UPSTART is unlike any other preschool program in the nation. Funded by the Utah State Legislature, UPSTART gives Utah families an easy–to–use, at–home preschool program that will start their children on the path to success in school.
The Importance of Early Education
Recent research demonstrates that success in school depends on what happens before kindergarten. Simple activities like reading to a preschooler, singing nursery rhymes, and learning the alphabet can set the stage for a lifetime of success.
Parents today often do not have the time or resources to engage in these important activities with their children. Some parents even wonder if they have the know–how to work with their children. The result is many children enter kindergarten unprepared to learn and make the most of their school experience. Some children succeed in spite of these challenges. But far too many fail.
The Challenge
Many state governments have funded universal preschool to give their children the best start possible. But there are challenges associated with universal preschool including cost, the limited number of well–qualified preschool teachers, and concerns about taking children out of the home for formal schooling at an early age.
Waterford Institute’s Solution
In 2009, Waterford Institute was selected to oversee the UPSTART pilot program. More than 3,000 Utah homes have participated in the program during the first two years. Waterford has now been funded for year three of the pilot program. Waterford’s program provides world–class reading, math, and science instruction as well as a program to assess and remediate young children. Waterford’s curriculum has been
- Allowing children to access education from home
- Costing less than traditional preschools
- Providing research–based, proven, complete instruction
- Engaging children with fun activities
- Testing each child’s progress
- Giving families the support needed to succeed
- Fitting into families’ busy schedules
Participating families not only receive Waterford’s proven curriculum, but they also receive extensive support to keep motivated and make the most of this learning opportunity.
Waterford believes that children’s first and most important teachers are their parents and family. UPSTART is designed to give these first teachers the tools to prepare their preschoolers for a lifetime of learning.