The Cumberland Cape Atlantic YMCA and the Vineland Charter School recently combined to offer a special enrichment experience for children enrolled in Before and After Care. The YMCA Child Care Department partnered with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture to offer the ED-SNAP program. This helps to provide an extensive and wholesome environment to grow, learn, and develop..
“For six weeks, our students from the YMCA and Vineland Charter School Before and After Program attended virtual nutritional sessions that exposed them to different kinds of fruits, vegetables, and other foods,” said Max Joshua Saint-Jean, who coordinated the program. “It also taught them the value of heathy snack alternatives and included the importance of reading the nutritional facts on all food labels and packaging. Each week, students excitedly anticipated meeting with Eva Perez, ED-SNAP Nutritional Educator. The sessions gave them a chance to learn and sometimes experience new foods, recipes, and food preparation.”
In mid-May, students from both the YMCA and Vineland Charter School completed their last session. Each student who successfully attended all six sessions was recognized and presented with a certificate of completion. They were also given a water bottle with fruit infusion port, measuring spoons set, travel size fruit washing strainer, cutting board, and a Healthy Recipe book. Their response to the program was totally positive!
