SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Waterford Institute announced today that it has invested in a six-month pilot program partnering with three preschool centers in South Carolina. Last week, 70 preschoolers began using UPSTART, Waterford’s in-home school readiness program, at home. The pilot will run through August, at which time the children’s learning outcomes will be assessed.
The three South Carolina preschool centers with students participating in the in-home UPSTART pilot are Thornwell Home for Children, Brookland Academy Child Development Center and Daniel Island Academy. Participants who have signed up include rural families and English language learners.
Pilot outcomes will be evaluated through participant usage data, parent and center satisfaction, assessment scores using Waterford Assessments of Core Skills, anecdotal feedback on children’s learning levels and other program outcomes from the three partners.
UPSTART is an in-home, technology-delivered program that includes over 7,000 engaging educational activities in reading, math and science. Participants use UPSTART for 15 minutes per day, five days per week. The adaptive program teaches essential early literacy skills at the pace and level of each individual child to prepare children for kindergarten.
“Waterford is providing the software and training for parents, along with program support for each family with a child enrolled in UPSTART,” said Claudia Miner, UPSTART director. “We will also provide Chromebooks and Internet to families that do not have them.”
UPSTART will help the children develop early reading skills and alleviate any academic gaps through the individualized learning curriculum, as well as the technology gap for many pre-K aged children who haven’t had access to computers.
“That growth would mean our children are even more prepared in literacy skills for success in kindergarten, and that’s exciting for all of us,” said Jennifer McConnell, director, Brookland Academy Childhood Development Center.
“The value of early learning programs has been proven again and again, and we are excited to provide this option to help our children achieve outstanding school preparedness,” said Norman Dover, education director, Thornwell Home for Children.
“Parents frequently ask what they can do at home to help their children get ready to begin school,” said Kerry Nowosielski director, Daniel Island Academy. “UPSTART is a great answer to that question because parents provide the motivation for the child to use the program regularly.”
While Waterford’s curriculum and software programs are currently used in thousands of schools and center-based preschools in 43 U.S. states, this pilot represents the first implementation of the in-home UPSTART program outside of Utah.
“Evaluations of the Utah pilot have shown that UPSTART closes early learning gaps and that all children regardless of their socio-economic background show significant gains in critical pre-K skills,” said Benjamin Heuston, Waterford president and COO.
In addition to validating UPSTART results in a different area of the country, the pilot helps fulfill Waterford’s nonprofit mission to provide accessibility, equity and excellence for the youngest learners. “Our goal is to position them for a lifetime of learning and success,” said Miner.
About Waterford
Waterford Institute is a nonprofit research center that creates personalized cloud-based instruction through award-winning curriculum, content and assessment for children aged pre-K through grade 2. As a nonprofit, Waterford is uniquely focused on providing accessibility, equity and excellence for our youngest learners to position them for a lifetime of learning and success. For more information, visit www.waterford.org or call 801-349-2200.
