UToledo’s NURTURES Program Opens New Chapter in 15th Year

UToledo's NURTURES Program Opens New Chapter in 15th Year

Children are naturally curious, eagerly exploring the world around them.

Dr. Charlene Czerniak tapped into this curiosity when she and her colleagues developed NURTURES, a homegrown educational program that equips parents and teachers to introduce hands-on, inquiry-based activities to children as young as preschool, in 2011.

Fifteen years on, NURTURES is still raising the bar on children's achievement in science, mathematics and reading - and beginning a new chapter that could pave the way for future development and expansion.

This year the program is set to launch in select communities in Georgia, where researchers at WestEd, a nonprofit specializing in educational research, development and service, will rigorously evaluate its impact on student outcomes. The expansion is supported by an $8 million award under the Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program of the U.S. Department of Education.

"This is an exciting year for NURTURES," said Czerniak, professor emeritus of science education and a research professor in the College of Engineering. "Our own research has consistently indicated that students with a program-trained teacher outperform their peers in science, mathematics and reading, and we're excited to advance our understanding of how we're positively impacting students using the gold standard in research methodology required in the EIR program."

NURTURES has benefited from more than $23 million in federal funding since it launched in 2011, allowing the program to expand significantly from its roots as a collaborative effort to transform the way science is taught to preschool through third grade students locally. NURTURES has been reaching students nationally since 2020, when the U.S. Department of Defense supported the program in shifting its professional development from in-person to virtual formats to engage military-connected families alongside partners including Georgia State University and Washington School Research Associates.

The latest chapter of the program is led by principal investigators Czerniak at UToledo, Dr. Kadir Demir at Georgia State University and Dr. Steve Schneider at WestEd, as well as co-principal investigators Dr. Susanna Hapgood and Dr. Scott Molitor at UToledo. UToledo's Grant Wilson and Christopher Wojciechowski are the program director and assistant program director, respectively, for NURTURES.

The latest chapter also builds on existing relationships in Georgia, where Demir is now leading the recruitment of schools and the team has been training the facilitators who will provide professional development to more than 400 teachers beginning this summer.

In line with the long-standing program model emphasizing professional development, family engagement and community outreach, these teachers will, in turn, engage parents with take-home materials and community events that extend their instruction beyond the school day for a holistic approach to supporting young learners.

UToledo-led research analyzing the first dozen or so years of the program indicates positive outcomes for students who benefit from teachers trained through NURTURES, as evidenced by test scores in science, mathematics and reading. UToledo most recently reported that a sample of first through third grade students whose teachers participated in the program added 14 points to their science test scores and 26 points to their mathematics test scores when compared to original assessments, all of which aligned with Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards.

WestEd will now offer new and valuable insights into its effectiveness through a high-level research study scheduled to continue through 2029. This research will use a randomized control group design to conduct an impact study that meets the highest federal standard for research in the EIR program, an implementation study and a cost analysis study.

"High-quality data could pave the way for future development and expansion of NURTURES," Czerniak said. "We're excited for this opportunity to work with WestEd and Georgia State University, and we're excited that this program is still going strong after 15 years."