Who are NEAs?

CNEP employs and educates individuals within the community to serve as teaching paraprofessionals known as Nutrition Education Assistants (NEAs).

CNEP promotes the basic premise of employing people that are indigenous to the community. Some of the NEAs have experience with public assistance programs. The personal experience of needing some type of assistance provides a bridge between the NEA and the families they teach.

Quality CNEP in-service education helps NEAs become effective teachers as well as knowledgeable about basic nutrition, money management skills, food safety and food preparation expertise. With experience, NEAs become excellent teachers as they hone their nutrition knowledge.

Other agencies find NEAs to be excellent candidates for positions within their organization and actively recruit them. CNEP considers these "moves up the career ladder" success stories.

NEAs attend a Food Safety Conference sponsored by FDA, Langston University and OSU Cooperative Extension Service.