Organization To Offer Free At-Home Pre-K Program To 400 Kids

HARTFORD, CT — This summer 400 children will get free access to an at-home program designed to help them prepare for kindergarten in the fall. The Waterford Upstart Summer Learning Path is being provided by Waterford.org, a national nonprofit with a mission to achieve universal literacy through equity, access, and parent empowerment.

“We understand that many families in Connecticut don’t have an early learning option, an issue compounded by the pandemic,” Waterford national spokesperson Kim Fischer said in a statement. “With the help of Waterford Upstart, these incoming kindergarteners will show up ready to learn on the very first day of school. That makes classroom life easier for teachers, while moms and dads can feel good knowing their kids are where they need to be academically.”

Waterford Upstart Summer Learning Path provides children a personalized program that they will use learning to read 20 minutes a day, five days a week from June to August. There is an optional math and science component, as well. By the time they enter kindergarten in the fall, average Waterford Upstart graduates will be reading at a nearly first-grade level, according to a statement from the organization.

Parents and caregivers will receive the tools they need to get involved in their child’s learning. Those tools include a laptop computer and internet service if needed. A Waterford coach will call regularly to provide guidance that facilitates academic instruction in reading.

Families may sign up for push notifications to both keep track of what their children are learning and receive tips for academic engagement away from the computer. Generous philanthropic dollars make it possible for Waterford to offer the entire program at no cost to families.

The Summer Learning Path was created at the start of the pandemic to provide an academic boost for children who were removed from their classrooms. It has proven so successful that the nonprofit is offering the program for a third year. In 2021, nearly 80% of the children in a Louisiana cohort of Waterford Upstart Summer Learning Path were positioned to enter kindergarten comprehending what they read at a first-grade level.

“We just want kiddos reading and learning with confidence,” Fischer said in a statement.

Families who believe their children could benefit from Waterford Upstart Summer Learning Path can enroll today by going to WaterfordUpstart.org or calling 1-888-982-9898.