In-home preschool option combines technology, early learning

SALT LAKE CITY — As lawmakers discuss preschool options and school technology aids this session, one program that already combines the two is more than halfway through its trial.

UPSTART, an in-home pilot program geared toward 4-year-olds, was created by the Legislature in 2009. It hinges on software developed by Salt Lake City's Waterford Institute and focuses on literacy and math, helping to lay foundations for learning before kids enter school.

"We're going to have to go young and we're going to have to get them in the family," said Dusty Heuston founder of the Waterford Institute.

The Legislature has funded other early learning programs like optional extended-day kindergarten, where students attend school for more than the standard half-day. But UPSTART is different in that all the learning takes place at home.

Participants and their families commit to using the interactive software for 15 minutes a day, five days a week and the children take two assessments during the year to track progress. Children repeat words, order words into sentences, trace numbers on the computer screen with their finger and even read aloud. Animated characters guide the study, sometimes including songs and music.

All told, UPSTART has reached more than 3,000 homes since it began.

Claudia Miner, vice president for development at the institute, said UPSTART can level the playing field for early education in the state. While most preschools are privately run and charge tuition, UPSTART is state-funded. What's more, it's geared toward low-income families, so if a family can't afford a computer to run the software, the state will loan them one.

"The children in downtown Salt Lake and the children in Moab or Blanding are getting the exact same program," Miner said.

That's important in a state with ever-changing demographics, where many students enter school far behind as they have never been read to or held a book. Research shows that if students aren't able to read by third grade, the gap between them and their peers widens every year after.

But the program also comes with a pricetag. UPSTART has received more than $8 million since its inception, according to the State Office of Education.