Waterford.org
Waterford.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides adaptive PreK-2nd grade reading, math, and science software through three programs: Waterford Upstart (no-cost at-home program for families), Waterford Early Learning (supplemental curriculum for schools and districts), and Professional Learning services for educators.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1976
- HeadquartersTaylorsville, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Waterford.org does
Waterford.org is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit education organization founded in 1976 and headquartered in Taylorsville, Utah, with an additional research and development office in Timisoara, Romania. The organization provides PreK through 2nd grade adaptive learning software in reading, math, and science, organized around three core programs: Waterford Upstart (a no-cost, at-home school-readiness program with coaching for families, funded by state governments and private sponsors); Waterford Early Learning (an evidence-based supplemental curriculum sold to schools and districts covering six literacy strands plus math and science, with bilingual English/Spanish content); and Waterford Professional Learning (customized professional development delivered virtually, onsite, or in hybrid form). The technology stack is a cloud-based adaptive learning platform with personalized instruction paths, supported by the Waterford Assessment of Core Skills (WACS) benchmarking tool, the Waterford Mentor/Family web and mobile companion apps (including MyBackpack), Classroom Advantage playlists, and a Waterford Manager administrative console. The platform is hosted on servers in the USA and Asia and is ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified, with WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility conformance supported by Level Access.
The organization operates a hybrid go-to-market model combining direct-to-family enrollment for Upstart (with eligibility determined by state and regional sponsorship) and enterprise field sales to K-2 schools and districts for Early Learning and Professional Learning. Named customers and partners include state departments of education in South Carolina, North Dakota, and Oklahoma (the latter supporting SB 1778 Strong Readers Act implementation), the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity, and districts such as Peoria Public Schools and Alpine School District. Revenue is a blend of school/district subscriptions (annual cadence, pricing not publicly disclosed), professional services fees, and donations/grants from foundations including Valhalla Foundation, Blue Meridian (The Studio), TED's The Audacious Project, and NewSchools Venture Fund. Recent strategic activity has emphasized geographic expansion across at least nine U.S. states, executive team buildout (new CTO in March 2026 plus three VP-level hires in late 2025), and continued product development, including a scheduled May 2026 software update focused on math instruction and educator visibility.
Waterford.org firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Waterford.org
- Legal name
- Waterford Research Institute, LLC
- Website
- https://waterford.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1976
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Waterford.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides adaptive PreK-2nd grade reading, math, and science software through three programs: Waterford Upstart (no-cost at-home program for families), Waterford Early Learning (supplemental curriculum for schools and districts), and Professional Learning services for educators.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Waterford.org industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Early Childhood Education Software
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Foundational Literacy & Early Reading Apps (EDACANAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Early Literacy & Pre-Reading Learning Tools (EDAFAOAO), Institutional & Program Analytics (Enrollment, Retention, Outcomes) (EDAFAFAK), Family Literacy & Early Language Development Programs (EDACALAE)
Keywords
Where Waterford.org is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Taylorsville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Waterford.org business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Donations and Sponsorships: Waterford.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Revenue comes from donations and funding from sponsors including state governments, private donors, and foundations. Waterford Upstart is offered at no cost to eligible families with all costs covered by sponsors.
- School/District Subscriptions: Waterford Early Learning is sold to schools and districts as a supplemental curriculum program. Districts and schools subscribe to access the software for their students.
- Professional Learning Services: Waterford Professional Learning equips educators and families with knowledge, skills, and resources to support early literacy and math development. Delivered virtually, onsite, or through hybrid model.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Multi-year contract | Waterford Upstart - Free for eligible families |
| Subscription | Annual | Waterford Early Learning - School/District subscription |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Waterford.org product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Waterford.org is a nonprofit education organization that develops and delivers adaptive early-learning software for children in PreK through 2nd grade, covering reading, math, and science. Its core offerings include the at-home Waterford Upstart program for families, the Waterford Early Learning program for schools and districts, and Waterford Professional Learning for educators.
Product overview
Waterford.org is a national education nonprofit offering a comprehensive PreK-2nd grade early learning software platform. The portfolio centers on three main programs: Waterford Upstart (a no-cost at-home school readiness option), Waterford Early Learning (an evidence-based supplemental curriculum for schools and districts), and Waterford Professional Learning (educator and family professional development services). Supporting these core offerings are specialized tools including SmartStart (kindergarten readiness sequence), Waterford Assessment of Core Skills (WACS) for benchmark testing, Waterford Mentor/Waterford Family platform for parent engagement, Classroom Advantage for classroom management, and the MyBackpack mobile app. The platform delivers adaptive, personalized instruction in reading, math, and science through explicit, engaging content combining digital activities, teacher resources, and family engagement components.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Waterford Upstart: An effective early learning program that provides tailored lessons in reading, math, and science for children from PreK-2nd grade, designed for learning at home, school, or community early childhood care provider sites.
- Waterford Early Learning
- Waterford Reading Academy
- Waterford Professional Learning
- SmartStart
- Classroom Advantage
- Curriculet
- MyBackpack
- Mentor / Waterford Family
Products and services
- Waterford Upstart At-home kindergarten readiness program for families with 4-6 year old children, providing adaptive reading, math, and science instruction delivered through the Waterford platform. Designed for parents/guardians seeking preK learning support for their child.
