UPSTART continues to help preschoolers build strong early literacy skills that last into kindergarten and first grade. In 2018–19, 87% of children graduated, and those who met usage goals showed stronger outcomes. Maintaining consistent participation is especially important for supporting at‑risk families, who are more likely to miss usage requirements.
ESSA Tier: Tier 2
Indiana Upstart Evaluation
UPSTART continues to strengthen preschoolers’ early literacy without hindering social development. Children using the program had statistically significant positive effects compared to control children on measures of early literacy. Increased program usage was associated with significantly higher literacy outcome scores, making consistent participation especially important for the most at‑risk families.
Impact of the UPSTART Program on Forestalling Summer Learning Loss
The UPSTART Summer program helped rural rising first graders avoid summer reading loss, especially in letter naming and phonics. Results suggest UPSTART is most effective for these foundational early reading skills and can help prepare young students for entry into first grade.
“Impact of the UPSTART Program on Forestalling Summer Learning Loss “
The UPSTART Summer program helped rural rising first graders avoid summer reading loss, especially in letter naming and phonics. Results suggest UPSTART is most effective for these foundational early reading skills and can help prepare young students for entry into first grade.
HQSR-E Program Evaluation 2018-2019
UPSTART children scored higher in key literacy skills than matched peers, and those benefits continued into kindergarten and first grade. When compared to students who attended public and private PreK, only UPSTART students had significantly positive literacy results at kindergarten entry. UPSTART’s individualized design drives its strong results.
Utah Preparing Students Today for a Rewarding Tomorrow (UPSTART) Report
UPSTART’s benefits last beyond preschool. First‑grade students who participated in UPSTART during PreK scored higher on DIBELS than peers, and results were even stronger for children who also participated in EISP during kindergarten. Results show small but meaningful sustained impacts, with the strongest outcomes when children received both individualized programs.
Utah Upstart Year 6 Results
Students who used Waterford UPSTART’s home-based preschool model had significantly higher literacy scores than control peers who did not use the program. In its sixth year, enrollment grew, and participants outperformed a matched control group in decoding, phonological awareness, and letter knowledge.
Utah Upstart Year 7 Results
UPSTART students who used the program as recommended had better reading outcomes than matched students who didn’t use the program. Cohort 7 families engaged steadily, and graduates averaged high program use. Overall results continue to show that consistent participation supports early literacy success.
Utah Upstart Year 8 Results
UPSTART continues to help preschoolers build strong early literacy skills that carry into kindergarten and first grade. Cohort 8 saw higher graduation rates even with major enrollment growth, and students who met usage goals showed stronger outcomes. Consistent participation remains key to supporting the most at‑risk learners’ success.
Utah High-Quality School Readiness Expansion Program Evaluation 2017-2018
Most preschoolers across three high-quality preschool implementation modes entered kindergarten with solid early literacy, but UPSTART children showed stronger reading skills than similar peers. Public and private programs showed no significant literacy or math advantages; social-emotional development was similar across groups.