When Viven Van Leeuwen first learned about UPSTART, a free in-home preschool program for families in Utah, she did not know that it would change her and her children’s lives for the better. Not only did the UPSTART program prepare her two sons for kindergarten, it also played a major role in helping her younger son overcome a speech impediment.
Van Leeuwen said, “I had people telling me that even a couple months ago they had no idea if he was even saying ‘hi’ to them and now they could understand him reading a long sentence.” He soon developed the ability to use consonants and grow his communication skills. In fact, by age four, he tested out of regular speech therapy, and tested out completely when he was five.
As for Van Leeuwen’s oldest son, he was able to enter kindergarten with the ability to read, add, and subtract after using the UPSTART program every day of the week for nearly a year. Today, his reading ability is above average. For instance, he is able to read chapter books, while most of his peers are still only able to read short books and picture books.
Vivien Van Leeuwen’s story demonstrates just how well the UPSTART program benefits children with different instructional needs and capabilities. “I would most definitely recommend the UPSTART program to everyone who has young children,” she has said. “It’s been such an incredible program to use, and it’s been so great to watch our kids grow through using it.” Recently, legislators approved a five-year extension for UPSTART and even expanded the program’s funding to allow for 5,000 children annually—more than three times UPSTART’s previous annual headcount. The additional funding and extension starts late summer to kick off the 2014-15 preschool year.
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