Federal grant cuts will end WMass hands-on science program for third-graders
SPRINGFIELD – The federal government has slashed a grant that provided hands-on science and engineering lessons for Springfield children, ending a learning opportunity for an estimated 1,000 third-graders.
Officials at the Hitchcock Center for the Environment in Amherst learned last week that two of its federal grants totaling roughly $583,000 have been cut.
One from the Institute of Museum and Library Services paid for its Schools Exploring Engineering Design and Sustainability in Springfield Public Schools, said Kim Snyder, director of development and communications for the center.
'It is a fabulous program and we were accumulating a lot of data on it,' she said.'Kids were seeing themselves as engineers and learning to work together.'
The Hitchcock Center also lost another even larger Environmental Protection Agency grant totaling nearly $500,000 that was funding work to improve air quality issues in rural communities.
The grant is designed to run programs in Springfield schools for children in a high-poverty district. City science teachers and center educators worked together and decided the program would best serve third-graders, Snyder said.
'The idea was to visit each third-grade classroom in Springfield four times and have them visit the Hitchcock Center for a culminating field trip,' Snyder said.
By having five classes, Hitchcock Center instructors developed a relationship with the children and could build on lessons taught each week, she said.
Lessons are all hands-on engineering challenges with children facing tasks such as creating a water capture system, a solar power station, a wind turbine and a water filtration system, she said.
Along with learning about engineering, the environment and other science topics, children developed other skills, such as collaboration. They were able to try things out to see if they would work and to regroup and make another attempt when an idea failed, Snyder said.
'Kids were empowered to make mistakes and talk things through. They learned to be resilient,' she said.
The program provided training for teachers so they could consider using similar lessons in their classrooms, Snyder said.
The center's staff has been in 22 of the 33 third-grade classrooms in Springfield, providing science and engineering education to more than 1,000 students.
'We were on track to reach all third-grade classrooms by the end of the project next year,' Snyder said.
Springfield school officials did not return a request for comment Monday.
Shortly before receiving word the grant was being rescinded, the Hitchcock Center received approval to extend the funding for another year. For that reason, the cut is especially vexing, she said.
'Loss of the remaining $88,183 in this grant will mean that more than 1,000 additional students and their teachers will miss out on this opportunity for science and engineering education,' she said.
On the lost EPA funding, the center is working with two organizations, including Lawyers for Good Government, to appeal the funding cut. At the same time, it is creating a fundraising plan and taking other steps to preserve programs amid the federal cuts, Snyder said.
'This is a lot of money taken out of our budget. Layoffs are under consideration,' she said.
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Federal grant cuts will end WMass hands-on science program for third-graders
SPRINGFIELD – The federal government has slashed a grant that provided hands-on science and engineering lessons for Springfield children, ending a learning opportunity for an estimated 1,000 third-graders. Officials at the Hitchcock Center for the Environment in Amherst learned last week that two of its federal grants totaling roughly $583,000 have been cut. One from the Institute of Museum and Library Services paid for its Schools Exploring Engineering Design and Sustainability in Springfield Public Schools, said Kim Snyder, director of development and communications for the center. 'It is a fabulous program and we were accumulating a lot of data on it,' she said.'Kids were seeing themselves as engineers and learning to work together.' The Hitchcock Center also lost another even larger Environmental Protection Agency grant totaling nearly $500,000 that was funding work to improve air quality issues in rural communities. The grant is designed to run programs in Springfield schools for children in a high-poverty district. City science teachers and center educators worked together and decided the program would best serve third-graders, Snyder said. 'The idea was to visit each third-grade classroom in Springfield four times and have them visit the Hitchcock Center for a culminating field trip,' Snyder said. By having five classes, Hitchcock Center instructors developed a relationship with the children and could build on lessons taught each week, she said. Lessons are all hands-on engineering challenges with children facing tasks such as creating a water capture system, a solar power station, a wind turbine and a water filtration system, she said. Along with learning about engineering, the environment and other science topics, children developed other skills, such as collaboration. They were able to try things out to see if they would work and to regroup and make another attempt when an idea failed, Snyder said. 'Kids were empowered to make mistakes and talk things through. They learned to be resilient,' she said. The program provided training for teachers so they could consider using similar lessons in their classrooms, Snyder said. The center's staff has been in 22 of the 33 third-grade classrooms in Springfield, providing science and engineering education to more than 1,000 students. 'We were on track to reach all third-grade classrooms by the end of the project next year,' Snyder said. Springfield school officials did not return a request for comment Monday. Shortly before receiving word the grant was being rescinded, the Hitchcock Center received approval to extend the funding for another year. For that reason, the cut is especially vexing, she said. 'Loss of the remaining $88,183 in this grant will mean that more than 1,000 additional students and their teachers will miss out on this opportunity for science and engineering education,' she said. On the lost EPA funding, the center is working with two organizations, including Lawyers for Good Government, to appeal the funding cut. At the same time, it is creating a fundraising plan and taking other steps to preserve programs amid the federal cuts, Snyder said. 'This is a lot of money taken out of our budget. Layoffs are under consideration,' she said.
