Transitional kindergarten enrollment doubles in two years

Who doesn’t want free child care?  What parent does not want, for free, time off from their children for a while?  Years ago we had Head Start—today we call it transitional kindergarten.  Why did Head Start go away?  Because studies showed it was a waste of money.

From CATO:  “When the researchers gave both groups of students 44 different academic tests at the end of the first grade, only two seemed to show even marginally significant advantages for the Head Start group. And even those apparent advantages vanished after standard statistical controls were applied.

In fact, not a single one of the 114 tests administered to first graders — of academics, socio-emotional development, health care/​health status and parenting practice — showed a reliable, statistically significant effect from participating in Head Start.

Some advocates of the program have acknowledged these dramatic results, but suggest that it’s not necessarily Head Start’s fault if its effects vanish during kindergarten and the first grade — perhaps our K‑12 schools are to blame.”

This is not about education for children.  It is about hiring more teachers, who pay dues to the unions—this is about union power not the kids.

Transitional kindergarten enrollment doubles in two years

DIANA LAMBERT, EdSource, 7/16/24   https://edsource.org/updates/transitional-kindergarten-enrollment-doubles-in-two-years

Enrollment in transitional kindergarten classes in California has doubled in the last two years, according to state enrollment data.

Transitional kindergarten enrollment grew from 75,465 in 2021-22 to 152,491 in 2023-24, according to the state. 

The grade level, which precedes kindergarten, was expanded to include all 4-year-olds by legislation signed in 2021. The state expects the program, called Universal Pre-Kindergarten, to be fully implemented by 2025.

“California is investing in students’ early education and increasing access to TK across the state,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom in a statement. “Through the state’s efforts to add a whole new grade, we have created more opportunities for kids to begin learning at an earlier age.”