What is the difference between pre k and transitional kindergarten

What is the difference between pre-K and the transitional kindergarten? We were planning to sign our daughter up for pre-K at one of the public schools in our area that offered this fee based program. Our daughter turns 5 on Aug. We chose not to start her in kindergarten this year because we would rather her be 18 years old entering her senior year, than just turning We would like her to enter college when she turns 19, instead of We believe this one year maturity difference is very meaningful at those transitional periods.

I think some parents send their children to school early because both parents are working and public schools are free compared to day care or preschool. Pre-K programs are preschool programs and those are still fee based and not part of the public school system. The transitional kindergarten program is part of our public school system now and it is set in place now from here on out.

Learning Without Tears is introducing its brand new product offerings for transitional kindergarten. The concept of transitional kindergarten was pioneered by the State of California in when a law was passed called the Kindergarten Readiness Act to make a place for 4-year-old and new 5-year-old children who turn five between September 2 and December 2 and are developmentally in-between preschool and kindergarten.

Transitional kindergarten offers children with late birthdays extra time and a developmentally appropriate curriculum to prepare them for entering kindergarten. In an academic world where standards for kindergarteners are increasingly similar to those once expected of first graders, transitional kindergarten provides an appropriate bridge to meet the social-emotional and academic needs of younger rising kindergarten students who might not be ready for traditional kindergarten.

While there is currently no state-mandated curriculum, transitional kindergarten teaches children the foundational learning skills they need in order to be comfortable in a classroom environment among their peers.

By delaying the enrollment year for kindergarten, 4-year-olds and young 5-year-olds are offered the time to build the foundation skills necessary for them to adapt successfully to kindergarten when they are ready. Students not only learn essential pre-literacy, pre-math, and other cognitive skills but also develop social and self-regulation skills needed to succeed in school and life.

While they may feel similar, many transitional kindergarten programs have stark differences from their preschool counterparts. For example, in California, transitional kindergarten teachers must meet the credential requirements to teach kindergarten in the K system , while preschools may not have the same requirements. Additionally, transitional kindergarten curriculum is often modeled after a kindergarten curriculum, modified to be developmentally appropriate for a younger class.

A study conducted by Christopher Doss through the Stanford-San Francisco Unified School District Partnership found that transitional kindergarten differs from pre-k in that it is folded into the larger K system, employs teachers that are more highly educated and compensated, and offers a more academically focused curriculum. Transitional kindergarten can benefit both the student and the school.

Click here to cancel reply. We welcome your comments. All comments are moderated for civility, relevance and other considerations. Click here for EdSource's Comments Policy. I have so many questions. In Preschool kids have to have a rest time In Preschool the children have to be supervised in the bathroom, is that going to change? There are some kids in this age group that are not independent bathroom users. Will they be allowed to be in TK? Some do not have BA's.

In Preschool kids have to have a rest time…will that go away? Will they be able to teach TK or will they have to get a multiple subject credential? What is being put in place to get k-5 teachers trained in ECE? What is being put in place to get ECE teachers the needed K-5 credential? The continued voluntary only status of kindergarten makes no sense. How are the deficits a student who entered 1st grade without any prior schooling to be addressed?

Kindergarten should be made as mandatory as 1st grade! Lauret: there is no research that early entry into traditional kindergarten better prepares learners for life long success. Traditional adult led learning environments may indoctrinate children into how to sit, how to raise their hands to go to the bathroom, how to memorize for the test, but it does not provide them with any long term cognitive advantages. That is why we continue to celebrate that Kindergarten be optional We need to … Read More.

That is why we continue to celebrate that Kindergarten be optional…. We need to support the best quality day cars and ECE centers that we can, with care providers who are educated in the specific developmental needs of very young children, not put little children into public schools designed for older children.

My public school district currently has a five hour day for both TK and kindergarten.