Through its Utah Small Business Loan Fund and the federal New Markets Tax Credit program, Enhanced Community Development provided financing to Waterford.org, a nonprofit and education technology company that is now making national headlines after expanding its early education program to reach children in 15 states.

Early Education programs have become increasingly unaffordable and inaccessible for low-income families across the United States. Utah-based Waterford.org is bridging the gap through its kindergarten readiness program Waterford UPSTART. This home-based program provides children with interactive, engaging learning tools that prepare them to be ready for their first day of school. As recently reported in the New York Times, it is geared toward lower-income families who have fewer prekindergarten options for their children.

“When your children sit down to use the program, they’re going to learn with games, with songs and puzzles,” Issaco Troyo, Director of National Waterford Upstart Implementations, said in the New York Times. “Activities that are visually appealing and engaging for them, so they’re going to have a good time, but they’re really going to learn all the things that they need to be successful when they get to kindergarten, which is really a win-win.”

Waterford UPSTART provides those lacking technology with a computer and internet service to ensure they’re able to complete the program at no-cost to families. And while traditional schooling options will cost families thousands of dollars, Waterford.org’s program keeps costs in the hundreds, making it a viable option for parents like Rebecca Molina, who otherwise couldn’t afford to send her son to day care or traditional school.

“It was an internal struggle for me,” Molina said, according to the New York Times. “I wanted him to be with kids his age and in that routine. But just financially, it didn’t make sense for us.” Thanks to financing from Enhanced Community Development, Waterford.org has been able to grow and expand its reach with roughly 16,000 children graduating from their Waterford UPSTART program this year. Read more about Waterford.org and its impact in the New York Times.