Universal Transitional Kindergarten
On October 5, 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation uplifting dual language learners and improving access to child care. The Governor also highlighted the California Comeback Plan’s unprecedented investments to achieve universal transitional kindergarten by 2025 and create college savings accounts for 3.7 million kids.
The California Comeback Plan includes investments to transform public schools into gateways of opportunity. As part of the Governor’s $123.9 billion Pre-K and K-12 education package, California will provide free, high-quality, inclusive pre-kindergarten for all four-year-olds, beginning in 2022-23 with full implementation anticipated by 2025-26. The plan also reduces class sizes, cutting adult-to-child ratios in half with at least an average of 1 adult for every 12 children, down from one for every 24 children.
The plan also invests $1.9 billion to seed college savings accounts of up to $1,500 for 3.7 million current low-income students, English learners, and foster and homeless youth. Moving forward, those groups of students will have savings accounts seeded for them in first grade. Read the full press release for more information.
IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE
It is expected to be rolled out beginning in the 2022-2023 school year, expanding annually until it is available to all 4-year-olds by 2025-2026. The statewide plan is to gradually phase in younger students each year. However, some school districts are ahead of the curve, having already expanded TK to most 4-year-olds.