Engaging men & dads at WIC
Last summer, Maggie Rasnake, MPH candidate ’17, completed her 12-week summer field experience at the CA WIC Association. One of her many projects was an on-line toolkit providing resources, strategies and tips for best practices for inclusion of Men and Dads at WIC. The toolkit is part of a larger initiative to engage eligible families to participate in WIC.
Maggie solicited input, feedback, ideas and edits from expert men in the field and WIC staff; the result was a thoroughly well-researched and written, colorful and engaging document that will impact so many. The CA WIC Association is currently engaging WIC agencies in using it over the next year to improve their practices. Local WIC staff will lead trainings and a learning collaborative. Maggie is continuing her work with the CA WIC Association to provide an evaluation of all of this work!
The toolkit has been featured in several places listed below and will be shared at the National WIC Association Nutrition and Breastfeeding conference in September 2016.
- National Institute for Children’s Health Quality (NICHQ) interviewed Maggie
- Rutgers, via Joanne Ikeda, Nutritionist Emeritus at UC Berkeley
- US Breastfeeding Committee
Maggie’s preceptor, who mentored her throughout the project, tells us: “Maggie is very humble, but she is, as you know, highly skilled and thoughtful in her approach to her work. Hopefully she will land in a work setting where her talents will be tapped and her creativity let loose! We are continuing to work with her and are most appreciative of her time and contribution. Cheers to Maggie for her successes, and to you for your work in supporting our nutrition leaders.”
Excellent work, Maggie!