UPSTART: A Home Based Solution for School Readiness
Abstract: UPSTART is an in-home preschool program that uses Waterford’s software to provide preschool-age children with an individualized reading, math, and science curriculum with a focus on reading instruction. With a research-based early learning curriculum and a unique User Support team, UPSTART forms a partnership with parents to ensure their children obtain the education necessary to start them on the path to success in school. To participate in the program, parents/caregivers must commit that their children will use the program 15 minutes a day, five days a week. To date, at the conclusion of the program year, children who have met the usage requirements have been assessed at the Kindergarten Advanced level, which indicates the children start kindergarten at a level roughly equivalent to the ability level of students nationwide in the last three months of kindergarten. This average is regardless of ethnicity, socio-economic status, and geographic locale.