Helping parents navigate their K-12 public school choices in Los Angeles, including neighborhood schools, magnets, charters, dual language programs, gifted options, permitting and more.
It’s been a minute since I posted up here, so I figured it was time to reconnect and say, Hello, Los Angeles. How are you?
I have been working exclusively on Zoom for consultations as well as group talks, and have met some incredible families. I really enjoy meeting all of you and making a strategic admissions plan specifically catered to each child and each situation. From new parents trying to decide if they should adopt a TK program or wait another year, to tweens worried about finding the right middle school, to supporting our surly teenagers through those challenging high school years wondering if they will find their footing… and with everything going sideways over the past couple of years and our world continuing to churn, I have met with and supported so many of you and your children. I feel honored to be able to, in my small way, connect and assist families, by bringing clarity and a way forward through one of the most confusing systems during one of the most tumultuous time periods.
With another fall admissions season quickly approaching, I have announced a new lineup of fresh LIVE webinars. Just click over to my GoMamaGuide webinar series for all the details and to grab a ticket.
If all of this stresses you out and you just need immediate one-on-one assistance, let’s set up a Zoom Consultation together and create a personalized admissions strategy just for your child. Please note that Fall Admissions season is my busiest time of year.
I recently made the decision to retire my GoMamaGuidance newsletter – which started out as a monthly 15 years ago, then went to a quarterly, then eventually went dormant. To be honest, I just couldn’t keep up with it, and respect that you probably enjoy one less thing in your inbox.
Looking backwards, I realize I am coming up on the 20th anniversary of the launch of GoMamaGuide, which, frankly, is just astounding to me. 20 years! It was all quite by accident.
My daughter – who was the impetus for learning all of this – successfully navigated K-12 public schools in LAUSD (there was no TK back then), launched her way to college during the Covid lockdowns, graduated with honors from a top east coast university, is halfway through grad school, and has signed with a top firm for next summer. Bravo to her for finding her grit, her passion, her work ethic, and a way forward.
I’ll wrap up here for today, but more to come in this space as I reflect forwards, and backwards.
We’re heading into the final few weeks of the on-time LAUSD Choices lotteries, due Friday, November 17, 2023 for the 2024-25 school year.
Many of you have been asking about my webinars, and yes, all of them are now available on demand to watch at your convenience. These are content-dense LIVE recordings with the latest info. Just click on the webinar you want, purchase a ticket, and I will personally email you a special link and passcode to access the replay. Each ticket comes with a 14-day replay so you can watch and review at your own convenience.
If all of this stresses you out and you just need immediate one-on-one assistance, let’s set up a Zoom Consultation together and create a personalized admissions strategy just for your child. Please note that Fall Admissions season is my busiest time of year.
Many of you have been asking about my webinars, so I am adding a final fall LIVE date for my most requested webinar, Kindergarten 101, just in time before the LAUSD Choices deadline hits. This talk will have all the latest information, including the new and expanding age eligibility for Transitional Kindergarten (TK), and what that may mean going forward.
Announcing, Kindergarten 101: Know Your Public Options *LIVE*Weds, October 25, 2023 12p $35 TICKET After you purchase your ticket, you will be sent to Zoom to register for your unique login. (Don’t skip this step or you’ll miss out!)
This is a LIVE webinar, where you can ask me your questions in person, and/or watch the replay afterwards at your own convenience.
Stressed about choosing a Kindergarten? For families just getting started, in this 90 minute webinar we’ll go over how (and when) to begin the elementary school admissions process, the new TK/K age eligibility changes, Magnets and “That Point System” demystified, Charters and other tuition-free options, what to look for in a school, and more! This is chock full of info and my most popular talk. Parents will walk away with a solid understanding of what public school options are available to them, how and when to apply, and the tools they need to make a choice they can feel good about, especially given our large and complicated public school system *Recommended for parents of 3-5 year olds. Each webinar comes with a 14-day replay so you can watch on your own timeline.
If all of this stresses you out and you just need one-on-one assistance, let’s set up a Zoom Consultation. Please note that Fall Admissions season is my busiest time of year.
Just in time for the Fall LAUSD public school Choices or “Unified Enrollment” lotteries, I’m rolling out a fresh new series of live webinars with the latest information, breaking down exactly what you need to know, in order to successfully navigate the complex menu of public school options here in Los Angeles. These are live, interactive webinars with Q&A. If you can’t make the live, or want to review the material again, each ticket comes with a 14-day replay, so you can watch and review when it’s convenient for you.
