The Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010 (Senate Bill 1381 and related implementation details in Senate Bill 30) has enacted a historic reform to help ensure that California children are better prepared to succeed in kindergarten and beyond.
The legislation changes the requirements for kindergarten entry from five years old by December 2 to five years old by September 1, so that all children enter kindergarten at age five. The new law amends the state Education Code relating to kindergarten to create "transitional kindergarten," the first year of a two-year kindergarten experience for students born between September and December. This gives four-year-olds with fall birthdays an additional year of preparation before entering kindergarten.
The transitional kindergarten program will be phased in over three years and be fully implemented by 2014.
- In 2012-13, children who have their fifth birthday between November 2 and December 2 will be admitted to a transitional kindergarten program maintained by the local school district.
- In 2013-14, children who have their fifth birthday between October 2 and December 2 will be admitted to the transitional kindergarten program.
- In 2014-15 and each school year thereafter, children who have their fifth birthday between September 2 and December 2 will be admitted to the transitional kindergarten program.
The Sonoma County Office of Education is supporting local schools in implementing the Kindergarten Readiness Act. A Transitional Kindergarten Network has been formed to bring together K-12 school administrators, teachers, and early childhood educators. The goal is to encourage collaboration and promote the development of high-quality transitional kindergarten programs.
Resources related to this effort, including some developed by SCOE for local use, are accessible via this website.
News & Announcements
Transitional Kindergarten Trailer Bill
Here is the budget trailer language (pdf) for the Governor’s proposed budget for 2012-13. Basically, this language maintains the new cut-off dates (Nov 1 in 2012-13, Oct 1 in 2013-14, and Sept 1 in 2013-14 and each year thereafter) and reverts the rest of the law back to how it was prior to the passage of the Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010 (SB 1381). This makes Transitional Kindergarten a local option rather than a mandate.
To ensure that districts would receive full funding to serve children with fall birthdays in a two-year kindergarten program using the continuance form process (this is what districts with two-year programs did prior to the TK legislation), a change is also made to the early admissions section [48000(b)] to allow children turning five after the cut-off to be admitted “at the beginning of the school year.”
Governor’s proposed elimination of TK funding
On January 13, SCOE provided districts with the following documents to assist them in preparing for kindergarten registration in light of the Governor’s budget proposal, which eliminates TK funding:
- SCOE memo with clarifications on the status of TK programs/funding (pdf)
- January 2012 issue of Policy News from CSBA, which discusses TK options (pdf)
- Informational paragraph from SCOE, in English and Spanish, to help explain changes to parents (doc)
CDE’s Transitional Kindergarten FAQ
The Transitional Kindergarten FAQ on the CDE website has been updated to respond to recent questions regarding program implementation.
Transitional Kindergarten Handbook
The Transitional Kindergarten Handbook (pdf) was developed by SCOE to support the successful development of transitional kindergarten programs in Sonoma County. It covers policy and implementation issues, communications, standards, curricula, staffing, class configuration options, and more.
Transitional Kindergarten Planning Guide from CCSESA
The California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA) has just released a new Transitional Kindergarten Planning Guide (pdf) that reviews program structure and design, curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
Transitional Kindergarten Network Meetings
At the Transitional Kindergarten Network meeting held October 4, the California Preschool Instructional Network staff provided a training on the California Preschool Learning Foundations, Curriculum Framework, and English Learners Resource Guide. See the presentation slides (pdf) from this training.
Professional Development Opportunities, 2011-12
This brochure (pdf) lists the SCOE-sponsored professional development opportunities scheduled for the current school year. These sessions are designed to help districts prepare for Transitional Kindergarten implementation if fall 2012.
SCOE Bulletin: Transitional Kindergarten
The Sept/Oct 2011 issue of the SCOE Bulletin (pdf) highlights Transitional Kindergarten and the formation of the Sonoma County TK Network. Two local programs, KinderSKOR in Windsor and Kinderprep in Healdsburg, are profiled.
Brochure and FAQ available in English and Spanish
English | Transitional Kindergarten Parent Brochure (pdf)
English | Transitional Kindergarten Parent Brochure – Customizable (doc)
English | Transitional Kindergarten FAQ (pdf)
Spanish | Transitional Kindergarten Parent Brochure (pdf)
Spanish | Transitional Kindergarten Parent Brochure – Customizable (doc)
Spanish | Transitional Kindergarten FAQ (pdf)
Clarification: Enrolling kindergarten-age children
in transitional kindergarten programs
Following up on a question raised at the April 3 Transitional Kindergarten Network meeting, SCOE has obtained clarification about whether children who are age-eligible for kindergarten can attend transitional kindergarten. Mary Murray Autry from CDE advises that, although the transitional kindergarten program is designed for children with birthdays between September 1 and December 2, it is a local decision whether or not to enroll kindergarten-age children in the program. She suggests that local Board Policies be developed addressing this issue.
Contacts
- Nancy Brownell, Assistant Superintendent
(707) 524-2786, - Carol Simmons, Coordinator, Child Care Planning Council
(707) 524-2792,
