What You Need to Know About Transitional Kindergarten

The Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) initiative in California is designed to ensure that every 4-year-old has access to a full year of high-quality early learning before entering Kindergarten. This important year helps children build the social, emotional, and academic skills they need to thrive in school.

A “high-quality” UPK experience can take different forms depending on a family’s needs and what’s available in the community. For example, it might be a California State Preschool Program, a Head Start program, or Transitional Kindergarten (TK) offered through the local school district. 

The 2025-26 school year brings the full implementation of transitional kindergarten in California. Beginning this school year, transitional kindergarten (TK) will include all 4-year-old children statewide at no cost to families. Children must turn 4 by Sept. 1 to be age eligible.

SKIP TO SECTION

Families Future Teachers Current Teachers

 

For Families

Why should I enroll my child in TK?

Transitional Kindergarten (TK) gives your child a year of age-appropriate learning with a credentialed teacher, all at no cost to families. The only requirements for enrollment are your child’s age, 4 years old by September 1, and where you live; there are no other eligibility criteria.

A year of transitional kindergarten has shown some big benefits in student learning and success in school. 

• TK helps students get familiarized with the elementary school setting, learning procedures that help them feel more comfortable in kindergarten.
• It provides students with a stronger foundation for continued success in math and reading in elementary school. 
• Students grow their skills such as working as a team, sharing, being part of a community.
• Students get free access to high-quality teaching and learning.

What can I expect in the classroom?

Young students learn best through play; they’re building skills through hands-on learning. Expect songs and dancing, learning centers (counting, coloring, building), and getting comfortable with how to be a member of their school community with recess, snacks, lunch, bathrooms, and visits to the library. 

Transitional Kindergarten uses the Preschool Transitional Kindergarten Learning Foundations (PTKLF) to guide instruction. The PTKLF provides teachers, families, and the public with a clear understanding of the wide range of knowledge, skills, and behaviors that children age three to five and a half typically attain when attending a high-quality early education program. Learn more about PTKLF.

SDCOE worked with community partners to create the Guide for Selecting Quality Child Care. It includes information about transitional kindergarten as well as national standards of quality for programs that serve young children. 

How does playing help my child succeed in school?

Active learning through purposeful play is important to the development of a child’s brain. One area that develops over time is the cerebral cortex, which controls and regulates executive functions such as language, cognitive reasoning, and decision making. Developmentally, young children struggle with abstract ideas, so when they can touch, feel, move, and work with others, it helps them better understand. This sets the stage for the abstract, logical thinking they’ll use when they’re older. 

Did you know:

• Playing with playdough helps little fingers get strong enough to hold a pencil or pen. 
• Listening to rhyming books helps students recognize patterns in speech and decode letter sounds. 
• Building a train set with classmates creates learning opportunities to work as a team and solve challenges as they achieve different goals. 
• Counting beans, rocks, or cars helps students with early math concepts. 

Who teaches TK?

For 2025-26, there is a requirement of one adult for every 10 students in a TK classroom. That includes one credentialed teacher and an assistant teacher/s (or paraprofessional or instructional aides) depending on the number of children in the classroom. 

Do I have to enroll my child in TK?

TK is not mandatory in California. Attending school only becomes mandatory when a child turns 6 years old. Families have the option to choose the prekindergarten experience that works best for their child and for them.

Does my neighborhood public school have to provide TK?

Under California Education Code Section 48000, any school district that offers kindergarten is required to also offer TK and comply with the ATK requirements, such as adult-to-student ratio, class size, and teacher credentialing. 

Some important things to note:

• The district is required to offer TK, but that may not include every school site in the district. 
• No age-eligible child may be denied access to TK by being placed on a waiting list.
• TK programs may be for the full day or partial day.

Some basic aid districts (districts that get most of their funding from local property taxes rather than from the state) have taken the position that they cannot provide TK. Contact your school district to learn if this applies to your school; the San Diego County Office of Education does not have the authority to require districts offer TK. 

Where can I find more information?

The California Department of Education list of frequently asked questions on TK that is regularly updated. 

Don’t know your school district? Enter your address into Great Schools to find your district. 

 

 

Future TK Teachers

The San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) has partnered with institutions of higher education across San Diego County to offer multiple pathways to becoming a TK teacher..

You can find details about the different pathway options at the following links:

• SDCOE TK Pathway for Multiple Subject Credentialed Teachers
• Transitional Kindergarten and Early Learning webpage.
• General Education Intern Credential Program

The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing requires evidence of basic skills and subject-area competencies. One option for demonstrating these competencies is by successfully passing the California Subject Examination for Teachers and California Basic Educational Skills Test. There are free tools available to prepare you for these exams. 

Learn more about the requirements to become a teacher based on the credential you are interested in by exploring the SDCOE Educator Pathways webpage.

 

Current TK Teachers

• The SDCOE P-3 Alignment team also features resources for educators and administrators including district implementation and supports for TK teachers, such as online learning modules.

• The SDCOE Early Education department offers a number of professional learning opportunities for teachers and administrators of youth from birth through age 5. 

• California Early Childhood Online provides free access to learning modules based on state-of-the-art information and best practices to meet the ever-changing needs of the early childhood field.

 

 

Dive Deeper into TK 

• Preschool to 3rd Grade Alignment effort on our SDCOE webpage
• UPK Information for Families