Skip to main content
California Department of Education Logo

Transitional Kindergarten FAQs

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the fiscal requirements and the related penalties for Transitional Kindergarten (TK).

Funding and Reporting Information | TK Class Size and Ratios | Instructional Time and TK | Early Enrollment Children

Additional FAQs regarding programmatic requirements are available on the California Department of Education's (CDE’s) Universal Prekindergarten web page.

Expand All | Collapse All

Funding and Reporting Information

  1. How should a school report Transitional Kindergarten (TK) students for the Kindergarten annual immunization assessment report? (Posted 19-Dec-2022)
  2. If a Transitional Kindergarten (TK) student turns four after the first day of school but before September 1, can we only claim Average Daily Attendance (ADA) from the time the student turns four-years-old, or can we claim ADA from the first day of the school year? (Updated 08-Aug-2025)
  3. Can we enroll and claim Average Daily Attendance (ADA) for a student in Transitional Kindergarten (TK) who turns four after September 1? (Revised 08-Aug-2025)
  4. How is Average Daily Attendance (ADA) reported for Transitional Kindergarten (TK)? (Revised 08-Aug-2025)
  5. Are school districts and charter schools required to report Transitional Kindergarten (TK) information via the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS)? (Revised 08-Aug-2025)
  6. How many years can a school district or charter school claim apportionment for Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and Kindergarten? (Updated 14-Aug-2024)
  7. Can a school district partner with a non-local educational agency (LEA) to provide their Transitional Kindergarten (TK) services? (Posted 19-Dec-2022)
  8. Can district A enter into an interdistrict transfer agreement with district B so that district B can provide a Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program for district A’s TK-eligible children? (Revised 26-Sep-2023)
  9. Can a local educational agency (LEA) meet the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) offering requirement through a vendor? (Posted 19-Dec-2022)
  10. Can a school district contract or enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with another local educational agency to operate its Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Program? (Posted 19-Dec-2022)
  11. Can a preschool program generate Transitional Kindergarten (TK) funding? (Posted 19-Dec-2022)
  12. What are the penalties for not meeting the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) requirements for class size, adult-to-student ratios, and teacher credentialing? (Updated 26-Sep-2023)
  13. What are the additional requirements beyond a teaching credential for teachers who are assigned to a Transitional Kindergarten (TK) class? (Revised 08-Aug-2025)
  14. Do the additional requirements apply to assigned Transitional Kindergarten (TK) teachers providing independent study instruction? (Posted 08-Aug-2025)

Transitional Kindergarten Class Size and Ratio Information

  1. What are the adult-to-student ratios for Transition Kindergarten (TK) classrooms? (Revised 08-Aug-2025)
  2. What is the adult-to-student ratio for Transitional Kindergarten (TK) during recess and lunch? (Revised 08-Aug-2025)
  3. How is the average calculated for the 1:10 adult-to-student Transitional Kindergarten (TK) ratio? (Revised 08-Aug-2025)
  4. Are Transitional Kindergarten (TK) classes required to maintain a schoolsite average of 24 students? How is the average calculated? (Posted 19-Dec-2022)
  5. Is it acceptable for a Transitional Kindergarten (TK) class to have more than 24 students if they maintain the 1:10 adult-to-student ratio? (Revised 08-Aug-2025)
  6. Does the 1:10 adult-to-student ratio need to be maintained at all times during the instructional day? (Updated 08-Aug-2025)
  7. Can a special education aid or a speech therapist assigned to work with specific students in the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) classroom be counted in the 1:10 ratio? (Revised 08-Aug-2025)
  8. Can an adult assigned to a Transitional Kindergarten (TK) classroom on a part-time basis be counted in the 1:10 ratio? (Revised 08-Aug-2025)
  9. Do the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) class size and adult-to-student ratio requirements apply to all students in combination classes, or only to the TK students in the class? (Updated 26-Sep-2023)
  10. Do the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) class size and adult-to-student ratio apply to students participating in independent study? (Posted 19-Dec-2022)
  11. Do the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) class size and adult-to-student ratio requirements apply to special education students? (Posted 19-Dec-2022)
  12. Can a school district or charter school apply for a waiver for the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) classroom enrollment and ratio requirements? (Posted 19-Dec-2022)
  13. Can we have a Transitional Kindergarten (TK) class with more than 24 students if we add a third adult? (Posted 19-Dec-2022)
  14. How can schools meet the 1:10 adult-to-student ratio requirement upon full implementation of Transitional Kindergarten (TK) in fiscal year (FY) 2025-26? (Updated 09-Sep-2024)
  15. Can a school move a Transitional Kindergarten (TK) student and/or the second adult into a different classroom when needed during the school month in order to comply with the adult-to-student ratio or average class enrollment requirements? (Updated 09-Sep-2024)
  16. Can a school district or charter school split one adult between two Transitional Kindergarten (TK) classrooms each day to meet the adult-to-student ratio requirements? (Updated 08-Aug-2025)

