EdSource Roundtable – Universal Transitional Kindergarten: What parents need to know
Quality early childhood education is a key factor in preparing children for success in school and beyond. Advocates have long pushed to increase access to Early Learning in California, a state with almost 3 million children under the age of 5. Now, amid a pandemic and President Biden championing universal preschool, universal Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is poised to become a reality in California’s education space. The state’s new $2.7 billion TK program will be phased in beginning in 2022, until it includes all of the state’s four-year-olds by the 2025-26 school year.
In this roundtable hosted by EdSource, Early Edge Executive Director Patricia Lozano joins a panel of providers, advocates, and policymakers to explore the importance and impact of early education and how TK fits into the journey between preschool and kindergarten.
“This is a great time for all of us to come together and think about that there’s money in the budget, there’s this promising program, and how do we really lift up the field and provide opportunities for pathways and for higher compensation for our workforce.” –Patricia Lozano, Executive Director of Early Edge California