TRANSITION TO KINDERGARTEN: OUR POSITION ON HOUSE BILL 1550

Due to a lack of access to high-quality early learning services, approximately half our state’s five-year-olds enter kindergarten without the skills they need to thrive academically. Transitional Kindergarten (TK) classrooms have provided many of these children with preparation for kindergarten.  

However, TK programs could cause harm to children and the greater early learning system. Depending on the site, instructors may not have a background or certification in early childhood education, which impacts the quality of children’s learning. While it is heartening to see the growth of TK programs fill a gap for children without access to early learning, we have also seen in California and New York that uncoordinated growth can threaten the early learning system.  

We support the original House Bill 1550’s provisions that set quality standards for Transition to Kindergarten (TTK), because a child’s early learning education is instrumental to their future success. Transition to Kindergarten classes have a growing role in the early learning ecosystem, and we believe that this program must expand in an intentional way that equitably prioritizes children farthest from opportunity, such as children in child care deserts or children who do not qualify for Head Start.  

As we envision expanding and improving TTK classrooms, we also value protecting families’ present access to this program. Current TK classrooms should continue to operate as they prepare to become TTK classrooms. By following these values, we can ensure that all children, regardless of race, class, or where they live in Washington state, will be ready for kindergarten.