Legislators Confronted With Numbers of Students in Their District Who Could Be Shut Out of Kindergarten

04.09.2012 | Preschool California

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Apr. 9, 2012

Contact:

Jennifer Kern, PR & Company, (415) 244-7676, jkern@prandcompany.com

Deborah Kong, Preschool California, (415) 385-4288, dkong@preschoolcalifornia.org

Legislators Confronted With Numbers of Students in Their District Who Could Be Shut Out of Kindergarten

Parents Impacted by Governor’s Proposal Implore Legislators to Save Kindergarten

Sacramento, CA – April 9, 2012 – Today the Save Kindergarten Coalition delivered maps to every California state legislator highlighting the number of students in their district who could be shut out of public school should Governor Brown’s proposal to cut transitional kindergarten take effect. The maps illustrate for each legislator how his or her constituent families would be burdened if they lack access to transitional kindergarten.

“Legislators need to be confronted with the real children and families who hang in the balance with the Governor’s proposal to eliminate transitional kindergarten,” said Catherine Atkin, president of Preschool California.

California State Assembly and Senate district maps illustrating the number of kids who could lose their right to kindergarten this fall in each legislative district are available at: http://www.earlyedgecalifornia.org/resources/resource-files/tk-assembly-map.pdf and http://www.earlyedgecalifornia.org/resources/resource-files/tk-senate-map.pdf.

Save Kindergarten Coalition parents across the state are contacting their legislators to share how the Governor’s proposal to eliminate transitional kindergarten would impact their family.

Sarah Altman, mother of two in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles, has been working hard all year to get her four year old son Kadyn into a transitional kindergarten program. Kadyn, a November baby, is too old to qualify for state preschool again next year, and too young for kindergarten.

“If transitional kindergarten is not offered next year, my son has nowhere to go. We feel abandoned and I’m panicked because it’s up to me to figure out my son’s education next year,” said Sarah Altman. “Private childcare just isn’t an option financially. If he doesn’t have a space at school, I won’t be able to re-enter the workforce as I had planned, which puts an enormous stress on my family.”

Until the proposal to eliminate transitional kindergarten is off the table, families like the Altmans must grapple with unequal access to public education– as some districts are moving forward with transitional kindergarten implementation while other districts are on hold. After being told their local school would not offer transitional kindergarten in the fall, Sarah Altman entered a lottery for students outside the school district. She is still waiting to see if her son will win a space in a transitional kindergarten classroom.

Vy Pham, a mother in Los Angeles who is the head of her household, was counting on enrolling her daughter Zoe, a November baby, in transitional kindergarten next fall.

“Eliminating transitional kindergarten would put a lot of people in dire straits. My daughter is out of a spot in her Head Start program in August, and other preschool programs already have long waiting lists,” said Vy Pham. “More than that, repeating the preschool curriculum would hold my daughter back. I don’t want a big gap in her education. I don’t want her mind idle at home with a sitter. Transitional kindergarten is the right next step for my daughter.”

In a critical move towards ensuring no child is denied their right to kindergarten, on March 13 the California State Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education voted to reject the governor’s budget proposal to eliminate transitional kindergarten.

The Save Kindergarten Coalition of school districts, superintendents, educators, parents, business and civic leaders and child advocates rejects the governor’s proposal and is urging the California state legislature and governor to follow the Kindergarten Readiness Act that established transitional kindergarten and remains state law. Learn more about the Save Kindergarten Campaign at: www.earlyedgecalifornia.org/savekindergarten

Fully implementing transitional kindergarten is in accordance with The Kindergarten Readiness Act – the California law that changed the kindergarten entry date so that children enter school at age 5 and established transitional kindergarten, a developmentally-appropriate grade to serve those younger students with birthdays between September and December.

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About Preschool California

Preschool California is a nonprofit advocacy organization working to increase access to high-quality early learning for all of California’s children, starting with those who need it most. Learn more at: www.earlyedgecalifornia.org/savekindergarten.

A map of California school districts implementing transitional kindergarten is available at www.earlyedgecalifornia.org/tkmap.

Additional Parent Profiles and photos are available at: www.earlyedgecalifornia.org/tkparents.

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