Bridging Gaps: UPSTART Program for School Readiness

1. Benjamin Heuston Early Childhood Institute June 29, 2017

2. Arne Duncan

3. ECE Is Important! • This is not a new idea, but it does signal more focus and in many cases more funding • Lots of areas need help – health, housing, workforce, and of course education • Lots of categories are struggling: DLL, SPED, Low-SES / IGP, Minority, Refugee, Homeless, Migrant, etc. • So it’s not surprising that there are a lot of providers

4. So Why a New Program? • Things are not going well in literacy • By 4th grade, NAEP ranks only 1/3 of our children as successful readers and this doesn’t improve over time • Teachers have told us that not enough children are coming to school adequately prepared and it’s getting worse • Surprisingly, most parents seem to value education and having their children ready for school is a priority • UPSTART was crafted to fill in this school readiness gap

5. Online Preschool? • UPSTART is not a preschool • Not helpful when legislators get confused on this point • We have much narrower goals and do not provide the wealth of services that site-based provides • Policy-wise we believe these are apples and oranges and should not be seen as being in competition

6. Goals • UPSTART was designed by the Utah state legislature to get children school ready • Emphasis on literacy as the cornerstone with math and science optional • Site-based PK was not an option both for funding and geographical reasons

7. UPSTART In Utah • The UPSTART program is defined as the year before kindergarten (mostly 4yos) • Partner with and provide training and support for the parents throughout the program • At the heart of UPSTART is personalized software that children use 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week • Computers and internet are provided for those in need

8. Finding Parents • This is the ultimate local control program – after all, in the end it’s a parent’s choice • Even with funding, you still have to get out there and find the participants, which means you have to get the word out • It also means going where the families and approaching them in a culturally sensitive and appropriate way • For the most vulnerable populations, we have to find and partner with gatekeepers and local leaders

9. Advisory Board • The first thing we did was to set up an Advisory Board • We made sure to put some of our harshest critics on it • Adopted a very open, data-centric stance and asked them for input and guidance • Over time, through their own experiences, they became believers and eventually ambassadors of the program

10. Partnerships • Head Start is an example of a great partner for us • Already established in most communities and is working with populations that we’re concerned about • They are a gatekeeper because they are synonymous with early education in the minds of many parents (many of whom themselves benefitted from Head Start as children) • The most natural form of partnership is through servicing of their waitlists

11. Growing and Establishing UPSTART • The legislature (and our detractors) insisted on there being an outside evaluator • This was a huge blessing in disguise • We have enjoyed working with and benefiting from the insights this evaluator brings every year to the process • It has also given us the opportunity to objectively view the results of our efforts and to be able to share them with interested stakeholders and potential partners

12. UPSTART Weekly Usage

13. Independent Evaluator Literacy Results

14. The Parent Perspective • The evaluator was able to comment on children’s growth but we also wanted to hear from parents • We began dialoguing with them at the graduations from the program (exit interviews) • In addition we commissioned a 3rd party to do a survey • Finally we got unsolicited letters from parents and children

15. What Parents Are Saying 10,000+ 99% 99% Parents and caregivers voluntarily completed program evaluations Felt UPSTART helped prepare their child for kindergarten Said participating in UPSTART was beneficial 99% 98% 98% Would recommend the program to family and friends Felt the content was appropriate for their child’s age Felt that their child enjoyed the software

16. Sharing the Data • Once we had data, we made sure that we shared it aggressively with our Advisory Board, with potential partners and with the Legislature • The Legislature was willing to listen to and respond to the data by sequentially growing the program • We worked hard to ensure that there was always a deep waitlist • We also worked as a non-profit to get the cost of the program down to be able to serve more children • The state of Utah last year reciprocated by issuing its own report

18. The National Picture • Our data caught the federal eye and in 2013 we received an $11.5MM i3 grant for an RCT to test this as a solution for the rurals • We had pilots in Idaho, South Carolina, and Indiana • Last year a funder saw the state and federal data and has funded new pilots in Philadelphia, Appalachia (Ohio), and Mississippi • We believe this program can help augment any state or district that has children it is struggling to reach through more traditional site-based approaches

19. Recap • We saw a local need and worked from the beginning with the Legislature to start a pilot • By reaching out to the community and forming an Advisory Board we were able to get the word out • Data is invaluable to help your cause and recruit partners • Local growth and success naturally led to an expanded conversation about how this could play nationally • Partnerships have been and always will be central to our success

20. “Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.“ — Doctrine & Covenants 64:33