Waterford Upstart is available to South Dakota families for free thanks to federal grant
(Pierre, SD) March 23, 2021 — For the second year, South Dakota families can prepare their children for kindergarten at home, at no cost. The United States Department of Education awarded the nonprofit organization Waterford.org an Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Expansion Grant with a goal of finding solutions to rural educational challenges in five western states through the Waterford Upstart program.
“This is a unique opportunity. Parents will be able to get their children ready for kindergarten at home using the Waterford Upstart program,” said Rob Monson, Executive Director of School Administrators of South Dakota. “When parents are given the tools and knowledge to support their children, everyone wins. Every parent is empowered as their child’s first teacher right in the home.”
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. The program provides positive parent-child interactions while delivering personalized, online instruction 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Families are also given support through a family coach and tips to continue engaging their children offline. On average, 92% of children who participate in Waterford Upstart are ready for kindergarten—compared to a 65% average nationwide and 48% for under-resourced children.
Early results show those South Dakota children who already use Waterford Upstart are seeing success. Through the first 26 weeks of the 2020–2021 pilot program, the average overall reading score for students was 83.25. 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. Additionally, 89.5% of students taking part in Waterford Upstart’s Early Math and Science program had an overall math and science score of 80 or higher.
“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. “With Waterford Upstart, South Dakota families don’t have to worry about the learning loss associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. They can feel confident their children will walk into their first day of kindergarten prepared and ready to learn.”
Families who have children heading into kindergarten in 2022 can apply by going to www.waterfordupstart.org. Spots are limited.
About Waterford.org
Waterford.org is an education nonprofit with a mission to achieve universal literacy for children through equity, access, and parent empowerment. Waterford develops educational tools that guide students along adaptive, individualized learning paths toward fluent reading and lifelong learning. Waterford empowers parents as a child’s first teacher and supports teachers in taking the right actions at the right time for their students. Currently, Waterford.org serves over 300,000 children across 43 states every year. Waterford.org is a BBB Accredited Charity with programs supported by a variety of governmental and philanthropic organizations, including support from a federal EIR grant, The Studio @ Blue Meridian, and TED’s Audacious Project.
About Waterford Upstart
Waterford Upstart helps four-year-old children prepare for school at home and at no cost. Children develop foundational reading and social-emotional skills, and families are empowered to become their child’s first and most influential teachers. The children use adaptive software just 15 minutes a day, five days a week in the year before they start school. Waterford Upstart also fuels family involvement in their child’s early education through family coaches and fun educational activities parents can complete with their children offline. Waterford Upstart has been rigorously tested and proven, earning the program a federal EIR grant and the title of a TED Audacious project. Independent research shows the average Waterford Upstart graduate enters kindergarten reading at nearly a first-grade level and maintains those gains through the fourth grade.
