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 with the support of an aide with early childhood training and the TK curriculum is based on a combination of the California Preschool Learning Foundations and the Kindergarten Common Core Standards. TK is offered at select WCCUSD Elementary schools.

No, even if a child is TK eligible, parents have a choice of whether they want to enroll their child in TK or preschool. 

For the 2023-24 school year, TK is for students who will be turning age 5 between September 2, 2023 and April 2, 2024. (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.

Students who complete TK will be required to apply for kindergarten the following year.

The eligibility for TK will expand every year for the next 3 years until all 4-year-olds are eligible in 2025-2026.

TK is offered at select WCCUSD elementary schools.

2023-2024 TK Sites

Applying for TK is similar to the application and enrollment process for elementary school grades. Please consult our TK directory to find the school that feeds then visit the WCCUSD Enrollment Page and follow the instructions listed there.

Parents must decide which environment is appropriate for their child. There are 2 options:

• Parents may enroll in a District State Preschool program (SPS) (or, if already enrolled in SPS, children may stay in PreK an additional year).  Subsidies or tuition for PreK still apply. These families are opting out of Transitional Kindergarten (TK).  

          OR

• Parents may enroll their child in a WCCUSD Transitional Kindergarten program.

TK sets the stage for learning through inquiry, exploration, and problem solving while introducing children to grade-level content standards. The teacher and peers nurture language development through interactions and conversation. The environment promotes independence, social-emotional skills, and self-regulation that are essential for a successful entry into Kindergarten.

TK is taught by a multiple subject credentialed teacher (elementary school credential). All TK teachers and Instructional Aides will require Early Childhood Units by 2022-2023.

Students who are eligible and are requesting Transitional Kindergarten will be enrolled in their assigned school as long as there is space at the school. If there are more students applying than there are openings in an assigned school, families will be offered a site closest to their assigned school if there is room.

Special education services in TK are determined by a student's Individual Education Plan (IEP) or section 504 plan. Please contact your case manager to schedule an IEP or 504 meeting to discuss your student's needs when transitioning to TK.

Starting with the 2022-23 school year, all school districts in California, including WCCUSD, will be required by state law to expand their Transitional Kindergarten (TK) classrooms until all 4-year-olds are eligible for TK by 2025-26. WCCUSD will phase in this expansion over the next four years in alignment with state law. Please see the chart below for the eligibility by school year: