Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Award Details: Michigan State University (in partnership with Henry Ford Health) received $679,819 in federal funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865) for the period July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2030.

Products and Services: This project grant supports the development, adaptation, and evaluation of the Gikinawaabi Child Wellbeing Curriculum, a culturally grounded early childhood education program designed for tribal communities in Michigan. The curriculum integrates Anishinaabe cultural frameworks, traditional ecological knowledge, and the thirteen moons of the Anishinaabe lunar calendar to promote child health and lifelong wellness through activities including Anishinaabemowin language instruction, traditional food sovereignty education, healthy food preparation and consumption practices, and age-appropriate movement activities. The project, conducted through the nearly 20-year partnership between Michigan State University researchers and the Intertribal Council of Michigan (ITCMI), addresses critical knowledge gaps by developing culturally relevant assessment measures for early childhood contexts and identifying implementation factors that either facilitate or hinder curriculum adoption in tribal early childhood educational settings. Deliverables include adapted measurement tools, empirical evidence regarding curriculum effectiveness on culturally relevant child outcomes, and implementation science findings to support scalability and sustainability of the program across Indigenous communities.