In the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, an at-home solution like Waterford Upstart has proven to be not only effective in educating our youngest learners, but also a necessity for many families, said Claudia Miner, Waterford Upstart executive director and cofounder. Waterford Upstart is an in-home, kindergarten readiness program that gives families the tools they need to become their child's first and most influential teachers, including a computer and internet access at no cost. In the first twelve weeks, the average . For families, private preschool can be as expensive as college, she said. Montana 3. Additionally, families have access to Waterford Mentor through their web browser and as a smartphone app. This state funding means it costs you nothing! He writes the Education Week opinion blog Rick Hess Straight Up.. Waterford Research Institute, LLC ("Waterford" or "we") has developed certain programs, products and technology, as further described and defined below, to provide educational and learning services to educational institutions, entities, educators, parents and guardians and individuals. Internet: Wi-Fi 802.11n/4G Low broadband-connection speeds may limit the total number of concurrent users. Families are also given support through a family coach and tips to continue engaging their children offline. Activities that are visually appealing and engaging for them, so theyre going to have a good time, but theyre really going to learn all the things that they need to be successful when they get to kindergarten, which is really a win-win.. Here are the states that have already established universal preschool programs or policies. Rick: You recently partnered with Mississippi to help address gaps in preschool education caused by the pandemic. Rick: How do you measure the efficacy of your offerings, and what does it mean for a child to successfully complete the program? 2023 Editorial Projects in Education, Inc. Resources Instead, we seek to improve access to early-childhood education, particularly where access to transportation hinders access; where families choose not to send young children to site-based preschool; where English is not the primary household language; where children need an additional cognitive boost; where children are wait listed for site-based programs; or where children and their families face the technology gap because they have never had access to a computer. Waterford Upstart helps four-year-old children prepare for school at home and at no cost. Early Education programs have become increasingly unaffordable and inaccessible for low-income families across the United States. Waterford Upstart FAQ To learn more about Waterford Upstart, check out our FAQ here. Overall, the Waterford UPSTART in-home, adaptive curriculum helps prepare students for kindergarten, and is designed to be used 15-minutes a day, 5 days a week. SANDY, Utah The Waterford.org family is honoring the life of founder Dr. Dustin Hull Heuston, who died peacefully in his home June 19. More than 150,000 children have used Waterford Upstart across the country Families spend 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week on early literacy skills with their children Upstart grads achieve 2-3x the learning gains compared to their peers A Recognized and Trusted Program Featured In Educational Certifications Get Started! Families who dont have a computer are provided with one, and, if needed, families are provided with internet access for the duration of the program as well. Copyright 2022 Waterford.org. Waterford.org is a national early education nonprofit with a mission to achieve universal literacy through access, equity, and parent empowerment. About 16,000 children in 15 states graduated from the program this year, and the Waterford expects to expand the program to a projected 22,000 students by 2020. Waterford Upstart helps four-year-old children prepare for school at home and at no cost. Rick: What does the program cost for families? Waterford empowers parents as a childs first teacher and supports teachers in taking the right actions at the right time for their students. In addition to the resource library, eligible families get: a year-long guided learning path with interactive and personalized activities that use songs, stories, and characters to make learning fun and memorable, a laptop and internet access (where applicable). . Rick: Waterford Upstart promises to provide mentorship for the students parents, beyond just teaching the students. Address: 4246 Riverboat Rd, Taylorsville, UT 84123. I recommend it to everyone., "Waterford Upstart has taught all of our kids to read. Currently, Waterford.org serves over 300,000 children across 43 states every year. Copyright 2022 Waterford.org. Oklahoma is one of a handful of states offering universal pre-K. This home-based program provides children with interactive, engaging learning tools that prepare them to be . As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Completing a final assessment of the Waterford Upstart program. The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. Sign up for the latest information on our programs, resources, and more. working to help all children be successful in school. LaTasha: Waterford Upstart builds and expands community-based partnerships with groups like Excel by Five, school districts, Head Start, and other nonprofits to scale our program and provide early-childhood preparation at the state level. Over 81-percent of children are from low-income families (below 185 percent of the federal poverty level.) Technical Requirements Waterford Early Learning is available for download on iPad and requires iOS 8 or above with 1GB+ RAM. A score of 80 or higher within the Waterford Early Reading Program represents mastery, which is the goal of the cognitively based Waterford Upstart program. With Waterford Upstart, Montana families dont have to worry about the learning loss associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Sign up for the latest information on our programs, resources, and more. Not a Single State Meets the Bar, How One School's Mentorship Program Paid Off Big in Academic Gains, An Investment in Early-Childhood Education Is Paying Off Big, Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff, Big Goals, Small Start: Building MTSS to Scale, How Culturally Responsive Leadership Leads to Student Success, Which States Offer Universal Pre-K? The results of the first year of the Waterford Upstart pilot are exceptional. We empower parents as a childs first teacher, and we support teachers in taking the right actions at the right time for their students. School Nutrition Program. Waterford Upstart is an in-home, kindergarten