UPSTART Kindergarten Readiness

Haverhill Promise is excited to provide access to the Waterford UPSTART program free of cost for Haverhill families. Waterford Upstart is an online early learning program that teaches children the basic skills they need to excel in reading, math, and science—all in as little as 20 minutes a day. Not only does this project promote literacy and school readiness, but it encourages digital literacy for the entire family, increases digital equity, and engages families.

Free devices are provided to all participants who do not already have them, hurdling access barriers. Each family receives live support from an expert learning coach, empowering parents with guidance on supporting their child’s cognitive and social-emotional development. This program empowers families to be engaged in their child’s education through personalized coaching by a designated Family Education Liaison who communicates weekly in their home language.

Fostering families who are engaged in their child’s education is crucial for the future as family engagement is twice as predictive of student success than socio-economic status or race/ethnicity. Basic computer training is provided to the parents prior to the program starting with ongoing technical assistance through their Family Education Liaison. With new and innovative partnerships across the city, Haverhill Promise is utilizing the UPSTART project to connect organizations and stakeholders and align efforts to increase school readiness.

Fall 2023 Year-Long Program (in progress)

The year-long UPSTART program for four-year preschoolers getting ready to enter Kindergarten for the 2024-2025 school year is underway! Details about the graduation ceremony for participating families will be shared towards the end of the school year.

2023 Summer Learning Path (Completed)

Haverhill Promise supported a pilot of the UPSTART Summer Learning Path program for 25 incoming Kindergarteners for the 2023-2024 school year. Through the success of the summer program, we were able to scale up to support even more families throughout the school year.

Interested in participating?

Do you have a child who could benefit from a kindergarten readiness program? Haverhill Promise will be looking for families to join the program for the 2024-2025 school year in a few short months. If you’d like to learn more, email jessica.kallin@haverhill-ps.org.