Transition to Kindergarten Program. In 2023 the Transition to Kindergarten (TTK) Program was established to assist eligible children in need of additional preparation to be successful kindergarten students in the following year. Prior to 2023 some school districts and charter schools elected to offer a kindergarten program for children not yet age 5 who did not have access to high-quality early learning experiences prior to kindergarten, and had been deemed, through a screening process or other instrument, to need additional preparation to be successful in kindergarten the following year.
Rules. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) was directed to adopt rules for the administration of, the allocation of state funding for, and minimum standards and requirements for the TTK Program. The rules must include specified minimum requirements for school districts, charter schools, and state-tribal education compact schools operating a TTK Program.
Operation. School districts, charter schools, and state-tribal education compact schools operating a TTK Program must adopt policies regarding eligibility, recruitment, and enrollment for the TTK Program that, at a minimum, meet the requirements of the OSPI rules. When adopting TTK policies, school districts, charter schools, and state-tribal education compact schools must consider best practices developed by the OSPI, in collaboration with the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), related to statewide coordinated eligibility, recruitment, enrollment, and selection. School districts, charter schools, and state-tribal education compact schools may blend or collocate a TTK Program with other early learning programs. Charter schools authorized by the Washington State Charter School Commission are not permitted to operate a TTK Program until the beginning of the 2025-26 school year.
Enrollment. The Caseload Forecast Council provides the enrollment forecast for common schools and charter schools, which includes children enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12, TTK Programs, as well as other public school education programs. Enrollment is forecasted as a 10 month—September to June—annual average full-time equivalent (AAFTE), where one AAFTE is the equivalent of one student enrolled full time.
Funding. Funding for the TTK Program must be calculated using the actual number of AAFTE eligible children enrolled in the TTK Program, and based on the following portions of the prototypical school funding model: class size; staff types; district-wide support services; materials, supplies, and operating costs; the Learning Assistance Program; and the Transitional Bilingual Instruction Program. A TTK child must be counted as a kindergarten student for purposes of the model's funding calculations, but be reported separately. In addition, funding for the TTK Program must be based on the transportation distribution formula for public elementary and secondary schools, calculated using reported ridership for eligible children enrolled in the TTK Program.
Funding provided for the TTK Program is not part of the state's statutory program of basic education and must be expended only for the support of operating a TTK Program.
Beginning with the 2025-26 school year, the AAFTE eligible children enrolled in the TTK Program may not exceed the state-funded AAFTE specified in the omnibus appropriations act.
The OSPI must collaborate with the DCYF to develop a recommended plan for phasing in the TTK Program that does not exceed 5 percent growth in statewide AAFTE enrolled students each year. The recommended plan must consider plans for expansion of other state-funded early learning programs including, but not limited to, the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, and prioritize expansion for:
The OSPI must submit a report to the Legislature and the Office of the Governor by December 1, 2027, outlining the recommended plan for phasing in future TTK Programs beginning with communities with the highest need.
The Appropriations Committee recommends requiring the OSPI, during the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years, to prioritize TTK Program funding for TTK Programs that operated during the 2024-25 school year. The Appropriations Committee also recommends changing the due date for the recommended plan from December 1, 2027, to December 1, 2026.
(In support) School districts would prefer no enrollment cap on the TTK Program, but current budget challenges must be considered. This version of the bill is good because it would allow for small growth in TTK Programs each year if funding is provided in the budget. This version of the bill also prioritizes how to expand future TTK Programs, which will help ready children for kindergarten.
(Opposed) The TTK Program has created early learning opportunities and options for families where early learning programs are limited or nonexistent. Students who attend a TTK Program outperform their peers on Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills metrics and see positive long-term impacts, so limiting enrollment in the program would cause harm. Expanding early learning is crucial to school districts, and the TTK Program is beneficial to students and should not be limited.
(Other) Early learning and education opportunities advance children academically and have long-lasting impacts. The TTK Program closes early learning gaps and provides students with an opportunity to begin learning at an early age. This bill limits TTK Program enrollment due to the state's budget crisis. Although the bill does cap enrollment, this version of the bill is the best version because it directs the OSPI and the DCYF to coordinate on a plan to recommend further TTK Program expansion. The expansion plan would also ensure that TTK Programs are expanded in an equitable way into school districts and communities that need it most. The House budget delays the ECEAP entitlement date, so this bill is appropriate to maintain current TTK Program levels.
(In support) Jim Kowalkowski, Rural Education Center.