Click on the webinar ticket link you want to purchase. After checkout you will be taken to Zoom to complete your registration. Don’t skip that step or you will miss out. To view the whole GoMamaGuide webinar series in more detail, visit: https://gomamaguide.com/store/webinars
Navigating the School System: The Overview Thurs, Sept 14, 2023 12p $35 TICKETS
Kindergarten 101: Know Your Public Options Weds, Sept 20, 2023 12p $35 TICKETS (Yes we’ll cover the new TK/K ages)
Middle School Madness Weds, Sept 27, 2023 12p $35 TICKETS
If all of this gives you a headache and you just need one-on-one assistance, let’s set up a Zoom Consultation. Please note that Fall Admissions season is my busiest time of year.
I have been fielding so. many. emails. questions, and concerns (!) about this recent Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Age Expansion announcement LAUSD just dropped on us.
…Should we stay? Should we go? Where is it? Who has it? Who doesn’t have it? Why don’t they have it? Where’s the LIST? What will it look like? What will that do to our current preschool if everyone leaves? Will my child be the only 4 year-old left? Why are only *some* programs offering this? What do you mean they changed the age? Now we’ll never win that (insert oversubscribed school) lottery! How will they manage this enormous age range in one classroom? Why didn’t they tell us this earlier? But it’s FREE so that’s good, right? …
Please excuse me if I dump all my thoughts onto this blog post, so I can direct you all to one centralized place of information.
Let’s talk about this recent LAUSD TK announcement, and in true GoMamaGuide fashion, I’ll break it all down for you.
First of all, what hasn’t changed?
The Kinder age cutoff: is still your child turns 5 by Sept 1. This is the fall your child can start Kindergarten. This is CA state law, impacting all public schools throughout the state of California, and is not affected by LAUSD’s recent TK announcement.
TK is, and always has been, an OPTIONAL program. Meaning, it is up to you whether you want to explore it. Or not.
TK is not a way to bypass Kindergarten. It is an optional preparatory year, followed by a full year of Kindergarten.
What is TK?
For the past decade, TK was a small program available at your local zoned elementary school, to children with fall birthdays who just missed the Sept 1 Kinder cutoff, who turned 5 between Sept 2 and Dec 2. TK enrollment fluctuated from year to year depending on the neighborhood children’s birthdates. It was not widely available, and in some years there were not enough fall birthday children to fill a whole classroom with a dedicated TK teacher. Many times it was a “split class” where one teacher had a cluster of Kinders doing their curriculum, and another cluster of TK-ers in the same classroom doing their TK or pre-Kinder curriculum. Offered as a full day program, on a district elementary school campus, with a focus on pre-literacy acquisition and pre-math skills, TK was created to provide children an early childhood education, who might not have the opportunity or means to do so otherwise. Indie charters also began offering TK, with their own particular methodology, with a fixed number of seats to lottery off each year, with priority going to siblings.
Last spring, LAUSD announced they would be expanding the TK eligibility age range by 2 more months, so children who turned 5 between Sept 2 and Feb 2 could attend these TK programs in the 2022-23 school year. Other programs, such as charters, followed suit.
What is changing?
With a state-wide push (and additional state and federal funding) to eventually expand TK to all 4 year-olds by 2025, most school districts have adopted a gradual TK age expansion rollout, adding two months of eligibility per year over the next three years, which looks like this:
Gradual TK Expansion Plan:
TK in 2021: Turns 5 between Sept 2 and Dec 2 TK in 2022: Turns 5 between Sept 2 and Feb 2 TK in 2023: Turns 5 between Sept 2 and Apr 2 TK in 2024: Turns 5 between Sept 2 and Jun 2 TK in 2025: Turns 5 between Sept 2 and Sept 1
But what just happened?
In a banner splashed across the Choices/Unified Enrollment application, which hundreds of thousands of parents saw as they entered the fall lotteries for next year, LAUSD just announced that instead of the gradual TK expansion, beginning next fall, ALL 4 year olds will be eligible to attend a TK program. 👇👇👇
From the LAUSD ECED website: ” Beginning in 2023-2024, all District schools that offer kindergarten will have UTK programs.”
Think Oprah: “You get a TK, You get a TK, and YOU get a TK!”
Did it have something to do with the fact that 50K enrolled LAUSD students did not attend the first day of school this fall? (cough, cough.) But I digress.
Now, let’s dig into this more specifically.
WHERE do we find these newly expanded TK programs?
-All LAUSD Zoned Neighborhood Schools -A few LAUSD Dual Language Programs -LAUSD Affiliated Charter Schools -Some Independent Charter Schools, but not all
Who does NOT offer TK?
