Almost all report that TK instruction differs substantially from traditional kindergarten instruction and that children benefit from this model.Ĭhild care cost, staff experience, location of the TK program and location of their child's siblings' school/care setting are important for parents when selecting a care setting in the year before kindergarten. Nearly all district leaders believe that TK programs improve children's academic and socioemotional preparedness for traditional kindergarten. Two-thirds of districts primarily use pre-K-only or pre-K/K curricula, while the rest use a kindergarten-level curriculum.įinally, the survey shows that both administrators and parents are overwhelmingly supportive of TK programs. Most programs use at least one literacy-specific curriculum, while just over half use a math-specific curriculum. In examining the programs themselves, the study finds that since TK programs in Michigan are district-initiated and district-led, they have more variation in the implementation compared with the state- and federally funded pre-K programs offered in Michigan. "If TK programs provide a publicly funded option for delaying traditional kindergarten entry, this could increase equity by providing an option to families who otherwise could not afford to delay their child's kindergarten entry," the researchers said. 1 kindergarten cutoff can enroll in TK as an early learning option before starting traditional kindergarten the following year. Children with fall birthdays who miss the state's Sept. Regarding enrollment in the program, students with summer birthdays, who would otherwise be the youngest in their kindergarten cohort, can delay traditional kindergarten entry for a year without a direct cost to their families. The authors also find that TK programs are seen by some district leaders as a way to attract and retain students and families. The researchers find that the majority of students in Michigan public schools are enrolled in a school district that offers a transitional kindergarten program, though districts that offer TK are more likely to be in suburbs and towns and to serve fewer students historically underserved by public education systems.Įducation administrators report that improving kindergarten readiness and providing a more structured learning experience before traditional kindergarten were important factors in deciding to offer TK. The policy brief, Michigan Transitional Kindergarten: A First Look at Program Reach and Features, draws on state administrative records and administrator surveys from districts that provide TK. Transitional kindergarten, or TK, is intended to provide an additional year of early education before children begin traditional kindergarten.
New findings by the University of Michigan Education Policy Initiative provide the first systematic description of transitional kindergarten, one of the largest early learning options the state funds, reaching thousands of young Michigan children. Expanding access to high-quality early education has been a bipartisan goal of Michigan policymakers for at least a decade.
0 kommentar(er)
