Waterford.org

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.

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

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

• Early childhood education
• Adaptive learning software
• K-2 literacy programs
• PreK reading curriculum
• Education nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Taylorsville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core 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

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and regional.

• MABUcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 October 2025Waterford.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 AccesscoreTechnology or IntegrationLevel 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 ProjectflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerWaterford.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 InstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide 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 EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreated family engagement program in partnership with South Carolina Department of Education, providing support team for families preparing children for school.
• Oklahoma Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWaterford supports Oklahoma SB 1778 Strong Readers Act implementation, providing district leader guides and resources for literacy instruction.
• Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (Utah)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerWaterford 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

Direct 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

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/WaterfordInst
• Facebookfacebook.com/waterfordorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waterfordorg
• Instagraminstagram.com/waterfordupstart
• Xx.com/waterfordorg

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Waterford.org