Welcome to the SDCOE P3-UTK Publication
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This e-newsletter is designed to support the efforts, alignment, and implementation of universal prekindergarten (UPK) to 3rd grade (P-3) in San Diego County. We'll provide local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools with the most up-to-date information pertaining to the implementation of universal transitional kindergarten (UTK) as it relates to California Department of Education (CDE) requirements.
Our goal is to gather and share the most current and relevant content for the implementation of UTK and establish a network across San Diego County to support education leaders as they work to establish and create a new grade level.
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UPK Planning and Implementation Grant Planning Template |
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CDE Planning Template Purpose
The UPK planning template has been created to:
- Offer planning questions for LEA consideration in developing comprehensive plans for UPK that meet community and family needs
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Outline the data that will be required for submission to the CDE to meet the requirements of Education Code Section 8281.5.
This template includes recommended and required planning questions. Collectively, the recommended and required questions form a set of core planning questions the CDE believes are critical to supporting the development of a comprehensive, responsive, and community-centered UPK plan.
Recommended Questions: LEAs are highly encouraged to incorporate answers to these questions in their UPK plans. Responses to these questions are not required for submission to the CDE but do support more holistic planning that meets the intent of these funds.
Required Questions: LEAs will be required to answer the required data questions outlined in this template in a survey that will be issued by the CDE following the June 30, 2022, deadline for LEAs to present their plans to their governing boards.
The CDE will be collecting information on the answers to the required questions after July 30, 2022, in a survey. This will allow the CDE to learn about how LEAs are planning to implement UPK, and to identify what additional support may be needed to help LEAs as they move along the implementation process.
The questions required for submission to the CDE should be answered based on what the LEA plans to implement in the 2022-23 school year. However, the CDE encourages that LEAs, when developing their UPK plan for consideration by their local governing board, look beyond the first year of implementation and lay the foundation for the full implementation period. The CDE also encourages LEAs to look at their Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs) to identify where their LCAPs already include relevant opportunities for alignment and to consider the results of the UPK planning and implementation efforts as it pertains to future updates to their LCAPs.
Extensive overview of the template will occur during the San Diego County Office of Education's (SDCOE) Putting It All Together series, which begins Jan. 26. See below in the Networking Opportunity section for registration details.
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Universal PreKindergarten Planning and Implementation Grant |
By ensuring that each child in California has access to a year of high-quality pre-K, Assembly Bill 130 sets students up for success in kindergarten and beyond.
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The District Spotlight section is designed to highlight a San Diego County district or school each month to share best practices and connect leaders with one another out in the field. Leaders will provide insight, advice, and share tips on their efforts to build the bridge with P3 alignment in their district.
This month, we had an opportunity to connect with Ameret Reed, director of state preschool at Oceanside Unified School District. To learn a bit more about her work and her district, our team asked a few questions regarding their efforts.
“Last year, we opened a transitional kindergarten (TK) classroom at every elementary school site and expanded the hours for kindergarten," Reed shared. "This year, we expanded the hours for TK to mirror the kindergarten hours. Our after-school providers opened slots for our kindergarten students and for TK students where space was available. In addition, I have provided professional development for all early childhood teachers in general education, special education, instructional assistants, speech therapists, occupational therapists, and after school providers regarding curriculum, San Diego Quality Preschool Initiative (SDQPI) brain development in young children, handwriting skills, and social, emotional, and self-regulation skills.”
Building strong collaborative teams to support these efforts is key! We asked Reed what they are most proud of as it relates to supporting P3 alignment, and she said, “The vertical collaboration of the preschool through kindergarten teachers, our special education team, and our before/after school providers on state standards and best practices for social and emotional awareness at this age.”
As districts and schools are just getting started with P3, we asked Reed what advice she could provide to other districts.
“Talk to districts with similar funding sources to see what they have done and what works for them," she said. "In addition, look at fiscal planning and inclusion practices.”
