Teaching & TikTok: kindergarten teacher goes viral on socia...

Pre-K for all California Children- Proposal

And, a response

SB 837 would make Transitional Kindergarten Available to All Four-Year-Olds in CA

(Sacramento) – In recognition that too many California children are missing out on the early education they need to succeed in school, Senate President Darrell Steinberg is introducing the Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2014, which will make one year of high quality, voluntary transitional kindergarten available to every four-year-old child in California.

By providing transitional kindergarten (TK) for all, SB 837 will fill the gap in critical early education for our youngest students, where only one in every four preschool-age children is now eligible for the current transitional kindergarten program and only half of California’s low-income children are served in Head Start or State Preschool. Study after study has shown that children attending high quality preschool programs perform better throughout their subsequent years in school and graduate from high school at a higher rate than their peers. This is especially true for low income students, and SB 837 will help bridge that achievement gap.

Ed.note. 

This is a worthy endeavor. However, while proposing this important new program the California legislature has not fulfilled its prior duty.  We, the people, passed Prop. 30 to adequately fund the schools. School funding has not been restored- yet.California ranks 49th. of the 50 states in counselors per student, 49th. in students per classroom,   and 50 of the 50 states in librarians per student.

The legislature should first provide adequate class size and  counselors for the existing schools.  They should restore an environment for teaching and learning.  Then, they should provide social workers for all low income schools to develop programs to lower the drop out rates. It is policy subterfuge to propose new programs while the state continues to dramatically underfund the existing programs. 

Back to the press release from Senator Steinberg.