readiness program that provides positive parent-child interactions while delivering personalized, online instruction 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Time4Learning. Jose, 4, immediately ran up to the front and asked if he could get his computer, prompting laughter. ", "This was exactly what our family needed for a jump start to kindergarten. But when its not an option for the child, I refuse to ignore that child.. A randomized controlled trial conducted by the Utah state board of education found that Waterford Upstart was successful helping children develop key early-literacy skills, and we have a second trial underway as we speak. Additionally, 83.5% of students taking part in Waterford Upstarts Early Math and Science program had an overall math and science score of 80 or higher. The educational institution, entity, educator . Call 888-982-9898 or email registration@waterford.org. Children develop foundational reading and social-emotional skills, and families are empowered to become their childs first and most influential teachers. Its not like folks are bending over backward to bring in resources for these kids, she said. Even though more families are turning to remote learning this year, the pandemic has also limited Waterford's ability to recruit in person. 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For parents like Toni Butler, a single mother of four in Rushville, Ind., who could not afford $164 a week to pay for preschool, Waterford Upstart has been a revelation. Waterford.org is a 501(c)(3)organization, and gifts aretax deductible as allowed by law. Step 1: Create your account using the form aboveyoull get immediate access to thousands of online early learning activities from our resource library.Step 2: Submit an application to enroll your child in a free Waterford Upstart program. universal prekindergarten prominently on their agendas, think critically about rapid advances in artificial intelligence, children experienced learning deficits during the Covid-19 pandemic, when students change their name, pronouns or gender expression at school, grants from the federal Department of Education. Step 2: Submit an application to enroll your child in the program. Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more. Also, the software itself conducts ongoing assessment, then adapts and reinforces lessons to ensure a childs mastery of each skill encountered. And, obviously, families should also be teaching kids how to be safe when they go back into an in-person environment, especially since some of these kids wont realize they cant hug their friends just yet. Mr. Cardenas was referring to a kindergarten readiness program for 4-year-olds that takes place almost entirely online. EMAIL OR CALL US AT 888-982-9898 | registration@waterford.org Trust, Pension, Disability, Retirement, or Social Security income Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Expansion Grant, Fisher Cats and education nonprofit team up to help New Hampshire children read, dream, Early Education Available for Ohio 4-Year-Olds, 52 Creative Writing Prompts for Kids to Let Their Imagination Fly. All rights reserved. For example, in Utah, where were funded by the state, there is no income restriction on participation. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Please note a filed tax return is required for verification. Call 888-982-9898 or email registration@waterford.org. More than 150,000 children have used Waterford Upstart across the country, Families spend 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week on early literacy skills with their children, Upstart grads achieve 23x the learning gains compared to their peers. Called Waterford Upstart and run by a nonprofit group, Waterford.org, it has children spend 15 minutes a day, five days a week over the course of nine months, tapping through lessons on a computer. Our Waterford.org software is accessible to students and educators using either our downloadable mobile application, Waterford Reading Academy, on supported mobile devices listed below, or in the desktop browser experience in accordance with the supported minimum requirements listed below. Like hospitals that have doctors consulting through teleconferencing and elder-care facilities that offer nursing via avatar, online preschools are cheaper than traditional schooling. Since its inception in Utah in 2009, Waterford Upstart has grown to serve over 90,000 children across 28 states. Follow along for learning tips and resources! It is geared to lower-income families who have fewer prekindergarten options. Waterford Upstart is an online early learning program that teaches children the basic skills they need to excel in reading, math, and scienceall in as little as 15 minutes a day. A prekindergarten student plays with the class guinea pig at Positive Tomorrows in Oklahoma City, Okla., in 2021. For more information about this years program, please contact our Wisconsin Partnerships Manager, Margo Robertson, at: margorobertson@waterford.org, For more information about this years program, please contact our VP of Government Relations, Beth Plewa, at: bethplewa@waterford.org. But many families still fall in between, earning too much to qualify for public programs while not being able to afford private ones, or living too far from the nearest school. I spoke with Dr. LaTasha Hadley, Waterford Upstarts vice president of state partnerships, about the program and its work, especially in the face of the challenges posed by COVID-19. Children in the program can learn nursery rhymes and letter sounds at home, with just a computer. Waterford.org is an education nonprofit working to help all children succeed in school. 2) Meets the minimum debt to income requirement that total monthly debt payments listed on each of the consumer's credit report(s) not including rent or mortgage must not exceed (i) 45% if the applicant resides in Connecticut, Maryland, New York or Vermont, and (ii) 50% in all other states, of projected pre-tax income except that such Stuart Adams, a Republican state senator in Utah, said the program was a way to serve rural children and religious communities where parents believe young children should be educated at home. Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair. Families are given the tools they need to be their child's first and most influential teachers, including a computer and internet at no cost. In the first 26 weeks of this years program, the average overall reading score was 83.94. The entire Waterford Upstart summer program, including educational songs, activities, and curriculum, will be provided online, with additional virtual coaching and support for parents. When your children sit down to use the program, theyre going to learn with games, with songs and puzzles, he told the audience. Mississippis pilot, funded by the Governors Emergency Education Relief, is just one example of that. Then, parents and guardians complete training on how to help their child be successful with Waterford Upstart, and children take a short preprogram assessment. _________________________________________ PRAISE FOR WATERFORD EARLY LEARNING "Waterford is the best program I have ever seen for reaching all of our students." Dr. View a list of downloadable Skills Taught sheets. Waterford Upstart System Requirements. About 50 have signed up so far; the goal for the county is a pilot of 200 families. View the system requirements for using Waterford Reading Academy. Waterford Upstart says the quality of its videos is higher than most YouTube content for youngsters, and an independent study from 2014 found that children who had completed the reading program outperformed those who hadnt used it. . Summer Learning Path is an award-winning online PreK learning program thats free for children to use the summer before kindergarten. Waterford develops educational tools that guide students along adaptive, individualized learning paths toward fluent reading and lifelong learning. At this time, mobile support is not available for Waterford Upstart. Waterford Upstart is a proven, at-home learning program that helps prepare your child to start kindergarten with confidence. SANDY, Utah The Waterford.org family is honoring the life of founder Dr. Dustin Hull Heuston, who died peacefully in his home June 19. Claudia Miner, Waterfords executive director, said Utah had been trying to provide a cost-effective early-education option and turned to tech as a solution. They include: Waterford UPSTART. Families are given the tools they need to be their childs first and most influential teachers, including a computer and internet at no cost. Additionally, 85% of students taking part in Waterford Upstarts Early Math and Science program had an overall math and science score of 80 or higher. The Early Childhood Education Program provides coordinated resources, strategies, and initiatives to support at-risk students and foster collaboration among the different programs while working within state and federal regulations. Early results show those Montana children already using Waterford Upstart are seeing success. This is a huge achievement for our youngest learners, said Kirsten Baesler, North Dakota State Superintendent. Hear families share how Waterford Upstart made all the difference for their children. Step 2: Submit an application to enroll your child in a free Waterford Upstart program. I wanted him to be with kids his age and in that routine. Families are also given support through a family coach as well as tips to continue engaging their children offline. Waterford UPSTART is an in-home kindergarten readiness program that will give your child a successful start in reading or math and science in just 15-20 minutes a day, 5 days a week. (Columbus, OH) Nov. 8, 2021 With preschool. Sign up for the latest information on our programs, resources, and more. Your state leadership and generous philanthropic supporters also want to invest in your childs future, so they have funded Waterford Upstarts summer programs. Ms. Molina and others at the event said their children were tablet kids, often left during the day with relatives and a tablet stocked with youth-oriented content. (Bismarck, ND) March 23, 2021 For the third year, North Dakota families can prepare their children for kindergarten at home, at no cost. Education policy maven Rick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute think tank offers straight talk on matters of policy, politics, research, and reform. Spaces are limitedregister before November 1, 2022to secure your childs spot! The State of North Dakota provides automatic translation for nd.gov websites, courtesy of Google Translate. Copyright 2019North Dakota Department of Public Instruction- 600 East Boulevard Ave Dept 201| Bismarck, ND 58505-0440 | (701) 328-2260, Approved Assessment List for Early Entry to Kindergarten. In 2022, Waterford Upstart served approximately 45,000 children through state and district funding, a Federal Education, Innovation and Research (EIR) Grant, and philanthropically funded programs, up from 16,000 children three years ago. But the arrival of the digital preschool alternative raises questions about education quality and what exactly preschool is meant to teach. Your donation supports programs and services like Waterford Upstart, which helps early learners develop the basic skills they need to excel in reading, math, and scienceall at no cost to families. Note: Enrollment for summer is now closed, but new programs open regularly. The software itself presents a wide range of multimedia-based activities in an adaptive sequence tailored to each students individual placement and their individual rate of growth. A private program that closed a decade ago was unaffordable for many of the 6,500 residents of Fowler, a predominantly Latino community of agricultural workers in Californias Central Valley. Head Start, a federal program created in 1965 to assist children from low-income families has also seen gains in the children it serves, but the program has always been under attack by policymakers who resented paying for the program. LaTasha: We definitely recognize that parents and guardians are their childs first teacher and support families every step of the way. Waterford Upstart is not intended to replace any early-childhood education or effort already in place. Waterford.org is a 501(c)(3)organization, and gifts aretax deductible as allowed by law. It indicates, "Click to perform a search". Rick: How does signing up for Waterford Upstart work? In the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, an at-home solution like Waterford Upstart has proven to be not only effective in educating our youngest learners, but also a necessity for many families, said Claudia Miner, Waterford Upstart executive director and cofounder. We love how the program adapts to his knowledge level and repeats as necessary. It is not a program for children of the rich. Dr. Ohio children now have an option to prepare for kindergarten at home at no cost to families. Waterford UPSTART has been validated by eight years of rigorous external evaluations in Utah, and a third-party randomized-controlled trial (RCT) shows strong evidence of effectiveness. It's More Complicated Than You Might Think, Support for Universal Pre-K Grows as More States Jump on Board, As Head Start Quality Push Continues, Advocates Raise Red Flag on Equity.