In one of the most rural states in the nation, many families live too far from quality PreK programs to access them. Starting in 2019, North Dakota partnered with Waterford to bring early learning directly into homes through Waterford Upstart, reaching nearly 5,500 PreK children across all 100 counties over five years.
Case Study- North Dakota 2019-presentA longitudinal study tracking the first cohort through 3rd grade found that students who used Waterford in PreK scored significantly higher on state ELA assessments than peers who did not. The gains were strongest in foundational reading skills, the skills most predictive of long-term academic success.