But opponents say it’s the responsibility of parents, not the government, to prepare children for school. Advocates say the lack of state-funded preschool is holding children back. The price tag of private preschool education is out of reach for some families. states that don’t have publicly funded preschool. More than 15,000 children participated last year. UPSTART (Utah Preparing Students Today for a Rewarding Tomorrow) is a publicly-funded program that started in 2009 in Utah and has since expanded to other states. ![]() The exception may be children who are learning to speak English, she said, who are in preschool but use UPSTART as well to improve their language skills and get their parents involved in their education. “Our first goal is children who don’t have another preschool,” Miller said. ![]() UPSTART mostly targets children who don’t have access to any kindergarten preparation. The program offers an online curriculum with free lessons, digital books and animated songs. There’s no cost to participating families. The program is for 4-and-5-year-olds the year before they go into kindergarten. It’s not called preschool, she added, because “we don’t do the same things preschool does.” UPSTART is “technology-delivered in-home kindergarten readiness,” said Claudia Miner, chief UPSTART officer for the Waterford Institute. Offerings will be up and running by this fall. Waterford is using grant money to start UPSTART pilot programs in five largely rural states: Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota. ![]() The nonprofit Waterford Institute - which runs the Waterford UPSTART program - received a $14.2 million, five-year Education Innovation and Research grant in October 2018 from the U.S. Thanks to a federal grant, a free online kindergarten readiness program will be offered this fall to 4 and 5-year-olds in rural areas across Idaho.
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