-Magnet programs -SAS (Schools For Advanced Studies) programs -Most DLE (Dual Language Education) programs
Who is on the Gradual TK Expansion Plan?
-Most Indie Charters (can make their own site-based decisions, so ask on the tour) -Most Smaller Surrounding School Districts (will expand gradually by 2025)
Ok then. I hope that makes it more clear. Just in case you need a visual, have a look at my birthday chart.
Some final thoughts:
The 2023-24 school year will be the first year to test out this massive jump in age.
This mainly impacts LAUSD neighborhood schools and LAUSD Affiliated Charter schools.
Some questions to keep in mind:
What is the quality of the program? How safe is it? How do they handle conflict-resolution at this young age? Will your child be benched for not staying on task? What ratio of supervision is available during lunch and recess? What kind of training and/or experience do these teachers have in early childhood development? What behavioral methodology, or classroom management style do they use? How will your child acclimate or fit in? How do they handle separation anxiety?
Walk through any large preschool and look at the difference in age clusters, observing the development and maturity levels even among a 4-month age span. Now imagine extending that range by 12 months in one classroom. Hmmm. 4 year olds. On a big district campus. How do you feel about that?
If this brings up more questions for you, or you wish to dissect this as it pertains to your child and your family’s values, in your neck of the woods, reach out to me and I’ll be more than happy to assist you. Wishing you and your family all the very best.
Just in time for the Fall LAUSD public school Choices or “Unified Enrollment” lotteries, I’m rolling out a fresh new series of live “Lunch and Learn” webinars breaking down exactly what you need to know in order to successfully navigate the complex menu of public school options here in Los Angeles. These are live, interactive webinars with Q&A. If you can’t make the live, or want to review the material again, each ticket comes with a 7-day replay, so you can watch and review when it’s convenient for you.
Click on the webinar picture you want to purchase. After checkout you will be taken to Zoom to complete your registration. Don’t skip that step or you will miss out. To view the whole GoMamaGuide webinar series in more detail, visit: https://gomamaguide.com/store/webinars
Navigating the School System: The Overview Weds, Sept 14, 2022 12p $35 TICKETS
Kindergarten 101: Know Your Public Options Weds, Sept 21, 2022 12p $35 TICKETS
Middle School Madness Weds, Sept 28, 2022 12p $35 TICKETS
If all of this gives you a headache and you just need one-on-one assistance, let’s set up a Zoom Consultation. Please note that Fall Admissions season is my busiest time of year.
(article updated on Oct 1, 2015 with K-TK-ETK breakdown and additional links added at the bottom.) LAUSD will be expanding its Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Program to assist children impacted by the shuttering of its current SRLDP preschool program, by creating an Extended Transitional Kindergarten program, now acronymed as ETK.117 school sites will offer the program beginning in August 2015, with the remaining 173 sites opening in the 2016-17 school year.
There will now be 3 distinctions of the entry-level programs. Kindergarteners who meet the 5 by Sept 1st age cut-off will enter Kindergarten (K). Students whose birthday falls between Sept 2 and Dec 2 have the opportunity to enroll in the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program, and those children whose birthday is after Dec 2 and who quality will be placed in the Extended Transitional Kindergarten (ETK) program. All of these programs are a tuition-free, full 6-hour day following the same schedule as other elementary school classrooms, with Breakfast In the Classroom (BIC) provided. Class size will be limited to 24 students per class.
“The LAUSD Transitional Kindergarten Expansion Plan is intended to provide an alternate program in schools with closed School Readiness Language Development Program (SRLDP) classrooms.” —LAUSD website
Priority enrollment for ETK will be offered to low income high needs children who have missed the 5 by Sept 1st Kindergarten age cut-off and have also missed TK’s current 5 by Sept 2-Dec 2 cut-off. This is a preschool program that focuses on school readiness and language acquisition with the intention of preparing children for Kindergarten.
Only those students who legitimately qualify for the Free/Reduced Lunch Meal Plan (FRLP) will be eligible for ETK and then those applicants will be taken in order of birthdate beginning in Dec and continuing through March 31 and possibly into April, May or June if space is available. Families residing in the school attendance area will also be a priority. Schools may offer a 1-year non-renewable TK/ETK transfer to non-residents after satisfying all other priorities first.
