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Director of Curriculum outlines Transitional Kindergarten changes for 2025–26
Summary
Oak Grove's Director of Curriculum explained the district's Transitional Kindergarten expansion for 2025–26: eligibility tied to turning 4 by Sept. 1, new smaller class ratios, full-day schedules, curriculum aligned to California Preschool Learning Foundations, and enrollment steps.
The Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessments for Oak Grove told families at a Transitional Kindergarten information evening that the district is expanding TK for the 2025–26 school year, outlining eligibility, staffing ratios, curriculum and how to enroll.
The director said the state mandate for TK eligibility requires a child to be four years old by Sept. 1 and described the district’s operational changes for 2025–26: class ratios will shift from the current '1 to 12' model (two adults in a classroom of 24 students) to '1 to 10,' with 20 students supported by a credentialed teacher and a full-time classified assistant. "That is a state mandate," the director said, adding the ratio change is a significant difference from the current year.
Why it matters: the presenter framed TK expansion as an equity investment. Citing research, she said that '90% of a child's brain develops before age five' and argued that early-learning settings help identify needs earlier, support social-emotional development and connect families to health and social services. The presentation also noted county readiness data and urged families to consider early enrollment resources available at enrollsanta.org.
Curriculum and classroom practice: the district will follow the California Preschool Learning Foundations across domains including social-emotional development, language and literacy, mathematics, arts, physical development and science. The speaker described a play-based approach with routines and centers that integrate literacy and fine-motor skills — for example, using Play-Doh to model letters as part of early literacy instruction — and said the district uses an early-childhood curriculum (transcribed in the meeting as 'FR stre') that pairs social-emotional learning with thematic units.
Daily logistics and supports: TK in Oak Grove will be a full-day program with no scheduled naps; the director said breakfast (grab-and-go) and lunch are provided for all TK students. The sample day includes morning meetings, social-emotional check-ins, integrated academic centers, a 45-minute lunch and quiet or choice time in the afternoon. Teachers will use tiered interventions and, when needed, intensive one-on-one supports with assistance from the classified assistant.
Sites and program options: the director said TK will be available at every district school except Indigo, which remains a program-choice site. She listed program-option sites including Christopher and Del RO for two-way bilingual immersion and noted STEAM-focused sites for families seeking specific program models.
Enrollment steps and contacts: enrollment had opened the Monday prior to the session; families must apply online or in person at their home school. The director provided district enrollment support contact information and said she would post the PowerPoint and relevant links in the chat. For district help she named Thea Lis (extension 100267) as the enrollment contact and offered an email for site-specific questions.
The presentation closed with an offer for further support from the district and directions to the posted materials. No votes or formal board actions were taken during the session.
