# Seeds to STEM: Cultivating early Nutrition, Literacy, Numeracy, and STEM knowledge and skills in Teachers, 3-5 year olds, and Families through a Bilingual Asset-based curriculum in Two Major Cities

> **NIH NIH R25** · THE ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA · 2022 · $269,393

## Abstract

Seeds to STEM (S2S) proposes a bilingual program that educates urban children ages 3- 5,
their families, and preschool teachers about the importance of childhood nutrition, early
STEM and literacy, and kindergarten readiness in order to address national needs to diversify
the STEM education pipeline and reduce disproportionate rates of poverty, hunger, ill health,
and low educational achievement among families living in dense cityscapes. This SEPA
project has an innovative focus on food access and families enrolled in under-accredited early
learning centers, including home-based childcare.
These low-cost options, often chosen by families who work but cannot afford or do not have
access to high quality early childhood learning and care resources, need to be better
incorporated into preschool education improvement initiatives.
We hypothesize that a research- and asset-based approach to simultaneously educating
preschool children, their teachers, and families will promote early STEM and literacy
learning, encourage healthy eating habits, and increase kindergarten readiness among low
income families living in two major cities -- Philadelphia, PA, and Los Angeles, CA. Three
product deliverables will be nationally distributed by the end of a SEPA grant period via a
project website and PI connections to professional networks. In addition to project
participants, nine museums have appended Support Letters to this application.
1 A bilingual inquiry-based curriculum about early childhood nutrition and school
 readiness that integrates STEM, literacy, and numeracy learning through
 experimental activities growing food inside classrooms, urban gardens, and
 family homes;
2 Professional development and in-class coaching for under-accredited pre-K
 educators including, as an innovation, home-based childcareproviders;
3 Programs that empower families to learn together, understand kindergarten
 readiness, and be more connected to nutrition resources in their communities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10424512
- **Project number:** 5R25GM142028-02
- **Recipient organization:** THE ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Jacqueline Genovesi
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $269,393
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-06-10 → 2026-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10424512

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10424512, Seeds to STEM: Cultivating early Nutrition, Literacy, Numeracy, and STEM knowledge and skills in Teachers, 3-5 year olds, and Families through a Bilingual Asset-based curriculum in Two Major Cities (5R25GM142028-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10424512. Licensed CC0.

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