As a resident of Nashua, I have seen many of the ways in which the UNH Extension office has made a difference in communities across Hillsborough County.

I am the director of the Greater Nashua Smart Start Coalition for Early Childhood Success, and I work very closely with local families. Our hope is to promote strong, healthy, thriving families. Many families struggle with knowing strategies to get children to eat healthier meals. One parent shared with us that they feared their child was not getting the nutrients they needed because they were such a picky eater. It was a challenge to get their child to eat fruits and vegetables and because of this challenge the relationship between parent and child was becoming strained. Dealing with frequent meltdowns during mealtimes resulted in the parent feeling overwhelmed, defeated, and distant from their child.

Our coalition offers a parent support group, and recently we collaborated with the UNH Extension program Nutrition Connections to help parents address issues with children who are picky eaters. The Nutrition Connections instructor was able to share some helpful tips on making smoothies, and we had a parent share an inspiring success story afterwards. The parent reported that not only did their child enjoy the smoothie, the child and parent were able to share a special bonding moment preparing the smoothie together. It was an opportunity for this family to experience health and healing, and the parent expressed so much gratitude for the instructor’s helpful teaching.

There are many more success stories in the Greater Nashua area because of UNH Extension. For example, in 2021 1,168 youth were reached through healthy living programs to prevent chronic diseases like obesity. In addition to this, the Extension program 4H partnered with the Nashua Boys and Girls Club to teach horticulture and food safety to youth.

I highly recommend if you are a parent, caregiver or service providing agency that you consider checking out what UNH Extension office has to offer for children and families. If you are unfamiliar with their offerings, you will be pleasantly surprised!

Joslyn Kuchinski is the director of the Greater Nashua Smart Start Coalition for Early Childhood Success.