHENANGO COUNTY – The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) delivered locally through Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chenango County (CCE Chenango), offers free, hands-on, nutrition education courses to help individuals and families develop healthier eating habits, improve food safety practices, and make better use of limited food resources.

Unlike SNAP-Ed, which typically provides one-time lessons to families enrolled in SNAP, EFNEP is built around weeks-long courses that teach skills progressively.

“SNAP-Ed is more like a one-time stop type of education, where you receive information and education on one particular topic or item in a one-time setting,” said Mary Close CCE Chenango's EFNEP Nutrition Educator, “Whereas EFNEP, we have the expanded part of our acronym, is all of our lessons, it's a series long education.”

Close explained that EFNEP classes range from six to nine lessons where families start with basic skills and build on them. Lessons revolve around overcoming food insecurities, improving food resource management, and maintaining a balanced lifestyle.

“EFNEP also focuses on stretching food budgets, “ said Close, “We're pretty assured that's going to become more of an item that people that want to enroll in classes want information on.” In reference to shrinking access to SNAP benefits and rising costs of groceries.

About the Local EFNEP Programs

Currently CCE Chenango offers three programs, tailored to different stages of life and family needs. Some are designed for pregnancy and feeding infants, one is called “Eating Smart, Being Active”, and a new pilot program called “Cooking with Kids” that just launched in July 2026.

One of the most popular offerings, “Eating Smart, Being Active,” targets adults and teaches participants how to manage several aspects of household nutrition. “In that class, that's the one where we're really focusing on improving food insecurity, food resource management, stretching grocery bills, 60% or better,” said Close. Close also emphasizes that these programs are adaptable and based on what a families need useful information on.

Each lesson is designed to build on the previous one, from what Close describes as “eating the rainbow” of fruits and vegetables to incorporating whole grains and understanding portions sizes. “There's a different topic each week that builds on the week before,” Close said, “everything is anchored to the lesson before it.”

This summer, CCE Chenango launched a new pilot program called “Cooking with Kids,” a fully interactive class where caregivers and children learn side-by-side. Families commit to at least seven weeks of hands-on cooking and nutrition activities. “We're empowering the families to work with their children on the overarching theme of building healthy habits and what that looks like,” said Close.

Classes happen year round at CCE Chenango's Norwich office, as well as partner sites in Greene and Afton. Close noted that offering classes around the county has been especially beneficial because the educator “can actually take the education to the individual or to the family.”

How to Enroll in EFNEP Classes, it's accessible

Enrollment in EFNEP is simple and accessible. Families do not need to provide income documentation, instead, they self-report basic information, such as name, age, town of residence, and the ages of children in their care. “We're not collecting any pay stubs or tax records. We're not collecting any of that information,” Close said, “We understand that sort of stuff's personal, but no matter your situation, nutrition education is the same thing.”

Upcoming classes are posted on the CCE Chenango events calendar, and fliers are often distributed at local community events. Interested participants can register online, call the CCE office, or contact Close directly. After a brief conversation to understand the family or individual's goals, Close recommends the curriculum that best fits their needs and helps coordinate scheduling. EFNEP asks participants to commit to one hour per week for six to nine weeks.

The next, Eating Smart, Being Active, series is tentatively planned to begin around August 19, with additional Cooking with Kids groups forming based in interest. EFNEP currently has openings for a variety of educational programs designed for parents, kinship caregivers, young adults ages 18 to 25, and youth in grades 3 through 12. All classes are offered free of charge to eligible participants, and several educational reinforcements and resources are provided for participants to take home and use with their families. As communities face ongoing economic and health challenges, EFNEP remains committed to promoting nutrition education and strengthening the health of families for generations to come.

Individuals interested in learning more about EFNEP or enrolling in upcoming classes are encouraged to contact Mary Close at Chenango Cornell Cooperative Extension by email at mkc244@cornell.edu or by calling CCE Chenango office and asking for Mary.

EFNEP participants receive a certificate of completion from Cornell University

Close emphasized that EFNEP's mission is simple: give families the tools to make meaningful, sustainable changes. “If you can commit to one hour a week, we definitely have the ability to give you the tools to make improvements,” Close said. Lessons often include meal planning, grocery shopping strategies, food preparation techniques, and food safety practices. Participants are encouraged to make small, realistic changes that can lead to long-term improvements in health and well-being.

Participants who complete any series of EFNEP receive a certificate of completion from Cornell University. Which according to Close, some young adults have successfully used to obtain employment in the county. “Because we do focus on safe kitchen skills, safe cooking skills,” Close said.

“Everybody that completes any of our programs will get a certificate of completion from Cornell University,” said Close.

As EFNEP enters its second year in Chenango county, as part of a five year grant, Close hopes more families and young adults will take advantage of the free, evidence-based programming. “We're benefiting families as a whole,” said Close, “Both the youth and the adults in our community are making better food choices and understanding what it looks like to eat healthy and be physically active.” By providing evidence-based information and personalized support, EFNEP continues to empower families to make healthier decisions and improve their quality of life.

A program built on evidence and research

EFNEP is a federally funded land-grant program managed by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), began in 1969. With the overarching goal to use evidence-based techniques to influence nutrition and physical activity behaviors of low-income and disadvantaged families.

EFNEP is supported by the Smith-Lever Act, which focuses on several topics related to food research: develop practical applications of research knowledge; instructions and practical demonstrations of existing or improved practices or technologies in agriculture; uses of solar energy with respect to agriculture, home economics, and rural energy; subjects relating to persons not attending or resident in 1862 Land-grant Institutions; imparting information on those subjects through demonstrations, publications, and otherwise, and for the necessary printing and distribution of information in connection with the subjects, according to NIFA.

Smith-Lever Capacity Grant funding from NIFA, requires that organizations report data for continued research and program improvement. EFNEP has proven to create positive changes nationwide based on pre- and post- course surveys administered by the extension offices delivering it, and that is no different in Chenango County.

“All of our curriculum that we have, currently that we're using in Chenango County have been tested for decades,” said Close, “Various extension services throughout the United States have piloted, tested, incorporated. We gather pre- and post-surveys to not only see how our participants are improving, but we also to send in that information.”

The surveys ask questions about diet quality, physical activity, and food resource management. According to Close, last year Chenango County saw improvements ranging from 70 to 98 percent among its participants. Programs like EFNEP play an important role in addressing public health challenges, including obesity, chronic disease, and limited access to nutrition education.

“Everything done is scientific, we know it works,” said Close.