Family and Community Health (FCH)
Welcome to the Family and Community Health program area in Coryell County. My name is Donna Schwausch and I’m the County Extension Agent for Family and Community Health (FCH) in Coryell County.
The goal of the FCH program is to improve the quality of life for individuals and families. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service offers practical information for families: raising children, housing and environment, eating well, managing money, and staying healthy. Topics the Coryell County FCH Agent frequently deals with include:
- Health and Wellness
- Diabetes 1st Step
- Do Well Be Well
- Food and Nutrition
- Better Living for Texans (BLT)
- Child Care
- Passenger Safety
- Food Safety and Food Preservation
- Step Up Scale Down
- Texas Food Handlers Certification Course
Visit the State Family & Community Health website to access even more great resources.
Health & Wellness
Step Up to Scale Down is a 12 week weight management series that provides weekly meetings and lessons. These weekly meetings not only provide education, but provide encouragement and accountability as well! For more information, visit our Step Up and Scale Down page!
Sensible Self is a free, 8 week email program to encourage people to continue their healthy lifestyles. Sign up for the email list and also participate on the Facebook page.
Walk Across Texas is a free program to help people start moving more and establish physical activity as a lifetime habit. Doing Walk Across Texas with people you know is a great way to help you keep going when you feel like quitting. To walk across the state in eight weeks, everyone on a team must walk almost 13 miles each week. For more information, visit our Walk Across Texas page.
Diabetes Education
Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes is a five-week class series for people with Type 2 diabetes.
Class topics:
- 1. Getting Started: How Food Affects Your Blood Glucose
- 2. Are You Eating the Right Number of Carbohydrates? Let’s Find Out
- 3. Beyond the Diet: Improving Your Blood Glucose Control with Physical Activity
- 4. Beyond Diet and Physical Activity: Improving Your Blood Glucose Control with Medication
- 5. Celebrating Diabetes Control While Avoiding Complications: Having Your Cake (or Snack) and Eating It, Too!
Online Resources:
Contact us for more information on this program. Check the Calendar for upcoming classes.
Food & Nutrition
County Extension Agent Donna Schwausch provides nutrition classes for area organizations or worksites who are looking to improve their dietary habits in order to improve their overall health.
School Nutrition Programs – programs available and given at local schools and are available for any age group. These classes include hands-on activities for the kids focusing on nutrition and physical activity.
Dinner Tonight! – What are you having for Dinner Tonight? This website is devoted to helping busy families by providing videos and recipes of main dishes, appetizers, side dishes, and healthy desserts. Click here for recipes, videos, and more!
Better Living for Texans (BLT)
Better Living for Texans is a program for adults and kids who want to learn how to eat well and save money. You can make friends and have fun while you learn about eating healthy foods and saving money!
BLT classes teach nutrition-related concepts focusing on:
- Choosing healthy foods while saving money
- MyPlate
- Preparing healthy meals
- Food safety practices
- Importance of physical fitness
BLT Programs available before October 1
For more information on the Better Living for Texans (BLT) program, check out the state Facebook page or the BLT website. We also offer monthly newsletters with current topics, upcoming local events, and a healthy recipe for your family.
Child Care
Child care providers play a vital role in caring for America’s children. Earn state required continuing education credits and find helpful information online.
Passenger Safety
Several events are held each year to educate citizens on passenger safety. Check the calendar page, under the Events tab, for dates and details.
Food Safety and Food Preservation
Both the state required Certified Food Manager’s course and the Food Handler’s course are offered through Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Click the links below to see information on these courses. All food service establishments, under the jurisdiction of the DSHS, with some exemptions, shall employ a Certified Food Manager.
Additional information is available HERE.
FightBac.org
The Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE), saves lives & improves public health through research-based, actionable consumer food safety initiatives that reduce foodborne illness.
National Center for Home Food Preservation
The National Center for Home Food Preservation is your source for current research-based recommendations for most methods of home food preservation. The Center was established with funding from the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (CSREES-USDA) to address food safety concerns for those who practice and teach home food preservation and processing methods.
