Local early childhood educators will be able to participate in a Maryville University program aimed at improving student learning outcomes in science, thanks to a $12,495 grant from the Monsanto Fund.

Earlier this year, Maryville University's School of Education and College of Arts and Sciences, in partnership with St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS), the Missouri Botanical Garden and other non-public schools, received a two-year grant from the Missouri Department of Higher Education for "Improving Teacher Quality."

State and federal guidelines for the grant, however, limited participation in the program to teachers from kindergarten level through fifth grade. The support provided by the Monsanto Fund will enable seven preschool teachers to participate as well, extending the program to those teachers who intervene at the earliest level of education. The additional funding will help provide a strong foundation in science for high-need children.

"A solid educational beginning is essential to ensuring young students are successful throughout their academic careers," says Deborah Patterson, president of the Monsanto Fund. "Science education can be as fun as it is educational and it is my hope through the training of teachers in new curriculum that science will be fun and engaging, fostering an interest that can take students through adulthood."

"The School of Education is delighted to have this added grant from the Monsanto Fund to support pre-school teachers involved in Building Inquiring Minds. This collaboration with St. Louis Public Schools will result in many more students in need getting a firm grounding in science in ways that build their interest and aptitude," says Sam Hausfather, PhD, dean of the School of Education at Maryville.

For more information about the Monsanto Fund, visit www.monsantofund.org/.

*Description by the Monsanto Fund.