Families may also continue to choose to enroll their children in private preschool programs or keep their children at home. How will suspensions and expulsions be addressed across early education environments? California has made significant strides by adopting legislation limiting the circumstances for when California State Preschool Programs CSPPs can expel or disenroll a child due to behavior.
However, there is a need for greater accountability, as well as training, support, and resources for the workforce. This includes bias prevention, mental health, positive behavioral supports, and updating early learning guidelines to expand and integrate children with a wide variety of abilities and needs in early education.
The updates of the California Preschool Learning Foundations will incorporate recent research in the field, including best practices to support dual language learners DLL , reduce racial bias, and better support the inclusion of children with disabilities. The California Department of Education CDE will engage with teachers, child development researchers, and constituency groups as primary sources of input into the review and development of the updated California Preschool Learning Foundations.
The P-3 Alignment Initiative seeks to elevate the importance of alignment and coherence across grades and systems and support improved coordination of policies and practices in and across early childhood education settings, through transitions to preschool, transitional kindergarten TK and kindergarten, and across the early grades and beyond.
The California Preschool Learning Foundations work is grounded in the principle that starting early matters. Ensuring children have high-quality early learning opportunities and making sure the positive outcomes of these experiences are sustained through the early elementary years is the best way to provide all children with a strong foundation from which to thrive in future years.
When will more information about this funding be available to local educational agencies LEAs? Grant recipients and funding amounts are subject to budget and administrative adjustments. What funding is available to expand the teacher workforce? The grant, known as the Early Education Teacher Development Grant, will support teachers in providing instruction in inclusive classrooms, providing culturally-responsive instruction, supporting dual language learners DLL , enhancing social-emotional learning, implementing trauma-informed and restorative practices, and mitigating implicit biases to eliminate exclusionary discipline.
These funds will be distributed on a competitive basis through a request for applications RFA. The CDE will hold a webinar during that time to provide information and answer questions about the RFA application process. Is there a specific number of instructional minutes required for transitional kindergarten TK?
Yes, the minimum number of daily instructional minutes is minutes, inclusive of recess. Transitional kindergarten TK will be monitored in the same way that kindergarten through twelfth grade K is monitored. What is the California Department of Education's CDEs role in supporting the workforce of early learning and care programs whose staff may be moving to teach transitional kindergarten TK?
The CDE recognizes that recruitment and retention of high-quality staff can be challenging for early learning and care programs. Rate reform for the California State Preschool Program CSPP provides the opportunity for higher reimbursement rates and may allow some contractors to raise salaries and recruit and retain more qualified staff. What is required to become a transitional kindergarten TK teacher? What are the different options in terms of credentials and permits?
Transitional kindergarten TK is the first year of a two-year kindergarten experience. Therefore, the credential requirements for TK teachers are the same as those currently required of kindergarten teachers—a Multiple Subject Credential.
Additionally, TK teachers must meet one of the following by August 1, 1 at least 24 units in early childhood education or child development, or both; 2 professional experience in a classroom setting with preschool-aged children that a local educational agency LEA deems comparable to 24 units; or 3 a Child Development Teacher Permit issued from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing CTC. What is required to become an assistant teacher in a transitional kindergarten TK classroom? Qualifications for assistant teachers or paraprofessionals or instructional aides in transitional kindergarten TK classrooms depend on whether the TK classroom is in a Title I school or a Title II school.
A Title II paraprofessional must have a high school diploma and pass a local assessment. Transitional kindergarten TK , like kindergarten enrollment, is not compulsory. Parents will continue to have the choice to remain at their current program provided that they meet eligibility requirements. Do transitional kindergarten TK teachers need to have a teaching credential?
What credentials authorize instruction for Special Education teachers to teach transitional kindergarten TK students? New Jan The appropriate credential for serving in a TK or TK and kindergarten combination self-contained special education classroom would be the same credential authorized for an individual to serve in a kindergarten self-contained special education classroom.
Note: If kindergarten is authorized, then TK is authorized as it is the first year of a two-year kindergarten program. A teacher must hold a credential and appropriate specialty area authorization to serve each of the disability categories for each student in the class as set forth in an Individualized Education Program IEP. Pursuant to California Education Code EC g , a school district or charter school shall ensure that credentialed teachers who are first assigned to a TK classroom after July 1, , have, by August 1, , one of the following: At least 24 units in early childhood education, or childhood development, or both.
