Transitional Kindergarten has become increasingly popular across California, doubling in statewide enrollment between 2021-22 and 2023-24.
Less than a month into the new school year, TK enrollment in the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District is up nearly 8% compared to last year.
“Our enrollment this year is right at 138 students. Last year, we had just about 128, so we’re up a little bit,” said Jennifer Loftus, PRJUSD Superintendent.
Five of the six elementary schools in the district have TK classes.
The Paso Robles TK program has been growing over the years, a trend Loftus attributes to word of mouth and Governor Gavin Newsom’s Universal TK bill in 2021.
“A couple of years ago, Governor Newsom really did push for universal TK for all four-year-olds, giving school districts a few years to gradually implement over a period of time, each year opening up the window of enrollment eligibility a little bit more,” Loftus said.
To ensure there are enough TK teachers to meet the rising number of students, there are caps on class sizes.
“The class size for TK cannot be any larger than 24,” Loftus said. “Each TK classroom has a teacher and then also a full-time paraprofessional in the classroom, making the ratio 1 to 12,” Loftus said.
Alexis Lewis, a TK teacher at Pat Butler Elementary School, shared how she manages a classroom of 23 young learners.
“Kids are learning when they’re having fun and that fun usually means movement for the littles,” Lewis said. “If I have them on the rug for at least five minutes, I’m going to transition to something fun movement-wise. Just that little one-minute movement will make such a big difference for the next lesson we have and I’ll notice they are far more engaged,” Lewis said.
Miss Lewis’ movement-based approach to teaching allows her and the students to operate at full capacity, even when the classroom is at max capacity.
“My three years in the district, I have always had a max-capacity class by around December,” Lewis said.
She said the systems in place help her to keep the class running smoothly.
“Having the cap at 24 and the 12 to 1 ratio is incredibly important because they are really little, and they have gotten younger every year that I’ve taught TK,” Lewis said.
While Miss Lewis has one spot left until she reaches full capacity, there is more room left in the district for T-K students.
“If your child is age-eligible, then we will make room for you,” Loftus said.