Reed also shared that “working with our SDQPI team at the San Diego County Office of Education has been a tremendous support, and figuring out the financial aspects has been the most challenging. The director meetings provide a lot of information and time for collaboration.” |
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With the release of the Universal Prekindergarten Planning and Implementation Grant -Planning Template, the CDE has established the following definitions:
Preschool through Third Grade: P-3 is a continuum of learning from preschool through 3rd grade that can be supported by intentional practices at the classroom, school, and leadership levels that align curricula, assessment, and professional learning opportunities to ensure instruction builds on the knowledge and skills that children acquire as they transition across grades and settings.
Universal prekindergarten: UPK refers to universal TK as well as the expanded California State Preschool Program (CSPP), Head Start, and early childhood special education services that families can choose from to create rich early learning opportunities for all three- and four-year-old children during the year or two years before kindergarten. In high-needs neighborhoods, the CDE strongly encourages LEAs to consider pairing TK programs with access to Head Start and CSPP for age- and income-eligible three- and four-year-old children to further bolster program quality, either through the LEA’s own Head Start or CSPP program or via a contract partnership with a CBO that administers a Head Start or CSPP.
Transitional Kindergarten: TK means the first year of a two-year kindergarten program, serving 4-year-old children regardless of income that uses a modified kindergarten curriculum that is age- and developmentally-appropriate (Education Code Section 48000 [d]).
Universal Transitional Kindergarten: UTK refers to the expansion of TK by 2025–26 to serve all 4-year-old children by Sept. 1 of each year, regardless of income, providing a year of rich learning opportunities the year before kindergarten that families can choose from as part of California’s public education system. Education Code (EC) 8281.5
California State Preschool Program: CSPP is the largest state-funded preschool program in the nation. CSPP includes both part-day and full-day services to eligible three- and 4-year-old children. CSPP provides a core class curriculum that is developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate for the children served. The program also provides meals and snacks to children, parent education, referrals to health and social services for families, and staff development opportunities to employees. The program is administered through LEAs, colleges, community-action agencies, local government entities, and private, nonprofit agencies.
Expanded Learning: This includes before school, after-school, summer, or intersession learning programs that focus on developing the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs and interests of pupils through hands-on, engaging learning experiences. It is the intent of the Legislature that expanded learning programs are pupil-centered, results-driven, include community partners, and complement, but do not replicate, learning activities in the regular school day and school year.
Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P): ELO-P provides funding for after-school and summer school enrichment programs for TK through 6th grade. The ELO-P is defined as services provided in addition to the normal school day and school year operations, to provide full-day and full-year expanded learning programs to meet the needs of working families whose children are enrolled in TK through 6th grade and also provide expanded learning enrichment programming for students. A full day is defined as in-person before-school or after-school expanded learning opportunities that, when added to daily instructional minutes, are no fewer than nine hours of combined instructional time and expanded learning opportunities per instructional day. A full year includes a minimum of 30 days of programming in the summer and intersession for no fewer than nine hours of in-person expanded learning opportunities per day.
Early Learning and Care: This refers to the continuum of programs serving children from birth to preschool or school entry, as well as extended care to support school-age children with before school and after-school care as well as vacation schedules. This includes general child care, Early Head Start and Head Start, community-based early learning and care programs, family child care providers, and family, friend, and neighbor care.
Extended Learning and Care: This refers to the continuum of programs and services (early learning and care options and expanded learning options) available in addition to the normal school day and school year operations, to provide full-day and full-year care to meet the needs of working families whose children are enrolled in TK or kindergarten. A full day is defined as in-person before school or after-school programming or care that, when added to daily instructional minutes, provide no fewer than nine hours of combined instructional time and expanded learning opportunities per instructional day. A full year includes a minimum of 30 days of programming in the summer and intersession for no fewer than nine hours of in-person expanded learning opportunities per day. Funding to support extended learning and care for children enrolled in TK includes the ELO-P and the CSPP, as specified in guidance provided by the CDE’s Early Education Division. Additional subsidized care opportunities may be available to families who qualify, such as child care vouchers and the General Child Care School Age program.
