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Break out the crayons and finger paint: Every 4-year-old in California is now eligible for transitional kindergarten.

Fifteen years after a handful of school districts opened the first TK classrooms, California now has the largest 鈥� 鈥� early education program in the country. At least 200,000 youngsters will attend TK this fall, enjoying low teacher-student ratios, age-appropriate curriculum and plenty of music, art and circle time.

鈥淭his really is something to celebrate,鈥� said Carolyne Crolotte, policy director for Early Edge California, an advocacy group. 鈥淣ow, there鈥檚 no question about who鈥檚 eligible and who isn鈥檛. Everyone is eligible.鈥�

TK is meant to be a bridge between preschool and kindergarten, preparing 4-year-olds for the routine and expectations of elementary school while honing their social skills and self-confidence. In TK, children learn how to make friends, write their names and do basic math. Mostly, they鈥檙e supposed to fall in love with learning.

Holding frogs and counting marshmallows

That was the case at Silverwood Elementary in Concord last week as a dozen bright-eyed 4-year-olds hovered around their teacher, Elizabeth Swanson, as she gingerly held out a tree frog for their inspection.

Several got a chance to hold the docile, turquoise amphibian.

鈥淲hat does the frog feel like? What do you wonder about the frog?鈥� said Swanson, who was recently named Mt. Diablo Unified鈥檚 Teacher of the Year. 鈥淗ow does he use his hands? How do you use your hands?鈥�

But the tree frog 鈥� one of several critters in her classroom 鈥� was not the most popular attraction that afternoon. That honor belonged to the 鈥渉ome living鈥� station, a corner of the classroom dedicated to costumes, dollhouses, a mini kitchen and everything else an imaginative youngster would need to play house.

Last year, an enterprising group of students, inspired by the opening of a Dutch Bros. near the school, used the home living station to open their own coffee shop. They ordered lattes and made coffee and collected money. Swanson turned it into a math lesson by asking them to count marshmallows and decide how many should go into each cup of hot chocolate.

鈥淥ne child would be the barista and one would be the customer, so they learned how to share and take turns,鈥� Swanson said. 鈥淭hey were getting so much practice with social language and communication. And everything was integrated into play.鈥�

Importance of fun

Judy Krause, executive director of early childhood programs at Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, said that鈥檚 exactly what a TK classroom should be like. The focus should be on experimentation and hands-on activities, based on students鈥� interests. TK, she said, is not a version of kindergarten; 4-year-olds have unique developmental needs. The main one, she said, is having fun.

If children are enjoying themselves, they鈥檒l learn naturally, she said. If they feel overly pressured or bored, they鈥檒l lose interest and miss out on valuable skills they鈥檒l need for kindergarten and beyond.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a really big deal that we have this opportunity for all 4-year-olds,鈥� Krause said. 鈥淏ut we have to make sure we鈥檙e doing it right.鈥�

15-year rollout of TK

California , and a decade later began expanding it to all districts. This year is the culmination of that effort, with all 4-year-olds now eligible and 91% of districts offering the program. The only districts that are exempt are those that don鈥檛 receive money through the state鈥檚 funding formula because they receive more money through their local property taxes.

Like kindergarten, TK is optional. But many districts, including Mt. Diablo Unified, have seen strong interest from families. A from the Public Policy Institute of California predicted that about 70% of 4-year-olds will enroll in TK this fall, with waiting lists in some districts. Black, Latino and Native American students have been slightly underrepresented so far, although those not enrolled might be enrolled in other programs. The state doesn鈥檛 track that data.

Nearly everyone agrees TK is a good idea. Children who鈥檝e attended TK tend to do better in reading and math, and those with disabilities can be identified early and receive services, .

TK, which is free, can be a financial boon for families. Because of California鈥檚 high cost of living, child care and preschool costs are among the highest in the country, with families paying up to $20,000 annually 鈥� more than the cost of in-state tuition at the University of California.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has long championed TK, setting aside more than $2.7 billion in the years when the state had a budget surplus. The money is to help school districts pay teachers, keep class sizes small and provide other services to the new learners. Ongoing funds will come from the state鈥檚 Local Control Funding Formula.

鈥淐alifornia is making a big commitment to making transitional kindergarten free and accessible to all 4-year-olds,鈥� Newsom said in a . 鈥淲hen we鈥檙e finished, California will have the largest free preschool program in the country, where every 4-year-old can start their schooling on the right track, setting them up for success further down the road.鈥�

Teacher shortage and other challenges

But the TK rollout has had some hiccups. The chief one is finding enough qualified teachers. Because of the small class sizes and the extra qualifications required to teach 4-year-olds, there鈥檚 a , according to Early Edge California. Last year the state introduced a and more districts are partnering with local colleges to recruit and train future teachers, which has eased the shortage somewhat.

Another obstacle has been finding classroom space. Like kindergarten classrooms, TK classrooms must contain bathrooms, which means that districts had to find money to remodel existing classrooms, or build new ones altogether. Last year鈥檚 has funding available for TK projects.

TK has also had an impact on preschools. Families in California have several early education options: state-funded preschools for low-income families, federal Head Start preschool for very low-income families, and private preschools. Now that 4-year-olds have a free option, existing preschools have seen an enrollment decline that, in some cases, has led schools to raise prices or even close. A from UC Berkeley showed that TK expansion has led to 鈥溾�� in some parts of the state.

Bruce Fuller, an education professor at UC Berkeley who鈥檚 researched TK, said it鈥檚 too early to tell who鈥檚 benefitting from the program.

鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing a shift away from preschool and toward TK, but we don鈥檛 know if TK is actually reaching new families,鈥� Fuller said. 鈥淲e might just be seeing families who would have enrolled anyway.鈥�

Dual-language programs

A handful of districts offer dual-language TK classes, which have been popular with parents. Karina Galustians, a parent in the Tujunga neighborhood of Los Angeles, enrolled her daughter Julianna last fall in an Armenian-English TK class in Los Angeles Unified鈥檚 Pinewood Early Education Center.

Galustians鈥� husband speaks fluent Armenian, and the couple was eager for Julianna to be able to communicate with the extended family and learn more about the culture.

鈥淭he more languages you know, the better off you are,鈥� said Galustians, whose first language is Spanish. 鈥淭o find a school where she can get those academic skills and practice her Armenian 鈥� me and my husband were beyond grateful. We hit the jackpot.鈥�

Julianna starts kindergarten this fall at another Los Angeles Unified school, where she鈥檒l be part of the Armenian dual language program. 鈥淲e feel like she鈥檚 very well prepared,鈥� Galustians said.

鈥楨veryone feels included鈥�

Meanwhile, at Silverwood Elementary in Concord, Swanson ended the day by having students put away the blocks and plastic bugs and Eric Carle books. Then she sat with them in a circle and praised each child鈥檚 efforts and told them how excited she was to see them again tomorrow.

鈥淒avid, you were super responsible today,鈥� Swanson told an awed 4-year-old as she handed him a personalized certificate. 鈥淟indsay, you were a good friend. Zaire, you were so respectful.鈥�

Then it was time for the children to go meet their parents, who were waiting at the side of the playground. Swanson chatted with nearly every parent, telling them how much she enjoys their children.

鈥淚 think TK should be the same as what we want for society generally,鈥� Swanson said. 鈥淚t should be a place where everyone feels included and valued. We want everyone to be curious and non-judgmental and happy to be here.鈥�

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