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Transitional Kindergarten Implementation Guide

Resources for California early childhood educators which include videos, research briefs, reports, and toolkits around Transitional Kindergarten (TK).

Transitional Kindergarten Implementation Guide

  • The Impact of Transitional Kindergarten on California Students (AIR Study report) External link opens in new window or tab.
    The California Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010 established TK, the first year of a two-year kindergarten program. The bill phased in the required age for kindergarten from December 2 to September 1. This final report from the TK’s evaluation focuses on results from a five-year study. The study used a rigorous regression discontinuity design to examine whether TK, as a new approach to pre-kindergarten education for age-eligible children, leads to positive outcomes, for which children, and under what conditions.
  • Transitioning to Kindergarten: A Toolkit for Early Childhood Educators External link opens in new window or tab.
    The National Center for Learning Disabilities and the American Federation of Teachers have collaborated to offer a comprehensive resource for educators that includes tools and materials to help implement strategies to facilitate and enhance children’s transition to kindergarten.
  • Board of Education Waiver Requests
    Letter from State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson presenting the updated waiver request requirements for kindergarten and TK.
Questions:   Universal PreKindergarten Support | UPK@cde.ca.gov
Last Reviewed: Friday, August 18, 2023
Recently Posted in Grade Spans
  • Transitional Kindergarten Implementation Guide (added 18-Aug-2023)
    Resources for California early childhood educators which include videos, research briefs, reports, and toolkits around Transitional Kindergarten (TK).
  • Universal PreKindergarten Guidance (added 18-Aug-2023)
    Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) planning and implementation guidance documents and resources that support local educational agencies (LEAs) and county offices of education (COEs) in the development of their UPK plans.
  • UPK and Transitional Kindergarten Resources (added 18-Aug-2023)
    California Department of Education (CDE) PreKindergarten Fact Sheet, slides and videos from Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) Planning Webinars, and UPK Office Hour resources.