GEORGIA WIC PROGRAM PROCEDURES MANUAL NS Group Nutrition Education

Policy No. NS - 200.08 Effective date: October 1, 2016

No. of pages: 2

Page 1 of 2

Policy Group nutrition education may be used to provide low risk secondary nutrition education. Group nutrition education shall take into account cultural differences and must include an interpreter or translation services when information is not provided in a participant’s language. Group education must be interactive and offer participants the opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback. The Local agency shall ensure that lessons presented to WIC participants contain accurate, current, culturally appropriate, and professionally recognized nutrition information. All prenatal women should be offered the opportunity to attend a breastfeeding class.

Purpose To provide a counseling method that allows for education to be provided to more than one participant at a time.

Procedures

I. Local Agencies must develop a class outline for each group-facilitated class (topic). The class outline must:

A. Include learning objective(s)

B. Be kept on file at the District WIC Office and at the clinic site for use by clinic staff.

C. Be provided to the Office of Program Operations and Nutrition Services at the time of program reviews.

II. Local Agencies:

A. May provide group education face-to-face or through the state video conferencing system.

B. May utilize Competent Professional Authority’s (CPA’s) or Nutrition Assistants to provide group education. In the case of a breastfeeding class, the Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant can also provide the group nutrition education.

III. Staff shall incorporate facilitated discussion as a best practice for providing group nutrition education.

IV. In cases where a breastfeeding class is not available, the breastfeeding information must be covered on an individual basis.

GEORGIA WIC PROGRAM PROCEDURES MANUAL NS Group Nutrition Education

Policy No. NS - 200.08 Effective date: October 1, 2016

No. of pages: 2

Page 2 of 2

Authority

7 CFR §§ 246.11(a), (b), (d)(1), and (e)(1) and (4)

Nutrition Services Standards

Definitions/Supporting Information

Group Nutrition Education – Low risk secondary education for Georgia WIC participants that is provided in a group setting with multiple Georgia WIC participants at the same time.

Competent Professional Authority (CPA) – An individual on the local agency staff who is authorized to determine nutritional risk and prescribe supplemental foods. The following individuals may be authorized and trained to serve as a CPA: physicians, nutritionists (bachelor’s or master’s degree in Nutritional Sciences, Community Nutrition, Clinical Nutrition, Dietetics, Public Health Nutrition), registered dietitians, licensed dietitians, registered nurses, and physician assistants (certified by the National Committee on certification of Physicians Assistants or certified by the State medical certifying authority), or State or local medically trained health officials.

Nutrition Assistant (NA) – An individual on the local agency staff who has been authorized to provide low risk secondary nutrition education within a limited scope of practice. NA must only provide education that they have specifically been trained to provide. Lesson plans or evidence of training related to the content must be available for review by the State Agency for all low-risk nutrition education an NA provides. International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC) – An IBCLC is a health care professional who specializes in the clinical management of breastfeeding. IBCLCs are certified by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners under the direction of the US National Commission for Certifying Agencies. Certification is awarded upon completion of extensive clinical experience with breastfeeding mothers, educational credits in lactation, and a passing score on the lactation consultants' examination. IBCLCs must re-certify by acquiring continuing education recognition points over five years and must retake the certification examination after 10 years. Facilitated discussion – A method of nutrition education where a facilitator will guide a group through a discussion keeping in mind the values and experiences of the group as well as the knowledge, attitude or skills that is the goal for the session.