Washington County School District Presents How It Closed the Early Achievement Gap at the National Title I Conference

SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Four-year-olds are just too young to already be failing school. That's why teachers and administrators at Utah's Washington County School District decided they were going to close learning gaps before kindergarten even started.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131107/LA12431LOGO)

At the National Title I Conference this week in San Diego, district representatives will present a breakout session on how Washington County closed its early education gap by opening 12 Title I preschools. The session titled, "Early Intervention: Closing the Academic Gap Before Kindergarten," will be held on Sunday, Feb. 2 from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. in Room 10 at the San Diego Convention Center.

Research showed low-income children were entering kindergarten in Washington County School District already behind their peers. District representatives Brittany Nelson, Kathleen Petersen, and Bonnie VanAusdal will share how, in just a three-year period, their district grew its number of Title I preschools from two to 12 and used early learning curriculum, including computer-based programs like Waterford Early Reading, to close that achievement gap before kindergarten.

"Washington County School District is an excellent example of why closing the academic gap before kindergarten is fundamental to the short- and long-term success of a child's education," said Dr. Benjamin Heuston, president of Waterford Institute, a nonprofit research center that develops personalized early education curriculum and programs. "We're proud that through our reading program we've been able to work with WCSD to help academically assist over 600 lower-income pre-K students."

Waterford Institute will also be at the Title 1 conference demonstrating the latest update to its cloud-based early learning reading, math and science programs at booth #116. Conference attendees who visit the booth can sign up for a free 30-day trial of Waterford Early Learning reading, math and science – the same program Washington County School District has been successfully using.

For more information about Waterford Institute and its products and services, visit www.waterford.org.

About Waterford
Waterford Institute is a nonprofit research center that creates personalized cloud-based instruction through award-winning curriculum, content and assessment for children aged Pre-K to 3rd 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 www.waterford.org or call 801-349-2200.

SOURCE Waterford Institute