Waterford UPSTART launched in Utah in 2009, serving roughly 1,600 children. They are now enrolling 19,400 children for the 2019-2020 year and running pilot programs in more than 15 states.
Waterford UPSTART helps four-year-old children start school ready to learn by developing cognitive and social-emotional skills at home, at no cost to families. This approach fuels parental involvement and empowers them to become their child’s first and most influential educator. The children use adaptive software just 15 minutes a day, five days a week and families get a personal coach to help them every step of the way. Computers and internet access are also provided at no cost. And on average, 92% of children who participate in Waterford UPSTART are ready for kindergarten—compared to a 65% average nationwide and 48% for low-income children.
What is The Audacious Project?
The Audacious Project was launched in April 2018 with a mission to foster "collaborative philanthropy for bold ideas." It surfaces and funds critical projects with the potential to create global change. By removing barriers associated with funding, The Audacious Project empowers social entrepreneurs to dream boldly and take on the world’s biggest and most urgent challenges. The 2019 projects include: Center for Policing Equity, Educate Girls, Institute for Protein Design at the UW School of Medicine, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, the END Fund, The Nature Conservancy, Thorn, and Waterford UPSTART.
Waterford UPSTART is registering Utah four-year-olds right now! For more information or to register, go to WaterfordUPSTART.org
Early education is critical to children's success -- but millions of kids in the United States still don't have access to programs that prepare them to thrive in kindergarten and beyond. Enter the UPSTART Project, a plan to bring early learning into the homes of children in underserved communities, at no cost to families. Education innovator Claudia Miner shares how UPSTART is setting four-year-olds up for success with 15 minutes of learning a day -- and how you can help. (This ambitious plan is a part of the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.)
https://www.ted.com/talks/claudia_miner_a_new_way_to_get_every_child_ready_for_kindergarten
1. We were recognized by the TED Organization as an Audacious Project (press release attached... my executive director's talk goes live the morning of our interview) Here's the link if you want to share go.ted.com/claudiaminer
2. We were just featured on the front page of the Sunday edition of the New York Times last weekend: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/07/technology/preschool-online-waterford-upstart.html
3. We are forming partnerships with organizations across the state that work directly with the most vulnerable populations (press release of our work with The Road Home and South Valley Services attached) We have even more of these partnerships in the works right now.
4. The Utah state legislature gave us more funding, so we are trying to enroll 19,400 kids for this upcoming fall right now!
To sign up visit: