ALEXANDRIA, Va., (May 31, 2019)—National PTA is pleased to announce the creation of a fellowship program for its STEM + Familiesinitiative. Through this program, funded by Bayer, graduate students will help develop interactive science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) experiences that engage entire families.
“Engaging families together in STEM experiences is essential to support every child’s success in STEM and inspire the next generation of STEM professionals,” said Jim Accomando, president of National PTA. “Our new fellowship program will help increase family engagement in STEM by giving families activities they can do together at home. We are grateful to Bayer for its support.”
STEM + Families is a national effort to engage entire families, inspire interest and support student success in STEM with experiences at school, at home, in the community and through digital learning. Bayer is the presenting and founding sponsor of the initiative with additional support from founding sponsor Mathnasium and supporting sponsors ThinkFun and littleBits.
Since the launch of STEM + Families in 2016, nearly $500,000 in funding, products and materials has been awarded to PTAs across the country to host events for students and families that feature fun and meaningful hands-on STEM experiences. The fellowship program will support and enhance the learning experiences at these events with new activities students and families can do and discuss together at home.
“We are excited to bring graduate students and National PTA together in support of STEM education outreach,” said Sarah Toulouse, executive director, Bayer USA Foundation. “The fellows will have a unique perspective on engaging students and families in fun STEM-focused activities and on bringing them together to talk about jobs in STEM fields.”
“We are pleased to build on our STEM + Families initiative with the launch of our fellowship program,” added Nathan R. Monell, CAE, National PTA executive director. “The program will enhance our efforts in showing students and families how much fun STEM can be and the many education pathways and STEM careers available to them, which is important to help children realize their full potential and ensure the long-term economic success of our nation.”
National PTA® comprises millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of family engagement in schools. PTA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit association that prides itself on being a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education. Membership in PTA is open to anyone who wants to be involved and make a difference for the education, health, and welfare of children and youth. For more information, visit PTA.org.
Bayer: Science For A Better Life
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to benefit people by supporting efforts to overcome the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development, and the Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2018, the Group employed around 117,000 people and had sales of 39.6 billion euros. Capital expenditures amounted to 2.6 billion euros, R&D expenses to 5.2 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.us.
