Imagine a class full of 20 or more first-grade students, each learning the same skills, each learning at different levels, each receiving only a minimal amount of personalized instruction. Johnny is far behind his other classmates, reading at a lower level. As the teacher instructs the class, Johnny pays attention, but because he is behind, he does not comprehend all that his teacher says. He needs one-on-one time to help him catch up to his peers. But with only 180 school days in a year, a full curriculum of required teaching material, the teacher’s requirement to meet the needs of the brightest students as well as the students who need more help, and an entire class of students who need the same one-on-one instruction, Johnny will not receive the personal time he needs, maybe only three minutes out of 180 days.
After implementing a software program in second- through fifth-grade classrooms in a New York school in 1989, Dr. Dustin Heuston, founder of Waterford Institute, found that second-grade was too late to teach children to read because their frustration with learning would begin to interfere with their instruction and attitude toward school. He later discovered research from Brigham Young University that clarified the need for serious instruction to begin in the youngest grades: kindergarten and first grade. And other data, yet, showed that children needed to learn before they enter school. This, of course, puts the responsibility to prepare young children to learn on the family.
However, as research shows, children from lower socio-economic status (SES) families don’t receive the language and extra education time as those from higher SES. When they enter school, lower SES children are behind their peers and stay behind throughout their academic years. And even after receiving a vast amount of knowledge throughout the school year, when they go home, their retention is minimal compared to higher SES. They go back to school even more behind than when they left.
Why? It has to do partly with lack of resources and knowledge. Parents from lower SES typically don’t have the same educational background as those from the higher SES. This also means their vocabulary isn’t as dense as those from higher SES; lower SES children are already 32 million words behind their peers upon entering school. And when these children come home for the summer, they don’t go back to a stimulating environment that will help them retain all they have learned throughout the school year.
It comes down this simple fact: not all children receive the same educational preparation as many of their peers and are never able to catch up once they begin formal education. Basically, students need to learn before they enter school in order to be prepared to receive the formal instruction offered, and parents need resources to help prepare their children.
How can we solve this devastating reality?
When he founded Waterford Institute, Dr. Heuston envisioned a source of “work” or help that would allow all children to receive the finest education, be prepared to learn in school, and continue to receive daily, personalized instruction. He discovered that technology provided a “work” that would allow him to provide the same quality education to children in multiple locations or, as he envisioned, to every child, everywhere.
But the most compelling feature of technology is how it can be offered to children. Dr. Heuston explains that technology is the Third Source of education that partners with parents to provide the knowledge and resources that many parents just don’t have. To keep kids from falling behind before they enter school, parents can use the third source to help their children receive pre-reading skills such as ABCs and vocabulary.
An example of this Third Source is UPSTART (Utah Preparing Students for a Rewarding Tomorrow)—a home-based preschool program sponsored by the State of Utah that uses Waterford Institute’s educational software. Through the program, families who qualify participate in a year of in-home preschool in which their young children use the program for just 15 minutes a day, five days a week. The program teaches basic reading, math, and science skills to prepare children to learn in school.
As part of the program, UPSTART was offered to Ibapah, a small, isolated town in Utah that is hard to access. Waterford Institute placed every eligible Ibapah preschooler in the UPSTART program. A teacher, when asked if she thought the children benefited from their participation, said they “absolutely benefit from the program. They come to school with more overall confidence, pre-reading skills, alphabet knowledge, and number knowledge.” In essence, they come to school ready to learn.
Dr. Heuston would say that an important feature of UPSTART is the support it offers to families. To help keep parents and children motivated to continue to use the program, Waterford Institute provides information through materials, training, and an ongoing dialogue with parents and caregivers.
The UPSTART program, of course, is not the end-all solution. But, children need daily, personalized instruction in the home to help prepare them for academic success. Having access to UPSTART’s educational software and learning support center works. Through the program, children receive the personalized, engaging learning that prepares them to learn when they enter kindergarten and, ultimately, prepares them for successful futures.
Interactive whiteboard technology is becoming a more apparent feature in classrooms. They are great for interactive group lessons. And with new software coming out all the time, students can interact with learning in a whole new way.
UPSTART—an in-home preschool program sponsored by the state of Utah—is in its third year, and parents and children continue to enjoy this free program for Utahans who qualify. Because children learn the most when they are young—the most critical time for them to develop important learning skills—Waterford Institute has worked with Utah to help provide a preschool program for children between four- and five-years-old.
