Piedmont Schools Begin Offering Pre-Kindergarten This Fall
State funding will provide an extra year of schooling for some students –
This fall the Piedmont Unified School District will begin offering an extra year of schooling to some Piedmont youngsters: a Transitional Kindergarten (TK) available the year before “regular” Kindergarten.
Piedmont’s new fall TK program will be available to children with “late” birthdays in September, October, and November as a “two-year Kindergarten” option funded by the State of California. The curriculum will “facilitate oral language development, pre-literacy skills, early math skills, large and small motor skills, development and enhancement of appropriate social and emotional skills, and self-regulation skills that promote success in school”.
The PUSD currently anticipates including TK students in a Kindergarten classroom, but the number of enrollees will determine the final structure of the program. Parents with questions may contact Julie Valdez at JValdez@piedmont.k12.ca.us.
The TK program is being offered as a schooling option as the State gradually, over the next 3 years, transitions the required entry birthday for Kindergarten from December 2 to September 1. The pubic school September 1 cutoff will correspond to the entry date currently used by most private schools.
Eligibility for Piedmont’s Transitional Kindergarten
Students whose fifth birthday falls between November 2nd and December 2nd, 2012, are eligible for the TK Program only. These students will participate in TK during the 12-13 school year and then participate in Kindergarten during the 13-14 school year.
Students whose fifth birthday falls between September 2nd and November 1st, 2012 are eligible for either TK or Kindergarten. Each family makes this decision individually, recognizing that if TK is chosen, their child will participate in a two-year kindergarten program.
Students whose fifth birthday is on or before September 1st, 2012 are eligible for Kindergarten only.
Senate Bill 1381 (also known as the Kindergarten Readiness Act) amended California Education Code to change the required birthday for admission to kindergarten and first grade. Beginning in the 2012-13 school year, to enroll in Kindergarten, students must be five years old by the following dates:
- School Year 2012-2013 – must be 5 years old on or before November 1st
- School Year 2013-2014 – must be 5 years old on or before October 1st
- School Year 2014-2015 and thereafter – must be 5 years old on or before September 1st
