About

It all started in 2001...

when Nancy Yeager's family established the Foundation in Estes Park, Colorado, following her way-too-early death, to honor her lifelong love of teaching and strong personal and professional commitment to early childhood development.

She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Education from Muskingum College and was first an elementary school teacher in Ohio and in Texas, and then later became a teacher/director of Fairmont Preschool in Kettering, Ohio.

Grants have been made by the Foundation to nonprofit and government organizations delivering or supporting early childhood development programs in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.

The largest single effort has involved one-week summer residencies for preschool through fifth grade teachers sponsored by the Nancy M. and Douglas M. Yeager Family Foundation in cooperation with the GilChrist Retreat Center of the Fetzer Institute in southwestern Michigan.  222 individual residencies for teachers from 18 states and the District of Columbia have been completed in the program.  Go to the "Participant Feedback" page for a sample of individual comments on their experiences.  The residencies in 2020 were cancelled because of concerns surrounding the coronavirus.  A Mini-Retreat for Teachers was also cancelled. However, eight enhanced solo teacher retreats were offered in 2021.

In 2022, 10 self-guided one-week residencies, five self-guided four-night residencies, and five solo retreats for preschool through fifth grade teachers were sponsored.

THIS SUMMER’S RESIDENCIES, to be held during the week of July 6-13, 2023, ARE NOW CLOSED FOR APPLICATIONS. The Fetzer Institute will co-sponsor the program. Teachers selected for residencies have been notified. To learn more, visit Fetzer’s site: Teacher Residencies (Preschool through 5th Grade) | The Fetzer Institute