Lifelong Educator Paulette Chaffee Discusses Transitional Kindergarten for 4-year-old Children Starting in California in August

Fullerton, California, United States – April 6, 2022 /MarketersMEDIA/ —

California is providing free additional educational support for children who previously didn’t have the option.

As educator Paulette Chaffee explains, starting in the fall school year, every school district must have a free program called transitional kindergarten for any child who turns five years old between September 2 of 2022, and February 2 of 2023. This year of pre-kindergarten will introduce these 4-year-olds to academics and the essential life skills they will need for kindergarten.

Eligibility for the new transitional kindergarten program won’t impact a child’s eligibility for other programs offered through the California State Preschool Program. This includes subsidized programs such as Head Start administered through the state Department of Social Services.

According to Paulette Chaffee, the universal transitional kindergarten program will cost the state $2.7 billion but is an investment well worth making.

One major aspect of the program is the equity it will likely create in early education. Before this expansion of the UTK program, parents from lower-income and even moderate-income families may not have had the option to send their 4-year-olds to an organized educational program. Since the state didn’t offer free programs like this, the only option was private schools which often cost a lot of money.

As a lifelong educator, Paulette Chaffee knows how important equity in education is, and she fully supports California’s expansion of the UTK program. Paulette has received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in communicative disorders and a California Lifetime Teaching Credential. 

In addition to working as a teacher and speech therapist in public schools for years, she worked as a speech therapist in hospitals and clinics.

In addition to the expansion of the UTK program for the 2022-2023 school year, California will roll out Universal Prekindergarten for all children who are four years old for the 2025-2026 school year.

Combined, the expansion of these two programs will help aid children at a time when experts say 90% of their brain growth occurs.

The programs will not be mandatory, as children only must attend school in the state after they turn six years old. Parents will have the freedom to decide whether they want to enroll children in the UTK program, send them to other private preschool or daycare, or have them remain at home.

Paulette Chaffee says that any parents who can send their 4-year-old children to the UTK program starting this fall should seriously consider it for the benefits it can provide.

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Release ID: 89072755

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