This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
If you have younger children who will be attending kindergarten in 2014 or 2015, now's the time to get on the waiting list for a free online preschool program called Upstart. Preschoolers enrolled in the program work on reading and other skills on a computer for 15 minutes a day, five days a week, in the year leading up to kindergarten. The curriculum is tailored to each participating child based on testing before they begin.
Demand is (very!) high for this program, which helps prepare children for kindergarten. (This is not an income-based program, it's for all Utah families, regardless of income.) I've posted information about this program periodically over the past two years and have received a number of e-mails from readers whose children have participated. Many say their children were reading well before they entered kindergarten and had above-average skiills in math and science thanks to Upstart. Go HERE for more information or to pre-register your children. You're not obligated to have your child participate if you pre-register, but at least you may be able to get one of the limited spots in the program.