Researchers are testing a new online program to help Montessori teachers learn more about nutrition and teach healthy eating habits to young children. The 12-week study, called TEACH, will train teachers from about 29 schools across the United States using online lessons, live video classes, and special curriculum materials. The goal is to see if better-trained teachers can help children develop healthier eating habits and improve communication with parents about nutrition. This research matters because teachers spend a lot of time with children and can influence their food choices and attitudes about healthy eating.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Whether a special online nutrition training program can help Montessori teachers improve their own eating habits and teach children about healthy food choices
  • Who participated: Early childhood teachers from approximately 29 Montessori schools across the United States. The schools were randomly divided into two groups—one group received the training right away, while the other group waited and received it later
  • Key finding: This is a study that’s currently being conducted, so final results aren’t available yet. Researchers will measure whether teachers gain nutrition knowledge, feel more confident teaching about food, and change their classroom eating practices after completing the 6-week program
  • What it means for you: If successful, this program could lead to better nutrition education in Montessori schools and help young children develop healthier eating habits early in life. However, results won’t be known until the study is completed

The Research Details

The TEACH study uses a cluster-randomized controlled trial design, which is a strong research method. Instead of randomly assigning individual teachers, entire schools are randomly assigned to either receive the nutrition training immediately or to wait 12 weeks before receiving it. This approach helps researchers see if the program truly works because they can compare schools that received training to schools that didn’t yet receive it.

The intervention itself lasts 6 weeks and includes four main components: an interactive website where teachers can learn at their own pace, live video classes with instructors, special nutrition lessons designed for Montessori classrooms, and handouts for parents to use at home. Teachers will be measured at three different time points—before the program starts, after 6 weeks, and after 12 weeks—to see what changed.

Researchers will look at many different outcomes, including how much nutrition knowledge teachers gained, how confident they feel teaching about food, whether their own eating habits improved, how well they communicate with parents about nutrition, and what food practices they use in their classrooms.

This research approach is important because it tests whether a culturally responsive program (one that respects different backgrounds and beliefs) can actually change teacher behavior in real-world school settings. By studying entire schools rather than individual teachers, researchers can see if the benefits spread throughout a school community. The delayed control group design is particularly strong because it allows researchers to compare schools that received training to schools waiting for training, which helps prove the program itself caused any changes observed.

This study uses validated survey tools, meaning the questionnaires have been tested and proven to accurately measure nutrition knowledge and teaching confidence. The study is being conducted across multiple schools in different parts of the United States, which makes the findings more likely to apply to other schools. The use of statistical analysis methods appropriate for school-level data (multilevel modeling) shows careful research design. However, because this is a program description paper rather than results paper, the actual quality of outcomes cannot yet be assessed.

What the Results Show

This paper describes the study design and methods rather than reporting final results. The TEACH study is still in progress, so researchers have not yet collected and analyzed the data from teachers who participated. The study will measure several primary outcomes when it’s complete: changes in teachers’ nutrition knowledge (how much they learn about healthy eating), their nutrition self-efficacy (how confident they feel about their own eating choices), and their nutrition teaching self-efficacy (how confident they feel teaching children about food).

The study will also examine whether teachers’ classroom eating behaviors change—for example, whether they model healthy eating by eating nutritious foods in front of children. Researchers will look at classroom food practices, such as what snacks are offered and how meals are presented. Additionally, they’ll assess whether teachers’ nutrition teaching practices improve and whether communication between teachers and parents about nutrition gets better.

When the study is completed, researchers will use statistical tests to determine whether any changes observed in the intervention group (schools that received training) are significantly larger than changes in the control group (schools that waited). They will consider a finding statistically significant if there’s less than a 5% chance it happened by random luck.

Beyond the main outcomes, the study will examine cultural competence—whether teachers become better at respecting and incorporating different cultural food traditions and beliefs about nutrition into their teaching. This is important because families from different backgrounds may have different food practices and values. The study will also look at how well the program works for different types of teachers and schools, which could help identify which schools or teachers benefit most from the intervention.

This study builds on existing research showing that teachers influence children’s eating habits and that professional development programs can change teacher behavior. Previous studies have shown that nutrition education for teachers can improve their knowledge, but fewer studies have tested whether this leads to actual changes in classroom practices and parent communication. The TEACH study is unique because it specifically adapts nutrition education for Montessori schools, which have a particular educational philosophy, and because it includes parent education components alongside teacher training.

Because this paper describes the study design rather than results, some limitations aren’t yet clear. However, potential limitations include: the study involves only Montessori schools, so results may not apply to traditional public or private schools; teachers who volunteer for the study may be more interested in nutrition than average teachers; the study measures changes over only 12 weeks, so we won’t know if benefits last longer; and the study relies on teachers’ self-reports of their behaviors, which may not perfectly match what actually happens in classrooms.

The Bottom Line

Once this study is completed and results are published, recommendations will depend on what the data shows. If the TEACH program proves effective, it could be recommended for teacher professional development in Montessori schools. Currently, no recommendations can be made because the study is still ongoing. Teachers interested in improving nutrition education should watch for the study results, expected in 2025-2026.

Montessori teachers and school administrators should care about this research because it could provide them with effective tools for nutrition education. Parents of children in Montessori schools may benefit if teachers become better equipped to teach healthy eating. Public health professionals and education policymakers should follow this research because it addresses the important issue of childhood nutrition and obesity prevention. This research is less directly relevant to people in non-Montessori school settings, though some findings may apply more broadly.

The study itself runs for 12 weeks per participant, with measurements taken at baseline, week 6, and week 12. However, the full study across all 29 schools will take several months to complete. Results should be available by late 2025 or early 2026. If teachers do change their behaviors, some changes (like increased nutrition knowledge) might appear within weeks, while others (like sustained changes in classroom food practices) may take longer to establish.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • If you’re a teacher using a nutrition app, track your daily nutrition knowledge gains by logging one new nutrition fact you learned each day, and rate your confidence in teaching that topic on a scale of 1-10. This mirrors what the TEACH study measures.
  • Use the app to set a weekly goal for modeling healthy eating in your classroom—for example, ‘Eat a fruit or vegetable snack in front of students 3 times this week.’ Log when you complete this goal and note any student reactions or questions about the food you’re eating.
  • Create a monthly check-in where you review your nutrition teaching practices using the app. Track metrics like: number of nutrition lessons taught, parent communications about food sent home, and your own confidence level in nutrition topics. Compare your scores month-to-month to see your progress over the 12-week program period.

This research describes a study that is currently in progress and has not yet reported final results. The findings and recommendations presented here are based on the study design and planned outcomes, not on actual data. This information is for educational purposes only and should not be used to make medical or nutritional decisions. Teachers and school administrators should consult with nutrition experts and their school administration before implementing nutrition programs. Parents should speak with their child’s healthcare provider about nutrition concerns. Once this study is completed, results should be reviewed by qualified professionals before being applied in school settings.