Guess what I am doing with Rockwell next year?? Putting him in the UPSTART Program! I can’t wait until he is old enough. I have heard Mothers raving about this program for the last two years!
In case you missed pre-registration, an additional 1,000 spots have been opened for Utah’s computer-based, early reading and school readiness program called UPSTART. It’s completely FREE!
This program is open to children who are entering Kindergarten in the fall of 2016. So if that is your child, hurry over here and get registered asap before those extra 1,000 spots are gone.
The best part about UPSTART is that it works! Most four-year-olds who use it start school at the advanced kindergarten level by using the Waterford Institute’s award-winning adaptive early learning software. Each child is given unique lessons based on their skill level and learning style. So kids can use it on their own and spend only 15 minutes per day getting ready for Kindergarten.
To see if your family qualifies, make sure to fill out the pre-registration information now now! And if you have used UPSTART for your own kids, please comment and let other families know what you thought.
Megan Baker
My son is doing Upstart right now and LOVING IT!! I’m loving it!! He is learning so much and getting ready to start Kindergarten. They are very particular that you do at least 5 days a week for at least 15 minutes a day, some weeks it hard, but worth it!
Kaylene
I LOVE this program! I saw Meleas post last year and signed up my daughter. She has been doing the program since September and I honestly can not even describe the difference it has made! She knows ALL of her letters (capital & lower case) & all of their sounds. She can read most sight words & sound out non-sight words. She just did her Kindergarten assessment and passed it ridiculously fast with flying colors! And her Upstart case reviewer said she is reading on a First Grade reading level!!! I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to make sure your kids are prepared for school!
**Special note: This program is free but you HAVE to do it or they will kick you off. Your child is required to do it 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week even on holidays! I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but it can sometimes be overwhelming for the kids. So just make sure you are committed to it!!
Jessica
My 5 year old is overwhelmed by it, but it’s doable. He does 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week. They want you to push for 20, but that was just asking too much of my little guy. He’s learned a TON though. He’ll be so ready for Kindergarten!
pamela
This is the BEST program. My son did it before kindergarten and was a full year ahead when he started school. It is the best reading/math/science program we have ever seen. And yes, it is free! It’s not a big deal to work on everyday. It uses music and all types of techniques to teach. If your child doesn’t understand something the program teaches them the concept in a different way. If you have a question, the super friendly, smart staff is one phone call away. When my preschooler was in the Upstart program, they allowed his Autistic older brother to use the software also. It helped him tremendously! I can’t say enough about this wonderful program.
Jess
Loved it! You do have to be dedicated, but they’ll call you if your not doing it. I loved the program and the progress my son made.
Angela
My daughter did upstart this year. She has done so well with it, I am amazed. I would definitely recommend it!
amber
My daughter did upstart and she was ready for kindergarten after doing it. She wasn’t way ahead of her classmates from using the program, but she wasn’t behind at all in kindergarten either. My son is doing it this year and he is excited after seeing his sister do it.
Kira
We love upstart! My son is beginning to read and hasn’t started kindergarten yet. I’ve been amazed!
Lauren
Upstart is really great. If you get creative with motivation and establish a routine with the program early on your kids shouldn’t have a problem wanting to do it. Plus, the more they learn the more fun it becomes. My son is using it now and is reading well above average. He is learning sight words and sounding out non-sight words. The math and science concepts are fun for him too. The staff is super helpful as well. They will call you about getting your usage time in and that is motivation for me as a mom to make sure we get it done. I don’t want to field a “why didn’t you do it” phone call.
I also love that I was able to create profiles for my two other children. My oldest has benchmarked in reading but it isn’t something that has come easy to him. We have all had to work really hard to keep him at the level he needs to be at. But he loves to hop on Upstart and play fun reading games and it has really helped him gain confidence in the skills he does have while helping him improve skills he is weak in. The program goes up to a 2nd grade reading level. So pre-schoolers aren’t limited in what they can excel in and older children can benefit from it as well. We started the program last July and my son will most likely graduate from the program this upcoming July. So we get to use it for an entire year and that is AWESOME!
benita
They have a wait list. So they do a qualification process. Currently waitlisted.