♪♪♪ (singing in Spanish) Narr: In Los Angeles County, the El Monte City School District is busy expanding its Transitional Kindergarten program.

Monica Ballardo, who teaches in the dual-language program at Durfee Elementary, loves teaching these youngsters.

Monica: Even though it might be a little chaotic in the classroom, the ability to just let the kids be kids theyre four.

Um, and I know sometimes we think like, oh, theres not a big difference between four and five, but when we think of age months-wise, the ability of what a 48-month old can do compared to a 60-month old.

Its big.

Narr: California plans to offer free Transitional Kindergarten, also called TK, for every 4-year-old by 2025.

Dr. Maribel: Transitional kindergarten is... is an opportunity for us.

Uh, were adding a grade level to the continuum, the educational continuum in our school system.

I mean, when was the last time that was done, right?

Narr: Transitional Kindergarten is not new in California.

First established with the Kinder Readiness Act in 2010 TK is designed to serve as a bridge between preschool and traditional kinder.

So far, it has only been available to relatively few children.

Monica: I tell parents all the time at back-to-school night, that kindergarten is not the same like when we were in kinder.

When we were in kinder, if we knew our ABCs off to first grade... thats no longer the case.

The rigor has increased and now the goal for the end of kinder is to read and write.

So with that new rigor, kinder was their first experience in school and were lacking fine motor skills, were lacking social emotional.

That caused, um, TK to come about.

TK was the answer for that.

Dr. Maribel: TK is not, uh, you know, a half step below kindergarten.

Its really a grade onto itself.

The magical years for kids are zero to five, right?

We know that the brain is just developing at maximum capacity during that time.

And so an opportunity to add a grade level that can really capture that time in a kids life is just so powerful.

♪♪♪ Narr: Monica used to be a Kindergarten teacher.

Now, instead of teaching 5-year-olds, she teaches 4-year-olds.

The difference, she says, is noticeable.

Monica: So, I love that we are targeting learning through... more of a play-based approach, center-based.

Were letting academics come in organically.

We slowly introduce the same standards that there will be exposed to the following year, but not expecting mastery, just practice, exposure.

Narr: California is the only state in the U.S. to commit to free universal TK.

Dr. Maribel: California has been very progressive when it comes to different measures.

You know, universal meals is one of them.

Universal TK is... is actually, you know, is... is the other, um, which makes California stand out, right?

And again, its this idea that, uh, you want to reach families, you wanna reach kids, uh, at an early age and provide them with the resources, the tools, the experiences, the magic, uh, from school systems early on.

Christina: I think right now there are a lot of programs available.

There are Head Start, early Head Start programs, state-run preschools, um, all of them with, um, income limits or different requirements, um...

Parochial schools offer, uh, similar programs.

Um, you know, theres private schools that are available too.

But for families, um, in my experience, who are right over the income limit, just a dollar over the income limit, theyre unable to access those resources and they still need them.

Narr: Adding a new grade level to the school system doesn't come easily.

Dr. Maribel: As we, you know, open up, uh, spaces for transitional kindergarten, you want to make sure that you have the right spaces and that you have the infrastructure to make sure that the classrooms are safe, inviting, welcoming and warm.

Narr: Monica has noticed a big difference in children who enter kindergarten, having gone through TK.

Monica: The biggest indicator of how successful students are now in kinder after completing TK is just my colleagues.

I cant tell you how many times my kinder colleagues come and thank me and are amazed at how prepared their students are because they had those foundations in... in... in TK.

Dr. Maribel: It just makes me very hopeful for the future because our kids are gonna be primed for success and we need them.

Theres a lot of issues out there, and I think our kids are gonna be ready to solve those issues.

(teacher and kids singing)