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Redwood City board hears that TK grew from six to 19 classrooms; parents ask for Latino outreach
Summary
District staff told the board Dec. 10 that transitional kindergarten has expanded rapidly — from six classrooms four years ago to 19 this year and about 360 students districtwide — and urged continued outreach after a parent asked the district to advertise the program to Latino families.
District presenters told the Redwood City School Board on Dec. 10 that the district’s transitional kindergarten (TK) program has expanded quickly and is producing measurable early literacy gains while stressing ongoing needs for staffing and outreach.
“Going from six TKs four years ago to 19 this year,” presenter Ann Berafa told trustees, “we serve approximately 360 four and 5‑year‑olds.” Berafa, who said she coordinates the TK program, described a program grounded in play‑based learning and early literacy supports and said teachers and PLCs have been central to the program’s growth.
The presentation identified two specialized TK centers (Henry Ford and Roosevelt), explained the district’s curriculum choices, and detailed the challenge of hiring credentialed teachers: state credentialing plus early childhood units are required, and the district has used county grants and creative staffing policies to recruit and retain teachers and instructional assistants. Staff said a prior state UPK grant helped underwrite classroom materials and that the grant funding will end soon, leaving the district to carry those costs.
A parent who signed up to speak, Agugustina (Augustine) Espino, told the board she supported TK and urged the district to expand outreach to Latino families: “put it signs on the libraries and possible on the bus stops of the city… a lot of the families use that transportation so that they can see what it is and so that they can better understand,” she said.
Trustees followed with questions about outreach and cost. The board asked for an itemized list of what a future parcel tax or other funding would pay for; one trustee asked, “what is the amount of money and what is it going toward?” District staff said the district previously advertised preschool through libraries, clinics, hospitals and public access cable and could resume those low‑cost outlets. Staff also said the district is creating short videos and site‑specific orientation material to show families what TK classrooms look like.
On materials costs, presenters noted that some consumables need periodic replacement and gave examples during Q&A — for example, typical classroom rest mats were discussed at roughly $500 per classroom — and reminded trustees that each TK classroom is staffed by an adult teacher and an instructional assistant.
What’s next: staff agreed to prepare a concise cost breakdown and outreach plan (including possible bilingual advertising and the planned short video of classrooms) so trustees can evaluate potential campaign messages and budget options. The board did not take any formal action on TK at the meeting.
