CRECE Seeks Applicants for Paid Research Fellows Programs for Undergrad, Grad Students

Application deadline is May 1 for summer programs, Aug. 15 for academic year programs

March 21, 2023   |   By WCER Communications

The Center for Research on Early Childhood Education (CRECE) is inviting applications from undergraduates and master’s degree students for paid research fellowship programs funded by a generous contribution from Sue and George Krug and the School of Education’s Impact 2030 initiative.

Each program also has opportunities for either a summer fellowship or one that lasts the full academic year. Applications for fellowships that will take place this summer are due May 1, with a deadline of Aug. 15 for the 2023−24 school year programs.

For both programs, the goal is to diversify the research communities that address early childhood education issues. CRECE hopes to do this by providing mentored research experiences to traditionally underrepresented and other minoritized undergraduate and graduate students. Unique among education research centers in its whole-child, ecological approach to research—as well as its multi-tiered approach to stakeholder engagement—CRECE’s work focuses on children ages 0−8 and their families and communities.

Those interested can contact Amy Claessens (claessens@wisc.edu) with questions and/or complete an application here for the undergraduate program or here for the master’s degree program.

Fellows will work with faculty and graduate students on current CRECE research projects. In these fellowships, students will experience:

• Active engagement in a CRECE research project from June 5−July 28 for the summer programs and/or from Aug. 27, 2023−May 3, 2024.
• Mentoring by a faculty member and a graduate student, who for the master’s degree programs will be a PhD student.
• An hourly stipend of $15/hr for the undergraduate program and $27.30/hr in the master’s degree program, both based on an agreed-upon time commitment.
• One research credit per semester.

Applications are to be made online and will be evaluated for their commitment to and interest in early childhood education; their fit with current CRECE research projects and mentors; and their vision for how this experience would benefit their professional development and diversification of the early childhood research community. For the undergraduate program, students should be in their sophomore or junior year.

Applicants who meet one or more of the following criteria will be considered:

• Are from a racial/ethnic minority group: African-American, Latino/Hispanic, Native Alaskan or Native Pacific Islander, Native American, Southeast Asian (Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, or Vietnamese, admitted to the U.S. after 12/31/1975) and biracial/multiracial.
• Are from a low-income household.
• Are first in their family to attend college.
• Have a documented disability.