Using the grant money, Van Egeren, along with a team of MSU researchers and staff at the Capital Area Community Services Head Start in Lansing, will implement the program into 72 low-income Head Start classrooms throughout the state beginning in October or November.

“It’s important to engage children in science as soon as possible so they can develop an interest early on,” Van Egeren said. “We want to help these kids keep up and be successful in the classroom.”

The program will take an exciting, hands-on approach to learning science that will also help children build better communication, language and social skills, she said — which is essential when adjusting to a classroom setting for the first time.

“It’s not really about content,” Van Egeren said. “It’s about creating an interactive environment for children to learn and explore the world of science.”

Once the teachers in the program have been trained, they will be supplied with digital video cameras to record what they do in the classroom. Mentors, or long distance coaches, then will view the tapes and give feedback on which techniques worked and which ones could use improvement, Van Egeren said.

Coaches also will work with low-income parents as they help their kids integrate into the school system, she said.

After conducting a pilot study in Head Start classrooms within the Greater Lansing area, Van Egeren said both teachers and children showed positive changes in their attitudes toward science.

“We found that teachers became more confident in their abilities to teach science,” she said. “Children also had more scientific thinking and cognitive development, which we think will help them be better prepared for kindergarten and elementary school.”

Norm Lownds, an associate professor in MSU’s Department of Horticulture who is also working on the project, said Michigan is one of the few states doing a rigorous evaluation of the Head Start program.

“Based on what we saw in the pilot study, we thought it was very important to conduct further research to get evidence-based, factual proof saying that this program makes a difference,” he said.

If all goes according to plan, Lownds said he hopes the study will provide enough evidence for Head Start programs throughout the country to start adopting the program, since he believes all people are born as “curious scientists.”

“Science is really exciting and cool, but a lot of times it’s not taught that way,” he said. “If we can present it in a way that’s interactive and fun, I think kids will see it differently.”

Animal science and zoology junior Courtney Andries said she thinks the program is a great way to get kids involved in science while allowing them to keep up with more privileged students.

“There are so many opportunities that exist and so many things that need to be done in the field of science,” Andries said. “All kids should have the chance to get involved.”