As determined by the local educational agency employing the teacher, professional experience in a classroom setting with preschool age children that is comparable to the 24 units of education described in bullet 1. Scenario 1: If teachers taught transitional kindergarten TK two years ago and then taught kindergarten this past year and wanted to return to TK next year after July 1, , would they meet the grandfathered in requirement?
New Jan Scenario 2: If teachers taught TK in —15 and then taught first grade in —16 and —17 would they be grandfathered in if they were reassigned in —18 to teach TK? What specific courses must teachers take in order to meet the unit requirement? How should local educational agencies LEAs document and keep records for teachers assigned to teach TK after July 1, ?
How can I find out more information about the transitional kindergarten TK professional development stipends appropriated as Item of the Budget Act of , Provision 7? How do teachers best obtain a transcript review for the California Transitional Kindergarten Stipend CTKS program and verify appropriate units needed for the required 24 units?
If I were to attend a professional development workshop instead of a college course in child development or early childhood education, how would Continuing Education Units CEUs be calculated? New Jan According to the US Department of Education, continuing education units, or CEUs, are awarded by many education and training providers to signify successful completion of non-credit programs and courses intended to improve the knowledge and skills of working adults.
A typical CEU represents approximately ten contact hours of experience in a structured continuing education experience. CEUs are similar in theory to academic credits but differ in two important respects: CEUs are not awarded for academic study and do not represent, or provide, academic credit; and They may be awarded for a variety of experiences in different settings whose only common criterion is that they be measurable, supervised educational or training experiences with defined starting and ending points.
Will the units earned under the Child Development Master Teacher Permit fulfill the 24 units required for transitional kindergarten TK teachers? Updated May The grant award start date is July 1, , and the end date is March 31, Is there a limit as to how much one teacher can be reimbursed, or would that be up to the local planning council LPC to make local determinations?
New Jan Since there is no legislative limit, reimbursement is locally determined. Can reimbursements be made to agencies, or only to individuals? For example, if a program wants to register a number of staff for a conference or class can that program be reimbursed directly? There is no allowance for staffing costs aside from the 15 percent administrative costs. What is the Kindergarten Readiness Act of ? What is the minimum age for admittance to kindergarten in California?
Updated Jan A child shall be admitted to a kindergarten maintained by the school district at the beginning of a school year, or at a later time in the same year if the child will have his or her fifth birthday on or before September 1 EC [a]. Can children who turn five-years-old after December 2 start transitional kindergarten TK at the beginning of the school year?
Updated Oct Pursuant to EC c , a child is eligible for TK if the child will have his or her fifth birthday between September 2 and December 2. Must children attend transitional kindergarten TK or kindergarten? Can students who are age-eligible for kindergarten attend transitional kindergarten TK?
Should students who are four-years-old receive their pre-kindergarten booster vaccines? Are students in transitional kindergarten TK also subject to the kindergarten immunization requirements? Are students in transitional kindergarten TK required to meet kindergarten immunization requirements before the first year or second year of the program?
How does transitional kindergarten TK affect basic aid districts? How should a school report transitional kindergarten TK students for the kindergarten annual immunization assessment report?
If a transitional kindergarten TK student who turns five between September 2 and December 2 starts school on the first day of the school year, can we only claim Average Daily Attendance ADA from the time the student turns five-years-old, or can we claim ADA from the first day of the school year? New Jan Attendance for TK students turning five between September 2 and December 2 generate ADA for the purpose of funding beginning the first day of the school year. Updated Oct No.
Updated Oct For students whose fifth birthdays will occur between September 2 and December 2 inclusive of the academic year or whose fifth birthday occurs prior to September 2 of the academic year: Yes.
For students whose fifth birthday occurs after December 2 and before the end of the school year EC Section c 2 : Yes. Should a student who turns five after December 2 but is enrolled in transitional kindergarten TK prior to the fifth birthday be included in the active enrollment count for the purposes of calculating the average class enrollment for the K—3 Grade Span Adjustment or the Class Size Penalty Calculation under LCFF?
