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Mercy College has joined a consortium of six Westchester County school districts that were awarded a five-year grant to train 250 educators as STEM leaders, a move that will expand student access and equity in science, technology, engineering and math.

The Mercy College Center for STEM Education will partner with neighboring school districts to offer professional development in STEM subjects to K-8 teachers and library/media/tech specialists. The goal is to provide the resources and tools needed to develop new models and best practices for teaching STEM.

According to the grant, part of the NYS Smart Start initiative, providing younger and diverse students with foundational skills and innovative curriculum will lead to greater access and equity in STEM at higher grade levels, and ultimately better access and representation in STEM fields. To do that, more teachers must learn ways to integrate STEM subjects across the curriculum in meaningful ways.

The Mercy College Center for STEM Education will develop and provide 30 hours of training in STEM curriculum to teacher leaders in the six partner districts. Among the goals are further expansion of STEM education confidence that can be shared with other K-8 educators across the state.

"We are excited for this new project," said Dr. Amanda M. Gunning, co-director of the Center and chair of secondary education at Mercy. "Teachers want to keep learning and growing to provide the best experiences for their students. It is so inspiring to work with them and support STEM education in Westchester.”

For a full report on the K-8 STEM Ambassadors Program, visit .