Kindergarten readiness program launches in Nashua

“We are excited to expand whenever we have the opportunity because we know we are reaching families who might not have another option,” said Kim Fischer, national spokesperson for Waterford Upstart.

One of the major goals of the program is to develop school readiness for children most at-risk of school failure because of poverty, language barriers and social inequity.

“We started off serving rural children in lower socioeconomic families,” said Fischer, explaining Waterford Upstart has since grown with a mission to one day serve every child in Utah.

Nashua’s Waterford Upstart program is being funded by a preschool development grant awarded to the United Way of Greater Nashua through the New Hampshire Department of Education.

Free computers will be provided to all participants and Internet access is also available, if necessary. A personalized literacy curriculum designed to take about 15 minutes per day, five days a week is offered, along with optional math and science activities, according to a release.

The program also provides weekly coaching to help parents set up academic success for their pre-kindergarteners, explained Fischer.

“Many parents think this is too good to be true, asking ‘What is the catch?’” she said, stressing the need to prepare every child for kindergarten.

Robert Cioppa, director of student services and English Language Learners for the Nashua School District, said the program will benefit low-income, refugee, immigrant and ELL families with diverse language backgrounds, while also providing translation services for families.

“This is an excellent opportunity for our young ELL students to enter kindergarten with a solid educational foundation,” Cioppa said in a statement. “It is wonderful to have something so beneficial to students who don’t always have access to programming that will have such a positive impact on their future education.”

There are about 1,350 ELL students in the Nashua School District, with about 100 additional students who are being monitored.

The new program will also help Nashua kids reach kindergarten with the essential basics they need to succeed, according to Liz Fitzgerald, director of community impact for the United Way of Greater Nashua.

“Waterford Upstart is a nationally-recognized program endorsed by the New Hampshire Department of Education and a preferred provider for the New Hampshire Preschool Development Grant. We are calling on all community members to help us identify 4-year-olds who will benefit the most from this program,” Fitzgerald said in a release.

The program is open to children in Nashua, Milford, Hudson, Amherst, Brookline, Hollis, Litchfield, Lyndeborough, Mason, Merrimack, Mont Vernon, Pelham and Wilton.

For information on the program or to register, visit www.waterfordupstart.org. Eligible children must have a birth date between Aug. 1, 2015 and Sept. 30, 2016 with the intention of attending kindergarten in fall of 2021. Registration deadline is Oct. 30.

nashuanews@unionleader.com