Online Preschool Intends to Expand Access

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Waterford UPSTART founders say they don't want to replace traditional preschool

Can an online preschool learning program used at home be a viable substitute for traditional pre-K?

That’s the question being addressed by an online preschool service that is gaining users across the country. But the program, Waterford UPSTART, isn’t meant to replace traditional preschool, say its founders; it’s meant to provide a meaningful preschool experience for families who don’t have access to traditional preschool.

“We do not want to replace anything,” says Claudia Miner, executive director of Waterford.org, the Utah-based nonprofit that developed UPSTART. “Our goal is to serve children who do not have access to pre-K programs, and fill in the gaps in K-12 access.”

Waterford UPSTART partners with districts, local and state governments, and other agencies to enroll students and their families in online preschool. The program, which is expected to have 22,000 students by 2020, provides free computers and broadband access to families while they’re participating. Some districts and agencies have let families keep the computers after their children graduate, says Miner.

“In some cases, we’re the first computer in that family’s home,” she says.

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