Transitional Kindergarten
What is Transitional Kindergarten (TK)?
Transitional kindergarten (TK) bridges the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten years. It is the first year of a two-year kindergarten program that has been implemented in California for children who are not old enough yet for kindergarten, but want to build their social, developmental and academic skills.
TK classrooms are taught by a multiple-subject credentialed teacher and the TK curriculum is based on the California Preschool Learning Foundations and the Kindergarten Common Core Standards. TK is offered at select AESD elementary schools.
Is Transitional Kindergarten mandatory?
No, even if a child is TK eligible, parents have a choice of whether they want to enroll their child in TK or preschool.
Who is eligible for Transitional Kindergarten (TK)?
According to a new state law, more children will be eligible for TK starting with the 2022-2023 school year.
For the 2024-25 school year, TK is for students who will be turning age 5 between September 2, 2024 and June 2, 2025. (California law requires that children be age 5 on or before September 1 of the school year to be eligible for kindergarten, and age 6 on or before September 1 of the school year to be eligible for first-grade.) See the age chart below.
For the 2024-25 School year, if your child will be...
| ON OR BEFORE: | APPLY FOR: | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Between September 2, 2024 and June 2, 2025 | Transitional kindergarten |
| 5 | September 1, 2024 | Kindergarten |
| 6 | September 1, 2024 | First grade |
The eligibility for TK will expand every year for the next 4 years until all 4-year-olds are eligible in 2025-2026.