California is offering an additional grade level for all four-year-olds this year — and some educational experts say it has the potential to benefit the mental, social and emotional health of children in the San Joaquin Valley. Gov. Gavin Newsom launched “universal” transitional kindergarten in a multi-year rollout that was finalized last August. Transitional kindergarten – also commonly known as TK – is offered at all public schools, with an aim to ensure high quality early childhood education for children no matter their income.
In a new four-part series by KVPR and The Merced FOCUS done as part of a data fellowship with the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, Reporter Rachel Livinal explores whether the San Joaquin Valley can actually meet this need. The series also takes a deep dive into the impact of TK on some of the region’s more vulnerable students.
Part 1:‘Universal’ transitional kindergarten had a multi-year rollout. Enrollment in the Central Valley has been slow
“Universal” transitional kindergarten launched statewide last August after a multi-year rollout by Governor Gavin Newsom. Transitional kindergarten (TK), an optional year of school in the year before kindergarten, is similar to preschool and helps children warm up to learning.
The program sprang up in California more than a decade ago, but this school year is different. School districts statewide are now required to offer transitional kindergarten for free to all four-year-olds whose parents choose to enroll them. The initiative aims to ensure high-quality, early childhood education for children no matter their income.
Researchers say TK can regulate social and emotional health, improve brain development for young learners and save thousands of dollars for families who would have otherwise enrolled their children in private preschool or daycare.
But it may not be making as much of an impact on the state’s youngest learners as it could. A KVPR data analysis found less than half of California’s four year olds were enrolled in TK last school year. Enrollment in the San Joaquin Valley was only a few percentage points higher than the rest of the state, with about 45% of four-year-olds enrolled last school year despite 75% of them being eligible.
Part 2: Valley universities, county offices face hurdles training ‘qualified’ TK teachers
During a fall morning in a rowdy Clovis transitional kindergarten classroom, a small group of students picked up paintbrushes and answered questions from Yer Yang, their student teacher.
Yang’s questions ranged from what kind of skin color they were painting, to why the princess they created wore a hoodie. They were simple questions, but Yang said they were intentional to get the students to express themselves.
“They can incorporate that into their creativity of painting,” Yang said.
This is just one strategy Yang learned during her pre K-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Instruction Credential program at Fresno State.
The program is one of just 17 in California to offer a new early childhood education teaching credential that includes the transitional kindergarten grade level. The new program last summer came just as Gov. Gavin Newsom launched the state’s “Universal TK” program this school year after a multi-year rollout. Universal TK requires all public schools statewide to offer the new grade level to all 4-year-olds.
While most Valley districts reported having enough qualified teachers for their TK classrooms in 2024, there’s no universal definition of “qualified.”
Part 3: Transitional kindergarten offers special needs support. Rural school districts struggle to offer it.
Luke Rou’s favorite activity is anything involving dirt. So, on a recent day, Luke helped his mom pull out weeds on the side of his family’s house.
He wore a giant smile on his face, even though it wasn’t an activity you’d think a four-year-old would gravitate toward. But his mom said her son wasn’t always so adaptable.
“He was having a lot of behavior, listening, following instructions, [and being] aggressive,” Paule Rou said. “He was aggressive towards his sister.”
His aggression, she said, stemmed from not being able to communicate as a result of his autism. Luke was lashing out when he couldn’t use his words, which led to many physical fights with his siblings.
Doctors encouraged Paule and her husband to enroll Luke in transitional kindergarten – and then a switch flipped.
“He’s talking a lot more,” Paule said. “He’s engaging with other classmates. He’s talking to them. He’s making friends.”
More special needs students like Luke are enrolling in transitional kindergarten.
Part 4: Dual language classes fill gaps for TK students. Few Valley school districts offer them
In Beatriz Amador’s home, learning Spanish is a necessity.
“It’s not really an option for us,” Amador said. “It’s kind of a given.”
Amador said her parents only speak Spanish, so her son must learn it, too. However, the need for bilingualism isn’t unique to her family — it’s something her 4-year-old students also need.
Amador teaches transitional kindergarten at Schendel Elementary School in the Merced County community of Delhi. Most of her students come from Spanish-speaking homes, she said, and that’s why she runs a dual language immersion class. It’s taught in both English and Spanish.
“We’re doing everything in two languages,” Amador said.
Classes made up of multilingual students aren’t exclusive to Delhi. Data shows more than half of California children under 5 speak a language other than English at home. Dual immersion classes are meant to help those children by strengthening their bilingualism and biliteracy.
But a data analysis by KVPR reveals only 13% of San Joaquin Valley school districts offer dual immersion classes at the transitional kindergarten level, despite nearly one in five Valley K-12 students being classified as English learners.
That percentage is lower than the state as a whole, where dual language class offerings, on average, more closely mirror the English learner population.