New Jan Yes. How many years can a district claim apportionment for transitional kindergarten TK and kindergarten? Can a district claim apportionment for transitional kindergarten TK if it does not use a modified curriculum that is age and developmentally appropriate? Updated Jan In order to claim apportionment for TK, local education agencies LEAs must use a modified curriculum that is age and developmentally appropriate EC d. Is there funding for professional learning for transitional kindergarten TK teachers?
Updated Jan Yes. Do federal guidelines allow for free and reduced-price meals to be claimed for reimbursement for transitional kindergarten TK students with fifth birthdays after December 2? New Jan Since students who attend school from the beginning of the school year are enrolled—whether they are five before or after December 2—districts may claim meals served to these students.
Can local education agencies LEAs charge parents a fee for those students whose fifth birthday falls after December 2, but attend TK prior to turning five? New Jan According to 5 CCR Section , a pupil enrolled in a school, defined as a California public school, shall not be required to pay any fee, deposit, or other charge not specifically authorized by law. Will transitional kindergarten TK continue after ? Updated Jan Yes, pursuant to California EC c 3 A , "In the —15 school year and each school year thereafter , a child who has his or her fifth birthday between September 2 and December 2 of the school year shall be admitted to a transitional kindergarten program maintained by the school district or charter school.
What is transitional kindergarten TK? How are transitional kindergarten TK programs different than preschool or other child development programs offered by local education agencies LEAs for three- and four-year-old children? We are being asked by a parent to enroll an age-eligible student who is not toilet trained into transitional kindergarten TK. Do charter schools have to offer transitional kindergarten TK?
Is a district required to offer transitional kindergarten TK and kindergarten programs? Can transitional kindergarten TK and kindergarten students be enrolled in the same classroom? What type of facility should be used for transitional kindergarten TK? Updated Jan Facility requirements are the same as they are for kindergarten. Are transitional kindergarten TK students required to complete the entire two-year program?
This is a local decision. Is a Kindergarten Continuance Form needed to continue a child from transitional kindergarten TK to kindergarten? What are the Williams requirements for students in transitional kindergarten TK? How are the needs of English learners addressed in transitional kindergarten TK?
Are parents of English learners required to fill out waivers to enroll their child in a language acquisition program? New Jan Since EC What are the regulations regarding transportation to and from school for our part-day transitional kindergarten TK programs?
New Jan Providing transportation is a local decision. Schools may, but are not required to, charge fees for transportation to and from school as long as: The fee does not exceed the statewide average nonsubsidized cost per pupil on a publically-owned or operated transit system; There is a waiver provision based on financial need; and Fees are not charged to pupils with disabilities whose indivdualized education programs IEPs include transportation as a related service necessary for them to receive a free appropriate public education.
EC Section My son's school has an extended-day schedule. Since kindergarten and transitional kindergarten TK are not mandatory, if I pick up my child at part-day, is that all right? The state budget further clarified the law to allow school districts to enroll 4 year olds even if they turn 5 after the December cutoff date, providing another local option to get more children ready for kindergarten. The Expanded TK approach gives districts an option to use a combination of local and Average Daily Attendance ADA funding to offer school readiness opportunities to children who might not otherwise have access.
The Kindergarten Readiness Act, signed into law by Gov. Schwarzenegger, changed the kindergarten entry date from Dec. The law phased in the new age requirement by moving the cutoff date one month a year for three years.
Some districts opted to fully phase in TK in the first year. The law also established transitional kindergarten, a developmentally appropriate grade to serve younger schoolchildren with birthdays between September and December. The entry date change and the creation of TK address a longstanding need in California, as our children have historically started kindergarten at a younger age than kids in almost any other state — often without the maturity, social skills and early academic skills they need to succeed in kindergarten and beyond.
At the same time, kindergarten standards and curriculum have changed over the years, and many of the skills children were once taught in first grade are now expected in kindergarten. At their young age, some may not be practiced in socializing with their peers and teachers, while others may not yet know how to listen or follow a structured class schedule. Likewise, many 4 year olds in California still do not have access to high quality preschool that also provides these learning opportunities for our children.
TK ensures that children have these pivotal skills, which are foundations to successful learning, when they begin kindergarten. Transitional kindergarten bridges the path between preschool and kindergarten and gives students the gift of time that will help them build a strong foundation for future school success.
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