California tk hits a cornerstone: all 4-year-olds are already eligible

From Carolyn JonesCalmness

This story was originally published by CalmattersS Register about their ballots.

Beat the pastels and finger paint: every 4-year-old in California is already entitled to a transition kindergarten.

Fifteen years after a handful of schools discovered the first TK classrooms, California already has the largest – and the fastest growing – Early education program in the country. At least 200,000 young people will attend TK this fall, enjoying low ratios between teachers and students, an age-appropriate curriculum and a lot of music, art and circle.

“This is really something to celebrate,” says Carolyn Crlot, director of Range Edge California policy, a advocacy group. “Now there is no doubt who is eligible and who does not. All are eligible.”

TK is intended to be a bridge between pre-school and kindergarten, preparing 4-year-old children for the routine and the expectations of elementary school, while improving his social skills and self-esteem. In TK, children learn how to make friends, write their names and make basic mathematics. Most of all, they must fall in love with learning.

Holding frogs and counting rose

This was the case at Silverwood Elementary in Concord last week, as a dozen light-eyed 4-year-old children wore around her teacher Elizabeth Swanson, as she carefully held a tree frog for them.

Several were given a chance to hold the obedient, turquoise amphibians.

“How does the frog feel? What are you wondering about the frog?” Sanson said, who was recently named Mt. Teacher of the Year. Diablo Unified. “How does he use your hands? How do you use your hands?”

But the tree frog – one of several creatures in her classroom – was not the most popular attraction that afternoon. This honor belonged to the Homemade Live Station, the corner of the classroom dedicated to costumes, doll houses, mini kitchen and everything else that an imaginary young man will have to play a house.

Last year, an entrepreneurial group of students, inspired by the opening of Dutch Bros, used the home life station to open their own cafe. They ordered latte and made coffee and raised money. Swanson made him a math lesson, asking them to count the rose and decide how much they need to get into each glass of hot chocolate.

“One child will be the barista and one will be the client, so he learned how to share and alternate,” Sanson said. “They get so much practice with social language and communication. And everything was integrated into a game.”

The meaning of fun

Judy Krause, CEO of early childhood programs at Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, said that this should be the TK classroom. The focus should be on experimentation and practical activities based on students’ interests. TK, she said, is not a kindergarten version; 4-year-olds have unique development needs. The main one, she said, is to have fun.

If children enjoy themselves, they will learn naturally, she said. If they feel too pressed or bored, they will lose interest and miss the valuable skills they will need for kindergarten and outside.

“This is a really big deal that we have this opportunity for all 4-year-old children,” Krause said. “But we have to make sure we do it right.”

15 years of presentation of tk

California Introduced TK in 2010And a decade later began to expand it in all areas. This year is the culmination of these efforts, with all 4-year-old children already eligible and 91% of the areas offering the program. The only areas that are released are those that do not receive money through the state financing formula, as they receive more money through local ownership taxes.

Like kindergarten, TK is optional. But many areas, including Mt. Diablo Unified, have observed a strong interest from families. A Recent report The California Public Policy Institute predicts that about 70% of the 4-year-olds will enroll in TK this fall, with some areas in some areas. Until now, black, Latin American and indigenous students have been slightly insufficiently presented, although those not enrolled may be enrolled in other programs. The state does not track this data.

Almost everyone agrees that TK is a good idea. The children who have visited TK tend to cope better in reading and mathematics, and those with disabilities can be identified early and receive services, research showsS

TK, which is free, can be financial grace for families. Due to the high costs of living in California, the cost of childcare and pre-school care is among the highest in the country, with families paying up to $ 20,000 a year, more than the cost of state training at the University of California.

Governor Gavin Newsom has long supported TK, leaving aside more than $ 2.7 billion over the years when the state had a budget surplus. The money is to help school districts pay teachers, maintain class size and provide other services to new students. Current funds will come from the formula for financing local control of the country.

“California is making a great commitment to make a transition kindergarten free and accessible to all 4-year-old children,” Newsom says in a 2023 videoS “When we are over, California will have the largest free pre-school program in the country, where every 4-year-old can start their training on the right path by setting them for success below on the road.”

A shortage of teachers and other challenges

But TK Rollout had some hiccups. The main is to find sufficiently qualified teachers. Due to the small class sizes and the additional qualifications needed to teach 4-year-old children, there is a a shortage of at least 12,000 TC teachersAccording to the early near California. Last year the state introduced a New TK-over-third degree And more areas are partnering with local colleges for the recruitment and training of future teachers, which has somewhat relieved shortages.

Another obstacle is to find space in the classroom. Like the classrooms in kindergarten, TK classrooms should contain bathrooms, which means that the areas had to find money to reshape existing classrooms or completely build new ones. Last year $ 10 billion in school construction bond There is funding available for TK projects.

TK also has an impact on pre -school schools. Families in California have several options for early education: state -funded low -income pre -school schools, federal initial start for families with very low incomes and private pre -school schools. Now that the 4-year-olds have a free option, existing pre-school schools are observing a decrease in enrollment, which in some cases made schools raise prices or even close. A Recent report By UC Berkeley showed that the TK enlargement has led to ”Pre-k deserts“In some parts of the state.

Bruce Fuller, a professor of education at UC Berkeley, who studied TK, said it was too early to say who took advantage of the program.

“We see a change from pre -school and to TK, but we don’t know if TK actually reaches new families,” Fuller said. “We can just see families who would enroll anyway.”

Bilingual programs

A handful of TK doubles offering, which are popular with parents. Karina Galustians, a parent in the Tudjunga neighborhood in Los Angeles, enrolled her daughter Juliana last fall in Armenian-English-class TK at the Los Angeles Unified Education Center.

Galustian’s husband spoke freely Armenian, and the couple was eager Juliana to be able to communicate with the extended family and learn more about culture.

“The more languages you know, the better you are,” said Galustians, whose first language is Spanish. “To find a school where she can get these academic skills and practice her Armenian – me and my husband were beyond grateful. We hit the jackpot.”

Juliana launches kindergarten this fall at another unified school in Los Angeles, where she will be part of the Armenian Double Language Program. “We feel that she is very well prepared,” Galustians said.

“All feels on”

Meanwhile, at the Silverwood Elementary in Concord, Swanson ended the day, with students leaving the blocks and plastic bugs and Eric Carle’s books. Then she sat with them in a circle and praised the efforts of every child and told them how excited she was to see them again tomorrow.

“David, you were super-responsible today,” Swanson told AWED 4-year-old while providing him with a personalized certificate. “Lindsay, you were a good friend. Zair, was so respectful.”

Then it was time for the children to go to meet their parents, who were waiting on the side of the playground. Swanson talks to almost every parent, telling them how much they enjoy their children.

“I think TK has to be the same as what we want for society as a whole,” Sanson said. “This should be a place where everyone feels included and valued. We want everyone to be curious and without judgment and happy to be here.”

This article was Originally Published on CalMatters and was reissued under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives License.