"The Upstart Great Plains TASK Force: Taking All to Success in Kindergarten" was a five-year Education, Innovation and Research (EIR) expansion grant (U411A180001) funded through the US Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. Four research studies were conducted during the grant period of 2018 to 2023: a Student Impact Study, a Program Implementation Study, a Program Scale-Up Study and a Program Cost Effectiveness Study. The Student Impact Study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the Upstart school readiness program on pre-kindergarteners' emerging literacy and social-emotional skills using an RCT research design. Results revealed significantly higher group mean scores on measures of early literacy following the pre-kindergarten program year for the treatment condition compared to the control condition. The Program Implementation Study was conducted to determine if key program activities were achieved during the grant as planned. The Scale-Up Study assessed the overall plan to expand and develop funding, partnerships and resources required to continue Upstart's mission and serve a broader population after the grant was over. The Program Cost Effectiveness Study was conducted to calculate average costs-per-student for standardized effect sizes across multiple early literacy domains.