Structure of the Family Nutrition Program

County Extension faculty and FNP Extension faculty provide leadership to the Family Nutrition Program at the county level. The County Extension Faculty establish advisory committees or participate of an overall county Extension advisory committee to determine community needs. Collaborating agencies are usually members of the advisory committees. County Extension faculty and FNP Extension faculty are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the program; they hire, train and supervise the program assistants, deliver education programs, and complete monthly program and budget reports.

The paraprofessional model, based on hiring local individuals to do direct teaching to the participants, is being adopted by the FNP counties.

Another nutrition program, Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), has been successful in using the paraprofessional model. The paraprofessionals , or program assistants, promote enrollment in the educational programs and teach participants. Literature review shows that nutrition education and health programs that use paraprofessionals are effective in producing some positive program outcomes (nutrition knowledge, food intake, birth weight) (Journal of Nutrition Education, 1995)..