Launched in the 2021-22 California state budget, the state’s Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) initiative offers families with four-year-old children the option of free-of-cost Transitional Kindergarten (TK).
All elementary schools in the Orinda Union School District (OUSD) offer TK, with this year’s eligibility open to students who turned four on or before Sept. 1. OUSD’s TK provides a play-based program, with curriculum that is standards-based and aligned district-wide.
But the statewide standardization of free TK for all has triggered some changes for private preschools, and caused many across the country to close – including Smiles Day School, which abruptly shut down last month after 40 years at Montclair Presbyterian Church.
“What I’ve seen across the board is our four-year-old classes get smaller,” said Claire Petersen, executive director of Holy Shepherd Community Preschool in Orinda. Petersen has worked in the early childhood sector in Orinda for more than 20 years.
The shrinking classes’ trend began in 2014, she said, and has led to the bulk of students now going to TK as soon as they are age-eligible to do so.
“What that means is most of the local programs no longer have TK classes in their private programs,” said Petersen. “And the other thing that’s happened is, the financial circumstances for the schools have changed, because the younger the children are that you serve, the more adults you need in your program.”
Amid the state TK rollout over the past few years, Holy Shepherd saw changes on the horizon and so prepared accordingly by beginning to serve younger students. That also involved building classrooms specifically for younger students during the school’s remodel.
“But that process costs a lot of money, and it doesn’t move very quickly,” Petersen pointed out.
Meanwhile, at The Orinda Preschool (TOPS), there’s been “a lot of constant change” since the implementation of TK into the public-school systems, according to the preschool’s director Kristin Armanini, who has been at the school for more than 30 years.
To Armanini, who raised her kids in the Orinda community, it’s a multi-faceted issue.
“We live in a community that’s very academically rigorous,” she said. “And I think parents are always afraid of their children missing out on things,” which in turn drives parents to enroll their kids into public TK.
“I think it’s always coming from a place of love and concern,” she said. “But it’s lack of truly understanding how children learn and what they need most.”
That push and focus on academics is what has driven most preschools in the area to respond by serving younger children, said Armanini.
Petersen shared a similar view.
“If you want your business to be sustainable, you have to plan for the future to serve younger children,” she said. And, when it comes to area preschools, “What I think it means for most of us is just running a smaller program,” she continued.
TOPS, however, currently doesn’t have plans to expand its programs to younger children.
The student-to-teacher ratio is different for a younger group too, said Petersen. A class of 12 four-year-olds might require two teachers, while a class of only six 18-month-olds would need the same staffing.
“The financial impact is definitely already in play here,” said Petersen, noting the closure of preschool programs across the country. Lamorinda schools are no exception, she said, with several closing or downsizing.
There’s also been a trend of parents in Orinda choosing family childcare over having a child under the age of two in a group care or preschool setting, said Petersen.
Armanini has seen a trend of more dual-income families moving into the community and said there’s a lack of daycare options for younger children. She also notes that the early childhood education field is one that doesn’t pay well, so she has seen a lack of qualified candidates.
Like the TK offered through the local public school district, Holy Shepherd features a play-based curriculum, as does TOPS.
TOPS has also restructured itself to be a mixed-age model, instead of having a separate TK class.
Holy Shepherd uses project-based emergent curriculum to allow students a deep dive into what piques their curiosity, whether that be nature, color mixing or how to make a pancake, said Petersen.
“Whatever it is they’re interested in, we support their curiosity and we weave into those projects what parents view as academics,” she said. “And that’s not the same philosophy in every early childhood program. But I think the key to understanding what those four-year-olds are missing is that nurturing environment, where we’re really focused on social-emotional development, independent of what your philosophy about curriculum is.”
Armanini said that while she doesn’t aim to disparage public schools in any way, she hopes that they can figure out how to make a developmentally appropriate program.
“I’m going to continue to fight the fight,” said Armanini. “I’m spending a lot of time and energy educating my families about child development, understanding why I believe that children should really be playing, and it’s more than just academics, it’s the whole body.”
OUSD’s transitional kindergarten a problem for private preschools
