By John McCann
The Daniels Fund is providing philanthropic funds to improve early education options in Colorado. The foundation is partnering with a nonprofit organization with a program it believes can fill gaps in early learning and help children enter kindergarten prepared to learn.
“Waterford Upstart helps children build confidence and a strong educational foundation that will set them up for success in school,” Daniels Fund President & CEO Hanna Skandera said. “This grant supports our goal of ensuring kindergarten readiness for all students by providing parents with the essential tools they need to become the best first teachers for their children and help them reach early developmental milestones.”
Next fall, Colorado will begin offering free preschool to all families. However, there will remain families lacking access due to barriers such as transportation or work schedules. That’s why the Daniels Fund partnered with early education nonprofit Waterford.org to provide the Waterford Upstart program to 200 children across the state.
After a Waterford Upstart implementation in Colorado during the summer of 2021, participating children on average entered kindergarten with the skills of students halfway through that grade level. Results also showed that children from less-affluent families had more academic gains and outperformed their more-affluent peers, and Spanish-speaking children had greater gains than English-speaking students.
“There are barriers to accessing quality early education in Colorado. We want to help fill those gaps with this at-home solution that gets kids walking into their first day of school ready to learn,” Waterford.org national spokesperson Kim Fischer said.
Waterford Upstart is a research-based and third-party validated early education program that benefits unserved and underserved families. Caregivers are provided with tools that empower them to become the first and most influential teachers of their children right at home. Those tools include a computer that families get to keep at the end of the program. If a household needs internet access, then Waterford provides that.
This pilot program takes the at-home learning a step further by not only requiring 30 minutes of personalized online lessons in reading, math and science five days per week but also daily offline activities. Families will receive a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) kit for offline projects; phone calls and teaching tips from a coach; and they’re required to take part in daily reading, plus physical activity several times a week. All of that is designed to fit the particular schedule of each family.
“In total, caregivers will spend 10 hours of instructional time with their children every week. We make it easy by providing assistance, explaining what caregivers can do to boost the learning they get online. We are aligned with Colorado leaders who believe in family engagement. That is a pillar of our organization and a needed component for a child’s future success,” Fischer said.
On average, 92% of the children who participate in Waterford Upstart are ready for kindergarten. Without Waterford Upstart, that number drops to a 65% average nationwide and dips further to 48% for children who qualify for free and reduced-priced meals at school.
There are roughly 2.2 million 4-year-olds across the United States with no access to publicly funded early education, and more than half of those children are from communities with no early education options at all.
“Children who begin school on par with their peers don’t have to play catch-up, so they tend to have better outcomes,” Fischer said.
The limited Waterford Upstart slots are allotted on a first-come, first-served basis when caregivers apply by November 1.
About Waterford.org
Waterford.org is an early education nonprofit with a mission to achieve universal literacy for children through equity, access and family empowerment.
About the Daniels Fund
The Daniels Fund, established by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels, is a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through its grants program, scholarship program, and ethics initiative. Visit DanielsFund.org to learn more.
John McCann is public relations manager for Waterford.