Building the Plane While Flying It: California Transitional Kindergarten Teachers’ Experiences of TK Expansion

This report examines the working conditions and teaching experiences of TK teachers during the first year of expansion in 2023. It builds on our 2020 report, which looked at TK teachers’ working conditions prior to expansion.

Our findings show that: 

• Many TK teachers feel their district is not fully prepared for TK expansion. Only 20 percent of TK teachers reported an increase in school or district leadership’s understanding and support of developmentally appropriate practice for four-year-olds. In the absence of a standardized curriculum, individual TK teachers were often figuring out curriculum approaches for their classroom with limited guidance.
• Our findings also suggest that TK programs in districts with the California State Preschool Program (CSPP) face unique resource challenges that must be addressed. Despite the strength in the racial, ethnic and linguistic diversity of their teaching staff and student populations, teachers in districts with the CSPP were more likely than their peers in districts without the CSPP to report challenges such as large class sizes, supporting children with challenging behaviours and finding time for planning. 
• Assistants/aides contribute significantly to linguistic diversity. Only 22 percent of TK teachers reported speaking Spanish fluently. Yet nearly one half reported having an assistant/aide who speaks Spanish, which complements the linguistic diversity of the students.