FACT Awards 2003 Research Grants

List and description of 2003 grant awards

Learn about FACT's grant program and research projects

The Families and Communities Together (FACT) Coalition has awarded $120,000 in grants to four research projects that focus on early childhood science education, breastfeeding support to low-income women, Early Head Start, and bridging the generational and digital divides.

"These community-based research partnerships emerged as the best from among a highly competitive pool of proposals," said FACT Co-Director Janet Bokemeier. "FACT is proud to support this type of engaged scientific inquiry which not only has great potential to advance our understanding of child and family issues, but also responds to societal needs and creates positive change in Michigan communities."

Collaborative university-community teams will lead projects in 20 Michigan counties: Bay, Berrien, Chippewa, Genesee, Hillsdale, Ingham, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Lenawee, Monroe, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oakland, Otsego, Sanilac, Shiawassee, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne.

The awards are part of FACT's annual competitive grant program which has invested more than $1.5 million in research and outreach projects throughout the state since 1999. The goal of the program is to support cutting-edge, multidisciplinary research projects that address the health and well-being of children, youth, and families, and build partnerships with communities.

Each year, grant proposals are reviewed in a meticulous NIH-styled process by a panel of distinguished campus and Extension faculty who thoroughly read and rate the proposals, engage in energetic and thoughtful dialogue, and select the projects that best merit funding. FACT is grateful to the panel for the time and energy they devoted to the selection process.

FACT funded projects for 2003 are:

Evaluation Of A Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program For Low-Income Women In Michigan
Beth H. Olson, Ph.D., Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Natural Science; Won O. Song, Ph.D., MPH, RD, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Natural Science; Mari Douma, DO, Department of Pediatrics, College of Osteopathic Medicine; Kobra Eghtedary, Ph.D., WIC Division, Michigan Department of Community Health; Diane Revitte, MPH, WIC Division, Michigan Department of Community Health; and Pat Benton, MS, RD, MSU Extension, CYF Family and Consumer Science.
$29,675.00
Counties: Chippewa, Otsego, Bay, Sanilac, St. Clair, Genesee, Oakland, Wayne, Washtenaw, Monroe, Lenawee, Ingham, Berrien, Kalamazoo, Kent, Muskegon, Newaygo

Breastfeeding rates for low-income women are significantly lower than for higher-income women while their infants experience a higher mortality rate and poorer health outcomes. MSU and the Michigan Department of Community Health's Women, Infants and Children (WIC) will evaluate the effectiveness of a Mother-to-Mother Peer Counseling Program (MTMPCP), a collaboration between MSU Extension and WIC, that seeks to change this trend by providing one-on-one breastfeeding support.

Bridging Generational and Digital Divides: A Community-Based, Intergenerational Proposal for 4-H Youth Teaching Computer/Internet Access Skills to Older Adults
Lawrence B. Schiamberg, Ph.D, Dept of Family and Child Ecology, College of Human Ecology; Marcelo Siles, Center for Advanced Study of International Development (CASID), College of Social Science; Lindon Robinson, Agricultural Economics, College of Agriculture and Natural Science; and Robert Keith, MSU Extension, CYF 4-H Youth Development.
$30,000
Counties: Chippewa, Shiawassee, Wayne

Intergenerational relationships in after-school programs provide a critical and underutilized context for nurturing positive youth development and the social involvement and civic responsibility at the core of vital communities. The long-term goal of this project is to understand and evaluate the contribution of a community-based, intergenerational learning experience -- Cyber Seniors/Cyber Teens(CS/CT) -- to youth self development and to the development of social capital. In three Michigan communities, 4-H youth aged 11 to 18 will train senior citizens in computer and Internet skills using the Cyber Seniors.org curriculum and interactive web site. The formal program will last one year and include on-line pre- and post-program evaluations.

Creating School Readiness in High-Risk Children Through Involvement in Early Childhood Science Education
Laurie A. Van Egeren, Department of Psychology, ICYF, College of Social Science; Mary Farrand, Capital Area Community Services Head Start; Norman Lownds, Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources; and Brad Morris, Grand Valley State University.
$30,000.00
Counties: Ingham

This pilot study is looking at how early childhood science education programming may promote school readiness for low-income children. Investigators from MSU and Grand Valley State University are collaborating with Capital Area Community Services Head Start to study the processes and outcomes of science education among Lansing-area Head Start teachers and families.

"This is really a holistic intervention -- it targets teachers, by showing them new ways to teach; it targets parents, by showing them new ways to interact with their children; and it targets children, letting them use their curiosity and creativity in a way that makes them feel smart and successful," said Laurie Van Egeren.

This work will aid in the development of appropriate measures to assess teaching strategies, school readiness, and family engagement. Investigators believe low-income children who receive science education will show positive developmental outcomes that will help decrease the current disparity in school readiness between low-income children and children in private preschools.

Post-First Grade Follow-Up of Early Head Start Project
Rachel Schiffman, Ph.D, RN, College of Nursing; Mary Cunningham-Deluca, Community Action Agency; and Holly Brophy-Herb, Ph.D, Department of Family and Child Ecology, College of Human Ecology
$30,000.00
Counties: Jackson, Hillsdale, Lenawee, Ingham

Researchers from MSU and the Community Action Agency are collaborating on this data collection project aimed at obtaining a fifth wave of information from 142 families of first graders whose families were recruited for the Early Head Start project when they were infants. This series of questions will focus on family health and child development. Information collected will give investigators a substantial database with five time points from which they can identify the developmental trajectories of these children and families and investigate the long-term impacts of early intervention programs. Working with partners collecting similar data in Denver, investigators hope to prepare a study of sufficient size and diversity to receive federal funding for additional research and evaluation.

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