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Beginning December 2021
"LEAs convene a planning team with individuals who will be responsible for key functions pertaining to implementing UPK and should include staff from the early learning department and community-based early care partners, curriculum and instruction (academic, educational services, professional learning), student programs (early childhood, English learner, multilingual education, etc.), workforce recruitment, preparation support, and human resources, business services, special education, assessment and data collection, expanded and after-school learning, ELO-P, and facilities."
March 1, 2022
LEAs convene a public engagement process to gather input and perspectives to inform the plan. This engagement process should include parents, early learning communities (including CSPP, Head Start, and the Head Start Policy Council), and expanded learning communities (including the After-School Education and Safety Program). To ensure meaningful engagement, the CDE recommends LEAs complete this by March 1, 2022.
April 15, 2022
If the LEA wants technical assistance from its county office of education, the CDE recommends LEAs submit a draft of the UPK Plan to the county office of education for review by April 15, 2022.
June 1, 2022
Planning teams meet with the county office of education to discuss the LEA’s draft, including local constituency input, by June 1, 2022.
June 30, 2022
Under state law, the plan must be developed for consideration by the LEA’s governing board or body at a public meeting on or before June 30, 2022. The CDE must encumber funds by June 30, 2024. LEAs will have until June 30, 2025, to use the funds.
After July 30, 2022
CDE will be collecting information on the answers to the “required questions” via survey format. LEA must provide data, as specified by the state superintendent of public instruction, to the CDE.
July 31, 2022
Following the presentation of the plan to the LEA's school board, the LEA shall respond to the CDE's subsequent requests for information no later than July 31, 2022.
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Start here...
- LEAs convene a planning team with individuals who will be responsible for key functions pertaining to implementing UPK and should include staff from the early learning department and community-based early care partners, curriculum and instruction (academic, educational services, professional learning), student programs (early childhood, English learner, multilingual education, etc.), workforce recruitment, preparation support, and human resources, business services, special education, assessment and data collection, expanded and after-school learning, ELO-P, and facilities.
- Begin your educational partner outreach with parents, staff, community groups, etc.
- Work with a demographer and start to collect your demographic data (see planning template) for projected enrollment. Resources from the United States Census Bureau for gathering census data can help with projected enrollment:
- Data Gems
- All Surveys and Programs
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Putting It All Together Series Begins Jan. 26
SDCOE is offering a new Putting It All Together series to support the planning and implementation of UPK for San Diego County school districts. The series begins Jan. 26.
In order to provide ample support to your district teams, we revised our series model for support in light of the recently released planning template. All previously determined dates continue to be accurate, yet our model for support will involve networking and workshopping that is template-driven in order to be responsive to the recommended CDE timeline.
- Session 1 - Jan. 26 from 10 a.m. to noon
- Session 2 - Feb. 17 from 9 to 11 a.m.
- Session 3 - March 3 from 1 to 3 p.m.
- Session 4 - March 23 from 9 to 11 a.m.
- Session 5 - April 7 from 1 to 3 p.m.
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Resources from the California Department of Education
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Invite your colleagues to receive this new publication by sharing this email or the link below. We'll be publishing no more than monthly as new information is available. |
We're hard at work updating the SDCOE's UTK/TK webpage. Check the site often for updates and new details related to the P-3 alignment effort and UTK news.
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If you would prefer to not receive this newsletter, please reply to this email (or email erin.dare@sdcoe.net) and ask to be unsubscribed. SDCOE sends important and critical information throughout the year, and we don’t want you to miss out by clicking the unsubscribe link in this email.
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If you have any questions or comments about P3 -UTK newsletter, email SDCOE Executive Leadership Coach Erin Dare or call 858-295-8913.
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Get up-to-the-minute information about what's happening at SDCOE and in our districts across the county. |
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