Instructional Time and TK

  1. Is there a specific number of instructional minutes required for Transitional Kindergarten (TK)? (Posted 19-Dec-2022)
  2. Can a school district offer 180 minutes of instruction on 180 days for Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and Kindergarten classes and still comply with the annual instructional minutes requirement? (New – 08-Aug-2025)
  3. Must a student admitted to Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program in a school district at the start of the school year be scheduled for and offered the required instructional minutes in California Education Code (EC) for TK/Kindergarten? (Revised 08-Aug-2025)
  4. Are instructional minutes for Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and Kindergarten inclusive of recess? (Revised 26-Sep-2023)
  5. Are instructional minutes for Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and Kindergarten inclusive of breakfast? (Revised 26-Sep-2023)
  6. Are instructional minutes for Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten inclusive of lunch? (Posted 19-Dec-2022)
  7. If naptime is built into the daily schedule for Transitional Kindergarten (TK), does this time count as instructional minutes? (Posted 19-Dec-2022)

Early Enrollment Children:
The Following FAQs are specific to fiscal years 2023–24 and 2024–25

  1. Can children with summer birthdays enroll in a Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program? (Posted 26-Sep-2023)
  2. What is an “early enrollment child”? (Posted 26-Sep-2023)
  3. Are school districts and charter schools required to admit “early enrollment children” into a Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program? (Posted 26-Sep-2023)
  4. Are the statutory requirements for Transitional Kindergarten (TK) classrooms that admit “early enrollment children” the same as those that do not have any “early enrollment children?” (Posted 26-Sep-2023)
  5. Can a school district or charter school admit children who turn 4 after September 1st into a Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program in the 2024-25 school year? (Posted 26-Sep-2023)
  6. Do “early enrollment children” generate Average Daily Attendance (ADA)? (Posted 26-Sep-2023)
  7. How is the 1:10 adult-to-student Transitional Kindergarten (TK) ratio calculated? (Posted 26-Sep-2023)
  8. Are Transitional Kindergarten (TK) classes with early enrollment children required to maintain a classroom enrollment of 20 students? How is the classroom enrollment calculated? (Posted 19-Dec-2022)
  9. What are the penalties for not meeting the early enrollment Transitional Kindergarten (TK) requirements for class size, adult-to-student ratios, and teacher credentialing? (Posted 26-Sep-2023)
  10. Are the requirements for early enrollment children waivable? (Posted 26-Sep-2023)
  11. If a class includes a combination of age-eligible and early enrollment children, what requirements must be met? (Posted 26-Sep-2023)
  12. Must an early enrollment child be offered the required instructional minutes and days in California Education Code (EC) for Transitional Kindergarten (TK)? (Posted 26-Sep-2023)
  13. How are the requirements for the 1:10 adult-to-student ratio and class size of no more than 20 calculated for Traditional Kindergarten classrooms with early enrollment children? How will the respective audit penalties be assessed? (Posted 26-Sep-2023)
Questions:   Principal Apportionment Section | attendanceaccounting@cde.ca.gov | 916-324-4541
Last Reviewed: Friday, August 08, 2025
Recently Posted in Instructional Time and Attendance Accounting
  • Guidance on Executing Attendance Recovery Programs (added 18-Jun-2025)
    Attendance recovery programs provide students with structured opportunities to recover missed instructional time and can contribute to improved academic and attendance outcomes.