April 9, 2025
This is the first blog in the “Dual Language Learners in Transitional Kindergarten” blog series.
California’s Universal Transitional Kindergarten, now entering its last year of a four-year rollout, is a historic investment ensuring every 4-year-old in the state has access to transitional kindergarten (TK) programs. Alongside other early learning and care programs in the mixed-delivery Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) system, TK aims to provide young learners with the foundational experiences they need to thrive as they enter kindergarten and beyond.
The expansion of TK offers a powerful and timely opportunity to reimagine how California can better support its youngest and most vulnerable learners – especially Dual Language Learners (DLL) who make up nearly 60% of children birth to age five. These children, with their rich linguistic and cultural assets, represent a vital segment of our student population. Centering their needs isn’t just a matter of educational equity; it’s also a crucial investment for the future of California.
FEDERAL AND STATE POLICY SHIFTS: A MOVEMENT FOR ACTION
As we process the early impact of the new federal administration and the various executive orders—from declaring English as the official national language to ongoing threats to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education—we must reaffirm our shared commitment to ensuring language access, safeguarding immigrant rights, and strengthening multilingual education through welcoming and safe schools. While these executive orders are not laws, their effects are already instilling fear and prompting anticipatory policy shifts that risk rolling back essential support for multilingual preschoolers and California’s vision for UTK.
Now more than ever, we must actively affirm the cultural and linguistic identities of our students and families. Creating learning environments where children see their home languages and cultures reflected and respected is not only critical for emotional safety and inclusion, but also for building a strong sense of identity, belonging, and self-worth. These actions can strengthen family engagement, educational success, and economic opportunity. They are especially vital for our youngest learners and their families, whose early educational experiences shape their long-term academic success and life-long trajectory.
Fortunately, in California—home to one of the most linguistically diverse populations in the country—the Governor’s proposed budget has educational investments that support the needs of all learners. Specifically, Governor Newsom has proposed a $10 million investment directing the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to select a screening instrument for identifying multilingual transitional kindergarten students.
This investment is a critical step in supporting multilingual learners from their earliest years. The screening tool will be developmentally appropriate for TK students, ensuring screening methods align with their unique learning needs at this crucial stage. This initiative signals a strong commitment to fostering language equity and ensuring all students, regardless of linguistic background, have access to high-quality early learning.
BRIDGING POLICY AND PRACTICE: WHAT WE’VE LEARNED
Over the past year, DLL Master Plan Advocates convened Transitional Kindergarten (TK) teachers and administrators from across the state to explore the complexities of supporting dual language learners (DLLs) within their TK programs and their expansion. From identification strategies to bilingual program implementation, these discussions have surfaced both key challenges and promising practices.
The findings are both illuminating and sobering. While there’s a strong commitment to supporting DLLs in TK settings, significant gaps remain – gaps that demand urgent attention.
This blog series aims to uplift the voices and insights of those on the ground and share our collective findings. Based on the key challenges identified by participants in our listening sessions, the series highlights how districts across California are working to meet the needs of DLLs in innovative and impactful ways. We will explore three focus areas:
CONCLUSION
These conversations shed light on the critical investment and support needed to create early learning environments that acknowledge, embrace, and support DLL students and their families.
As California expands UTK, prioritizing DLLs is not optional—it’s essential. The policies and programs we invest in today will shape the future of multilingual learners for years to come.
Together, we can ensure every DLL student receives the support they need to thrive. Stay with us as we dive deeper into teacher preparation, program implementation, and advocacy efforts shaping the future of multilingual education in California.