SALT LAKE CITY–A recent report released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows that nearly 60% of Utah’s children, almost 57,000 kids are not attending preschool. The 2024 KIDS COUNT Data Book looks at child well-being in Utah. It indicates that significant barriers exist for parents to provide early education for their children. 

To eliminate some of these challenges, the state has funded Waterford Upstart, an early learning program families can do at home with their 4-year-old children at no cost.

“We understand the difficulties families face in accessing early education,” said Dr. Matt Hill, CEO at Waterford.org. “This program is designed to be flexible and accessible, helping children prepare for school even if traditional preschool isn’t an option.”

Children spend 15 minutes a day of adaptive reading lessons five days a week, he said. “They have the option to spend another 15 minutes on science and math. We’ve found that with 15 minutes a day five days a week the results have been fantastic.”

Hill said 50 independent evaluations have come back showing high results. “Coaches give advice to parents on other skills their children can do outside of school to provide the interaction they would have if they were in a traditional preschool.”

If families don't have access to a computer or internet they can provide that, he said. “There are books and library learning resources parents can download as well.”

Coaches work with children in the program and their parents to answer questions and provide any help needed, said Hill. “Our coaches are former educators.”

The instruction happens through the software, he said. “It looks at the gaps in learning and provides resources such as tips on learning vowel sounds, etc. and fundamental skills.”

Research shows students who were behind in learning caught up with their peers on grade level after the program, Hill said. “Not everyone can go in person to preschool. There is a big need. Upstart is trying to fill that gap.”

“My son just finished the program,” said Madeleine Mann. “He’ll start kindergarten in a couple of weeks.”

Mann said she heard about Upstart from friends who had done it. “A lot of them missed out on preschool because of the pandemic. They had a positive experience.”

Mann’s son has been in preschool but he would do Upstart when he got home. “He has the basic reading skills so that he’ll be ready to learn to read as he starts kindergarten.”

It hasn’t been hard to get him to do the program, she said. “He gets limited screen time so being on the computer is fun for him. He’s self-sufficient so he knows when he gets home to start it then move on. It’s only 15 minutes so it’s not hard for him. He’d usually be working at the kitchen counter so if he needed help I’d be there but he mostly did it on his own.”

Mann also has a 1-year-old. “When she gets to that age I’ll enroll her as well. I recommend it to all of my friends. It’s great.”

“We encourage families to reach out,” Hill said. “It’s a great tool for families at no cost to get their child ready for school.”

For more information about the program contact Kim Fischer at 801-831-0828 or [email protected].