See enrollment priority list below:
List of Expansion Sites for 2015: HERE Comparison chart of TK and ETK curriculum, framework, assessment, funding: HERE More Detailed Info – including overview, goals, curriculum, enrollment requirements: HERE LAUSD TK/ETK splash page to more links: HERE
I get asked about the new STEM focused Playa Vista Elementary School often in my talks and consultations. If you are interested in applying to the school, please find enrollment info below. As it is a neighborhood school, priority is given to those residing within the school’s attendance area. For non-residents, Wait List begins THIS FRI, Feb 1st, 2013 at PVES Main Office (open 7am-4pm)…first come, first served. ——-
2013-2014 Enrollment Information
Transitional Kindergarten (TK) T-K Eligibiity: Children must turn 5 on or between Oct 2-Dec 2; Kindergarten eligible children may enroll in T-K if space is available. For more info on T-K visit: http://www.tkcalifornia.org/
Kindergarten K Eligibility: Children must turn 5 on or before Oct 1.
Playa Vista Residents, One Westbluff Residents and LMU Employees
Registration Day – Sat, Feb 9th, 2013
9am-1pm at Playa Vista Elementary Library
Please pick-up an enrollment form at the PVES office as soon as possible and return forms on registration day. If you do not have your child’s physician card completed, you may turn in enrollment forms and bring your child’s immunization record (original and copy) and submit the physician card at a later date.
Enrollment Forms are NOW AVAILABLE for pick-up at the PVES main office (open M-F, 7am-4pm)
Please bring the following documentation with you to pick up a form.
Residents:
I. Photo ID (drivers license, passport)
II. Proof of residence (one of the following):
– Utility Bill (Gas, Electric, Water) *no phone bills*
– Rental or Lease Agreement
– Property Tax Papers
– Copy of Escrow Papers (if purchasing)
LMU employees:
I. Photo ID (drivers license, passport)
II. Recent LMU pay stub
Permits for Non-residents/Non-LMU employees Wait List begins THIS FRI, Feb 1st, 2013 at PVES Main Office (open 7am-4pm)
Permits will be released based on available space and in order of the wait list. To be placed on the wait list, please visit the office on or after February 1st (M-F, 7am-4pm). First come, first served.
Permit applications will be available starting April 15th. Questions? Contact the school office at 424-228-1800.
This topic has come up several times this week at my talks, plus it was also an “Ask Tanya” question on my FB page (thanks Susan!) so it begs to be outlined again.
New Kindergarten Age Requirements
With the passing of Senate Bill 1381, also known as The Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010, the Kindergarten age cut-off will be changing over a three year period beginning next fall. Currently a child must turn 5 by December 2 in order to be eligible to enter Kindergarten that year.
Beginning in 2012, to enter Kindergarten a child must turn 5 by November 1, then 5 by October 1 for 2013, and finally 5 by September 1 for 2014 and all subsequent years.
This will line California up with the majority of other states across the country.
Transitional Kindergarten
What this also means is that while we transition to the earlier cut-off, there may be current preschoolers with fall birthdays who will just miss the new age cutoff by a few weeks, catching parents by surprise. For those children impacted by these changes, you will have the option of staying another year at your preschool, finding a school that offers a Developmental Kindergarten or DK (some charters and private schools offer this, sometimes it’s called “Preppy K”), or enroll your child in one of the LAUSD Transitional Kindergartens or TK programs established by the new law. There are about 38 schools piloting a TK program this year at various school sites across LAUSD. It is expected that the number of TK programs will jump to 100 in 2012, and swell to more than 500 by 2014, the year of full implementation.
The TK program is designed to offer Kindergarten content at a slower-pace for those children with late summer, early fall birthdays who, for a variety of reasons, are ready to go to school but who might not be ready for the full-paced curriculum of a traditional kindergarten. It will support a foundation of successful learning and offer preparation for Kindergarten. Giving children the “gift of time” in a two-year Kinder program allows the child another year to mature socio-emotionally, physically, developmentally and ease into the rigors of today’s Kindergarten expectations.
Schools opt to pilot a TK program if there is demand and adequate staff. Being a new program and managed site by site, much is yet to be determined regarding the overall quality and consistency of these programs, nonetheless it will be an option to consider as part of the new law.
For further information contact Ruth Yoon, LAUSD Administrator, Early Childhood Education at 213-241-4713 or ruth.yoon@lausd.net for a list of participating TK schools.
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Want to use this article on your blog or website? You can as long as long as you include this complete blurb with it:
Tanya Anton is the creator/founder of GoMamaGuide.com helping parents demystify and navigate their public school options in Los Angeles. To read more articles by Tanya or to learn about her Guidebooks, House Chats, Consultations, and popular Seminars, visit GoMamaGuide.com or email us at GoMama@mac.com.
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