AUSTIN, TEXAS, March 8, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The recent passage of Texas House Bill 4, High Quality Prekindergarten Grant Program, is driving schools and districts to sign up for Waterford SmartStart, a developmentally appropriate, comprehensive curriculum proven to prepare PreK children for kindergarten.
Waterford SmartStart, by the nonprofit Waterford Institute, is a research-based, comprehensive curriculum designed to help teachers meet the advanced curriculum requirements for a high quality PreK classroom: early reading, math, science, social studies, executive function, creative arts, and health and physical development.
The recent H.B. 4 funding provides schools and districts the opportunity to incorporate SmartStart into their youngest classrooms. Grant applications are available now and must be completed before April 8, 2016.
SmartStart is 100 percent correlated to the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines and can be used as either core or supplemental curriculum. The Waterford program for PreK brings together developmentally appropriate adaptive online curriculum to individualize instruction, lesson plans and teacher-led activities for whole class or group instruction. Family engagement components are also available in English and Spanish and are specifically designed to support all learners and their families – important criteria for school districts to receive H.B. 4 funding.
"Academic gaps begin before a child even starts kindergarten, but that's also the most effective time to close those gaps," said Dr. Benjamin Heuston, Waterford's president and COO. "SmartStart brings Waterford's powerful individualized instruction to the preschool level in a developmentally appropriate way and blends it with research-based center learning to give teachers the support and training they need."
SmartStart's detailed usage, progress and objective reports, for the whole class and individual students help teachers identify weak spots early on, inform instructional grouping and aid lesson planning. The reports are easy to share with parents, which actively involves them in their child's education—a key indicator of long-term academic success.
About Waterford
Waterford Institute is a nonprofit research center that creates personalized, cloud-based instruction through award-winning curriculum, content and reporting for children age PreK to 2nd grade. As a nonprofit, Waterford is uniquely focused on providing accessibility, equity and excellence for our youngest learners to position them for a lifetime of learning and success. For more information, visit waterford.org or call 1-660-885-9395.