A few months ago my mother-in-law, Nina, told me about a lady she met at the swap meet. She was promoting an online pre-K program that was being offered in Las Vegas for the first time called Waterford UPSTART. She said it was a free online Pre-K program geared for four year olds to prepare them for Kindergarten, and that they would even provide a laptop to use. She thought it would be perfect for London because she recently turned four.
I googled Waterford UPSTART and saw that Las Vegas News had covered it as well, so I was happy to see that it was a reputable program. I registered London online through their website to see if she would be eligible, which she was, but unfortunately the program was full at that time. A week or so later I received an email saying that a few spots were made available and that they were excited to have London be a part of the program.
The next step was for me to attend an online parent orientation through a Zoom video conference. This was to let the parents know how the program worked and how our children could get the most out of it. The Waterford UPSTART program was divided into two curriculums, and London would be assigned to either the reading or math and science curriculum. Students were encouraged to use the online program for 15-20 minutes a day, five days a week. We would be assigned a Family Education Liaison whose role would be to monitor London’s usage each week, track her progress and scores. They would also provide ongoing support, motivational tips and suggestions. There would even be a local graduation event at the end of the school year. At the end of the call, the presenter let us know that they would be shipping out the laptop and if London successfully completed the program she got to keep the laptop as an incentive. That was really a nice surprise and totally unexpected!
London unboxing her Chromebook from Waterford Upstart on Christmas Day
The laptop arrived on Christmas Eve and I wrapped it for London to open on Christmas. She was so excited! We set it up the following week and London was officially in homeschool! She loved her new online Pre-K program and we decided to increase her usage to the full 20 minutes a day. We are very happy that London is part of the Waterford UPSTART math and science curriculum and we look forward to see how much she will learn in these next few months.
Have you heard of Waterford UPSTART? Are you looking for educational options for your child who will be entering Kindergarten? Did your child attend a Pre-K program either in person or online? I’d love to hear about your experiences.
To see if the Waterford UPSTART program is available in your area and to register for eligibility, go to https://www.waterford.org/upstart/register/ or call 1-888-982-9898.
Live EMpowered,
Marlene
