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District details early-childhood expansion: Young Fives moved, TK and inclusion plans expanded
Summary
The board received an update on early-childhood programs: 16 classrooms with 274 enrolled in district preschool/TK programs, plans to move a Young Fives class to Hoover and convert another classroom to TK at Greendale, expansion of inclusive preschool and parent-education offerings and plans for Mandarin and Spanish parent classes.
District staff presented a progress update on early-childhood work that grew out of an ad hoc committee formed earlier this year. Judy Argumeto, the district’s early-childhood education administrator, outlined the program components — Young Fives, transitional kindergarten (TK), special-education preschool, preschool-family parent education and a Paly early-childhood pathway partnership — and described next steps for implementation.
Argumeto said PAUSD currently has 16 early-childhood classrooms with 274 students (excluding preschool family enrollment) and noted that enrollment patterns have shifted as TK expanded. "Next year, this program will move to the Hoover campus," Argumeto said of Young Fives, and one of the Young Fives classes will convert to a TK class at Greendale so site-level resources better support kindergarten transition.
The presentation highlighted increased inclusion for students with disabilities, a play-based TK curriculum aligned to the California Preschool Learning Foundations and a plan to add parent-education series in Mandarin and Spanish. Staff also described a preschool-family model that has been part of the district for decades and said they will expand a monthly parent series starting in the fall.
Public commenters asked for clearer advance notice to families when program locations change and for a fuller presentation of the complete early-childhood program. Trustee questions focused on mental-health language in the educational-leader criteria, naming specific underrepresented student groups in cultural-competence language and monitoring impact over time.
Next steps: staff will publish the comprehensive early-childhood plan and continue to refine enrollment and location details with principals and families.