- Waterford Early Learning School and district early learning software program providing PreK through 2nd grade reading, math, and science instruction for use in classrooms. Sold to K-12 districts, particularly Title I-eligible schools.
- Waterford Professional Learning Professional learning service for PreK-2 teachers and instructional leaders to build educator capacity in early literacy, math, and science instruction aligned with Waterford's curriculum.
Quantifiable outcome
- Children see the most growth from the program when they use it at least 15 minutes a day, five days a week
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Waterford.org
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Waterford.org technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability5 records
Feature5 records
Waterford.org partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and regional.
- MABUcoreWaterford.org partnered with MABU to develop The Legendary Family Learning Guide: Building Literacy Skills, the first title in North Dakota's Be Legendary Books series. Funded by Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant.
- Level AccesscoreLevel Access provides digital accessibility platform and expertise to help Waterford achieve and sustain conformance to WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standards. They completed VPATs for Waterford's web and tablet applications covering Waterford Early Learning and Waterford Upstart.
- TED / The Audacious ProjectflagshipWaterford.org was featured as part of The Audacious Project, a collaborative funding initiative for transformative social impact projects focused on early learning.
- North Dakota Department of Public InstructioncoreStatewide partnership expanding no-cost early education program access across North Dakota. Waterford Upstart operates in partnership with the Department of Public Instruction and Department of Health and Human Services.
- South Carolina Department of EducationcoreCreated family engagement program in partnership with South Carolina Department of Education, providing support team for families preparing children for school.
- Oklahoma Department of EducationcoreWaterford supports Oklahoma SB 1778 Strong Readers Act implementation, providing district leader guides and resources for literacy instruction.
- Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (Utah)regionalWaterford UPSTART in Utah is backed by the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity, designed to support literacy development and give every child a strong start.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Waterford.org competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Imagine Learning: Provides supplemental PreK–12 literacy, math, and language learning software to schools and districts. Direct competitor to Waterford Early Learning in the supplemental early-literacy category with overlapping adaptive instruction.
- Curriculum Associates (iReady): iReady Diagnostic and Instruction provides adaptive reading and math for K–12. Competes head-to-head with Waterford Early Learning for school district literacy budgets.
- Heggerty: Provides phonemic awareness and early literacy curricula widely adopted in K–2 classrooms. Competes with Waterford's phonological awareness strand and is often evaluated in the same district procurement.
- ABCmouse (Age of Learning): Direct-to-consumer and school early-learning subscription covering PreK–2 reading, math, and science. Direct competitor to Waterford Upstart in the family/consumer early-learning category.
- Lexia Learning (Cambium Learning Group): Offers adaptive literacy instruction (Lexia Core5) for PreK–5 students. Closely comparable to Waterford's adaptive reading instruction for early grades, sold to districts and schools.
- Reading Eggs (Blake eLearning): Early reading and literacy platform for ages 2–13, sold to both families and schools. Comparable to Waterford Upstart in the home/consumer early-literacy segment.
- Teaching Strategies: Provides early childhood curriculum and assessment (Creative Curriculum, GOLD). Competes for PreK district and early-childhood-provider budgets, particularly in family-engagement and readiness programs.
Broad incumbents
- Renaissance Learning: Long-established K–12 reading practice and assessment provider (Accelerated Reader, Star Assessments). Adjacent competitor in early-literacy assessment where Waterford's WACS also plays.
- Amplify: Large K–12 curriculum and assessment provider with adaptive literacy tools (e.g., mCLASS). Competes in the early-literacy assessment and supplemental curriculum space but with a much broader K–12 portfolio.
Emerging players
- Footsteps2Brilliance: Early literacy and language app for PreK–3, sold to districts and families. Comparable to Waterford Upstart/Early Learning for at-home and classroom early literacy, though smaller scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Waterford.org social profiles
Digital presenceWaterford.org compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Waterford.org financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Waterford.org leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Waterford.org funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Waterford.org M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Waterford.org
What does Waterford.org do?
Waterford.org is a nonprofit education organization that develops and delivers adaptive early-learning software for children in PreK through 2nd grade, covering reading, math, and science. Its core offerings include the at-home Waterford Upstart program for families, the Waterford Early Learning program for schools and districts, and Waterford Professional Learning for educators.
Is Waterford.org a public or private company?
Waterford.org is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Waterford.org founded?
Waterford.org was founded in 1976. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Waterford.org based?
Waterford.org is headquartered in Taylorsville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Waterford.org make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Sponsorships are the primary driver. The others are school/District Subscriptions and professional Learning Services.
Who are Waterford.org's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Imagine Learning, Curriculum Associates (iReady), Heggerty, ABCmouse (Age of Learning), Lexia Learning (Cambium Learning Group), Reading Eggs (Blake eLearning) and Teaching Strategies. Broad incumbents are Renaissance Learning and Amplify. Footsteps2Brilliance is listed as an emerging player.
Does Waterford.org have an API?
No public API is recorded for Waterford.org.
What industry is Waterford.org in?
Waterford.org's product category is Early Childhood Education Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDACANAA, Foundational Literacy & Early Reading Apps, with a secondary code of EDAFAOAO, Early Literacy & Pre-Reading Learning Tools. Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.