This is part of a series of legislative updates on the state's 2022 General Session. See also:
At the state level, lots of people are talking about transitional kindergarten. This is a newer service offered by some local school districts. It opts in kids to 2 years of kindergarten.
THE THINKING: Some kids need more preparation to succeed and they would benefit from enrollment in two years of kindergarten, starting at age 4.
- Schools identify which students would benefit and enroll them as kindergartners
- Kindergarten curriculum and standards apply
- Teachers are certificated, but not necessarily in early childhood education
YES, KINDERGARTEN, NOT PRESCHOOL: Preschool, or pre-K, is not part of basic education and is not included in state funding for school districts. For school districts to collect basic education funding for transitional kindergarten, these programs must use kindergarten, and not preschool, standards. This means they do not align with curriculum or standards used by Head Start or the state’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP).
Historical note: In 2009 the legislature voted to make
preschool part of the state’s program of basic education, but the governor at
the time vetoed it. Since then, separate licensing and quality ratings have been built and implemented by the Department of Early Learning and its successor, the Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF). Also, Head Start and ECEAP oversight is housed in DCYF and not in the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).
POSSIBLE BUDGET IMPACT: Four-year-olds with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) enrolled in kindergarten would count towards the “cap” in special education funding. This is important because the state cuts off a district's K-12 special education funding once students with IEPs hit 13.5% of full-time enrolled students. So, adding 4-year-olds with IEPs to kindergarten enrollment could mean funds overall are spread more thinly, depending on how close to the cap they are. Nationwide, rural areas have higher incidence rates of developmental disabilities and learning disorders, so this could impact rural areas more.
STAFF TRAINING: While teachers of transitional kindergarten must be certificated, they do not need to be certificated in early childhood education. They may or may not have the expertise in very young children that staff in ECEAP and Head Start must demonstrate.
Concerns raised
- Is Washington’s take on transitional kindergarten developmentally appropriate? Wouldn’t preschool be a better placement for most 4-year-olds?
- What curriculum is being used? Is it play-based, or is it aligned to academic kindergarten?
- Do parents understand the differences between kindergarten and preschool? (Is there a difference?)
- Do parents who also qualify for ECEAP or Head Start understand that they would lose access to the family support and child health aspects of ECEAP and Head Start?
- Will special education funding caps be a disincentive for school districts to include students with IEPs in transitional kindergarten?
DISABILITY TIE-IN: There aren’t many inclusive options in
Washington for preschool-age children with disabilities. Most school districts do not take, or push in, special education services to where the preschoolers are, but instead enroll them in developmental preschools where they may have little or no access to peers without disabilities.
In the 2021 IDEA report to Congress, Washington is bottom 4 among states, DC, and territories when it comes to placing
students with IEPs in regular early learning classes, alongside kids without
disabilities, with support pushed in. We are top 4 for placing preschoolers with
IEPS in separate classes or schools.
Some see promising options with transitional kindergarten.
But if IEP teams fail to review with parents the
pro’s and con’s of early kindergarten, students with IEPs may be diverted into
a program that might not be the best fit. Or if districts are concerned about funding, they could direct children with IEPs away from transitional kindergarten.
Advocacy for 2022:
Advocates are asking the state to gather information about transitional kindergarten before it expands further. As a state, we collect a lot about our preschool system, but very little from transitional kindergarten. The Early Learning Action Alliance (ELAA) is asking for funding in the state budget to collect the following information:
- What early learning curriculum, assessment, teacher credentials and competencies are required?
- How are children selected and prioritized for enrollment?
- How are school districts cooperating and communicating with local early learning providers?
- How are school districts using transitional kindergarten to improve inclusive services to children with disabilities?
- What family supports, connections and language supports are provided in transitional kindergarten?
You can read the all of the ELAA's legislative agenda here.
If you want to engage on this issue, write or call to your legislators and let them know about the request for a budget proviso for transitional kindergarte.
- You can find your legislative district and state legislators here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/
- You can find contact information for all legislators and see who is on the budget writing committees here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/rosters/
