California Expands Transitional Kindergarten as Preschool Options Decline

State officials expanded transitional kindergarten programs after the COVID pandemic, adding places for 96,000 children each year. Half of all 4-year-olds now attend this grade. Officials also increased the number of childcare vouchers and raised per-pupil spending for public schools.

This year officials proposed a 2 percent cut in public childcare and preschool programs after adjusting for inflation. The change follows earlier increases in transitional kindergarten enrollment.

A UC Berkeley analysis found nearly 1,200 nonprofit preschools have closed since 2021. Los Angeles County lost 12,000 slots in nonprofit preschools. Mid-size counties lost more than 4,000 child places. Parents must now pick up children from transitional kindergarten in the early afternoons.

Community preschools previously operated from early morning through evening and during the summer. Less than a third of parents of 3-year-olds have found preschool slots in neighborhood programs. Democratic lawmakers have supported incentives to help nonprofits serve younger children.

The measures include higher per-child allocations for children under 4 and extended eligibility for families earning up to about $120,000 yearly.