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Thanks to TikTok videos, billboards and other creative marketing techniques, enrollment in transitional kindergarten in California appears to be climbing. But advocates are keeping an eye on how those 4-year-olds are spending their class time 鈥� which they say will be a key factor in whether the $2.7 billion program is a success.

鈥淨uality is top of mind for us. Some districts are treating it like a second year of kindergarten, which we know doesn鈥檛 work,鈥� said Benjamin Cottingham, with Policy Analysis for California Education, an independent, nonpartisan research center. 鈥淭o be effective, TK needs to be a play-based, developmentally appropriate course of study.鈥�

Transitional kindergarten, which California  in 2010, is meant to ease 4-year-olds into the rigors of elementary school. Ideally, it combines the carefree fun of preschool with a hint of structure and academic know-how, so children are better prepared for kindergarten and beyond. In a high-quality TK classroom, children learn to share and take turns, draw pictures and play with blocks, sit in a circle and enjoy story time, among other skills.

A  by the American Institute of Research found that children who completed TK had stronger skills in math and literacy when they started kindergarten and were more engaged in learning than their peers who didn鈥檛 participate in the program. The benefits were especially pronounced for English learners and low-income students.

In 2021, California , requiring schools to provide space for all eligible 4-year-olds whose families want it. With a rollout period of five years, schools have been busy hiring and training teachers, buying more crayons and blocks, converting classrooms to meet state guidelines and getting the word out.

After a lull, enrollment appears to rebound

In 2022-23, enrollment lagged below expectations, likely due to the lingering effects of the COVID pandemic, . Just over half of California鈥檚 eligible 4-year-olds were enrolled in TK last year, roughly 22% below state projections. But now enrollment appears to be increasing. The official numbers for 2023-24 won鈥檛 be available for several months, but a CalMatters sampling of districts statewide reported better-than-expected enrollment so far this year. 

Schools credit the uptick to improved outreach. District staff are talking to parents at local preschools and child care centers, posting flyers in pediatricians鈥� offices, buying ads on social media and even going door-to-door.

In Rescue Union School District in the Sierra foothills of El Dorado County, word-of-mouth has been the most effective recruitment tool, said Superintendent Jim Shoemake. The district bought newspaper ads and put up signs, but nothing compares to the power of parents chatting at barbecues, block parties and soccer games. Enrollment has increased steadily, with 142 students enrolled this year, and the retention rate is nearly 100%, he said.

鈥淭K has benefitted the entire district,鈥� Shoemake said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great to have a child on campus for six years, but seven is even better. We get a chance to onboard these kids early, so they鈥檙e successful not just in elementary school, but middle school and beyond.鈥�

Rescue Union parent Aly Perkins said her twin daughters, Hazel and Scarlett, loved their TK class last year. They learned their ABCs and 123s, but it was social skills that had the biggest impact, she said. 

鈥淭hey learned things like manners, how to make friends, how to keep friends 鈥� those skills will benefit them their whole lives,鈥� Perkins said. 鈥淚 think TK gives kids the confidence and cushion they need to succeed in school. I鈥檓 really glad we decided to send them.鈥�

Even in Los Angeles Unified, the nation鈥檚 second-largest school district, word-of-mouth has been key to TK enrollment. In addition to bus ads and billboards, a social media campaign, a hotline and robocalls, the district has enlisted school staff and parent volunteers to hand out flyers within a four-block radius of elementary schools.

鈥淎 parent saying, 鈥業 have my kid in this program and it鈥檚 great鈥� is much better than it coming from me,鈥� said Dean Tagawa, the district鈥檚 executive director for early childhood education. 鈥淭hat parent-to-parent connection, that level of trust, is what鈥檚 important.鈥�

The tactics seem to be working. Los Angeles Unified has opened TK classrooms at nearly all 488 elementary schools. And children who attended the district鈥檚 TK program have significantly outperformed their peers not in the program in reading, writing and math in kindergarten and first grade, . They also fared better social-emotionally, based on teacher feedback on report cards.

