Offering Parent Training

Six-week Nutrition-Based Cooking Courses

Courses meet for two hours, once a week for six weeks and are team-taught by a volunteer culinary and nutrition educator. Participants practice fundamental food skills including proper knife techniques, reading ingredient labels, and making healthy meals on a $10 budget. Other support volunteers, such as class assistants, are key to ensuring smooth delivery of our program.

By initiating discussions and introducing activities that build upon participants’ own experiences, instructors create effective learning opportunities. Course participants build confidence in their new skills through active class participation, enabling positive behavior changes in daily life. Classmates also help one another by sharing feedback on each other’s progress. Participants receive ingredients to practice making the class recipes at home, reinforcing nutrition messages and cooking techniques. By using what they learn in class at home, Cooking Matters graduates maximize their food resources, make healthier choices for their families, and prepare balanced, delicious meals. Because proper nutrition is critical for children’s health, development, and ability to learn, acquiring these skills can return important long-term benefits for a family’s physical and economic well-being.