Transitional kindergarten eyed as option to fill preschool void

When national Head Start budget cuts announced earlier this year spelled the imminent demise of the Little Braves preschool program, La Conner Elementary School Principal Heather ­Fakkema reacted with sadness.

But not panic.

Fakkema was among those who first floated the idea of following up the Little Braves mission with a new educational concept – transitional kindergarten.

Transitional kindergarten, which serves students who are at least 4 years old, has been implemented in Washington state and elsewhere to help eligible children prepare for a successful kindergarten experience the following school year.

State lawmakers in 2023 bolstered the program with codified Transition to Kindergarten legislation.

La Conner School District is exploring transitional kindergarten as a potential successor to its on-campus preschool program, which will close when school dismisses for the summer.

“We are currently hoping that if we are able to provide a transitional kindergarten class that we will start in October,” district director of teaching and learning Beth Clothier told the Weekly News on Friday. “What I’m excited about for transitional kindergarten is that it provides our 4-year-olds an opportunity to get kindergarten ready at no cost to families, in the school setting, and with all school services available.”

The Washington State Office of Public Instruction (OSPI) states that transitional kindergarten:

- Serves children whose families do not meet income eligibility for ECEAP (Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program) and Head Start but can’t afford private fees for other early learning programs.

- Allows for access to a continuum of placement opportunities for children with disabilities.

- Supports children with behavioral/physical disabilities not well served in other early learning programs.

- Expands options for children in unstable housing or experiencing homelessness.

“Transitional kindergarteners would have access to the same specialists – in our case, music, art, and physical education – as well as services like speech therapy or special education as needed,” Clothier said.

She said that a transitional kindergarten here would be taught by a certified teacher, “ideally by someone with an early learning endorsement who utilizes a play-based curriculum.”

La Conner school officials have said they will embrace standards from OSPI’s TK Workbook as a roadmap while they plan for a local transitional kindergarten.

Clothier said the program would introduce “appropriate skills that will help students develop a healthy sense of self and community in the school environment to be better prepared as learners when they get to kindergarten.”

She said the goal for crafting a transitional kindergarten curriculum is to include social-emotional skills, language and literacy, mathematics, science, social studies and the arts.

The district is conducting a transitional kindergarten online interest survey for parents and families that is available at tiny.ccLCTK.

“This is so that we can determine if there are enough eligible/qualified students to create and sustain a program,” Clothier said.