In Lodi Unified,  chronicling a day in the life of a Lodi kindergartener has garnered more than 13,200 views and helped fill classrooms. With enrollment exceeding expectations, the district is on track to open at least one TK classroom at every elementary school by 2025-26.

鈥淥verall, it鈥檚 going really well, and I believe that by the time these students are in third grade, we鈥檙e going to see huge improvements in outcomes,鈥� said Susan Petersen, the district鈥檚 director of education. 

Persistent staffing challenges 

While , Lodi Unified has filled all its vacancies, she said. The district is providing training and in-classroom coaching, and using a curriculum focused on learning through playing. Some of the new TK teachers are credentialed elementary teachers, and some are veteran preschool teachers pursuing credentials.

鈥淲e鈥檝e found that it鈥檚 a sought-after position,鈥� she said.

Recognizing that 4-year-olds learn in unique ways, the Legislature will require by 2025 TK teachers to have credentials as well as 24 units of early childhood education or the equivalent. That extra requirement may pose a barrier to filling positions 鈥� many districts are already grappling with teacher shortages. An  last fall found that 80% of school districts in California didn鈥檛 yet have enough qualified TK teachers.

Meanwhile, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing is working on  that will prepare teachers for preschool through third grade, with a focus on literacy. A goal: create a  in which students learn by playing, rather than sitting at desks.   

That focus on high-quality teaching and learning is imperative if TK is going to succeed in getting students ahead in the early years, Cottingham said. The state is updating its preschool  to include TK, but schools cannot afford to wait for the new version; they should 鈥渨ork with what we鈥檝e already got,鈥� or students will lose out on the benefits of an additional year of schooling, Cottingham said.

Assessments will also be important, he said, to hold districts accountable for the quality of their programs. Currently, the state is not requiring schools to test students in TK, although it does provide guidelines on how to measure students鈥� progress.

Hanna Melnick, senior policy adviser at the Learning Policy Institute who co-leads the early childhood learning team, adds that assessment, as well as curriculum, will be important as TK expands. 

鈥淭he TK rollout has been faster than we expected, but we don鈥檛 have a good way to monitor quality, and district capacities to teach 4-year-olds vary greatly,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ome have been doing this for a long time, and some are new and don鈥檛 yet have the background or training.鈥�

鈥楢 system that鈥檚 working鈥� in Tulare

Tulare City School District, a 9,200-student district south of Fresno, has been offering a cohesive preschool-through-first-grade program for a decade, and seeing positive results. Until the pandemic, third grade math and reading scores had jumped nearly 30% since the district implemented the program in the early 2010s. Now they are again beginning to improve.

The curriculum is linked from grade to grade, and teachers work closely together, easing children鈥檚 transitions from one classroom to the next. All sites offer after-school care, making it easier for parents with jobs. And teachers try to get to know families and ensure they feel welcome and part of their children鈥檚 education, said Jennifer Marroquin, the district鈥檚 assistant superintendent of educational services.

鈥淔or parents, it can be scary dropping your 3- or 4-year-old off for the first time. So we try to make them feel supported,鈥� Marroquin said. 鈥淲e found a system that鈥檚 working, and it鈥檚 become one of our district鈥檚 strengths.鈥�

By the time TK is fully in place statewide, most districts should have programs resembling Tulare鈥檚, said Kelly Reynolds, a policy analyst for Early Edge California, a nonprofit advocacy group that鈥檚 worked closely with the state on transitional kindergarten. She expects the challenges with staffing, enrollment and quality will be resolved 鈥� or close to it 鈥� within the next few years.

Because transitional kindergarten, like kindergarten itself, is not mandatory, enrollment will never be 100%, she noted. And depending on where they live, 4-year-olds have plenty of high-quality options aside from TK 鈥� including private preschool, state-supported preschool, child care and Head Start. 

鈥淲e want to make sure all 4-year-olds are being served in high-quality programs, and families know the breadth of opportunities available to them,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 do think we鈥檙e on track. Enrollment is trending upwards, and we鈥檙e seeing there鈥檚 a real demand for TK.鈥�  

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