(a) A child shall be admitted to a kindergarten maintained by the school district at the beginning of a school year, or at a later time in the same year, if the child will have their fifth birthday on or before one of the following dates:
(1) December 2 of the 2011–12 school year.
(2) November 1 of the 2012–13 school year.
(3) October 1 of the 2013–14 school year.
(4) September 1 of the 2014–15 school year and each school year thereafter.
(b) The governing board of the school district of a school district maintaining one or more kindergartens may, on a case-by-case basis, admit to a kindergarten a child having attained the age of five years at any time during the school year with the approval of the parent or guardian, subject to the following conditions:
(1) The governing board of the school district determines that the admittance is in the best interests of the child.
(2) The parent or guardian is given information regarding the advantages and disadvantages and any other explanatory information about the effect of this early admittance.
(c) As a condition of receipt of apportionment for pupils in a transitional kindergarten program pursuant to Section 46300, and Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 47610) of Part 26.8, as applicable, a school district or charter school shall ensure the following:
(1) In the 2012–13 school year, children who will have their fifth birthday between November 2 and December 2 shall be admitted to a transitional kindergarten program maintained by the school district or charter school.
(2) In the 2013–14 school year, children who will have their fifth birthday between October 2 and December 2 shall be admitted to a transitional kindergarten program maintained by the school district or charter school.
(3) (A) In the 2014–15 school year and each school year thereafter, children who will have their fifth birthday between September 2 and December 2 shall be admitted to a transitional kindergarten program maintained by the school district or charter school.
(B) (i) For the 2015–16 school year and each school year thereafter, a school district or charter school may, at any time during a school year, admit children to a transitional kindergarten program who will have their fifth birthday after December 2 but during that same school year, with the approval of the parent or guardian, subject to the following conditions:
(I) The governing board of the school district or the governing body of the charter school determines that the admittance is in the best interests of the child.
(II) The parent or guardian is given information regarding the advantages and disadvantages and any other explanatory information about the effect of this early admittance.
(ii) Notwithstanding any other law, a pupil admitted to a transitional kindergarten program pursuant to clause (i) shall not generate average daily attendance for purposes of Section 46300, or be included in the enrollment or unduplicated pupil count pursuant to Section 42238.02, until the pupil has attained the pupil’s fifth birthday, regardless of when the pupil was admitted during the school year.
(d) For purposes of this section, “transitional kindergarten” means the first year of a two-year kindergarten program that uses a modified kindergarten curriculum that is age and developmentally appropriate.
(e) A transitional kindergarten shall not be construed as a new program or higher level of service.
(f) It is the intent of the Legislature that transitional kindergarten curriculum be aligned to the California Preschool Learning Foundations developed by the department.
(g) As a condition of receipt of apportionment for pupils in a transitional kindergarten program pursuant to Section 46300, a school district or charter school shall ensure that credentialed teachers who are first assigned to a transitional kindergarten classroom after July 1, 2015, have, by August 1, 2021, one of the following:
(1) At least 24 units in early childhood education, or childhood development, or both.
(2) As determined by the local educational agency employing the teacher, professional experience in a classroom setting with preschool age children that is comparable to the 24 units of education described in paragraph (1).
(3) A child development teacher permit issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
(h) A school district or charter school may place four-year-old children, as defined in subdivision (aj) of Section 8208, enrolled in a California state preschool program into a transitional kindergarten program classroom. A school district or charter school that commingles children from both programs in the same classroom shall meet all of the requirements of the respective programs in which the children are enrolled, and the school district or charter school shall adhere to all of the following requirements, irrespective of the program in which the child is enrolled:
(1) An early childhood environment rating scale, as specified in Section 18281 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, shall be completed for the classroom.
(2) All children enrolled for 10 or more hours per week shall be evaluated using the Desired Results Developmental Profile, as specified in Section 18272 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations.
(3) The classroom shall be taught by a teacher that holds a credential issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing in accordance with Section 44065 and subdivision (b) of Section 44256 and who meets the requirements set forth in subdivision (g).
(4) The classroom shall be in compliance with the adult-child ratio specified in subdivision (c) of Section 8264.8.
(5) Contractors of a school district or charter school commingling children enrolled in the California state preschool program with children enrolled in a transitional kindergarten program classroom shall report the services, revenues, and expenditures for the California state preschool program children in accordance with Section 18068 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations. Those contractors are not required to report services, revenues, and expenditures for the children in the transitional kindergarten program.
(i) Until July 1, 2019, a transitional kindergarten classroom that has in attendance children enrolled in a California state preschool program shall be licensed pursuant to Chapter 3.4 (commencing with Section 1596.70) of, and Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 1596.90) of, Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code.
(j) A school district or charter school that chooses to place California state preschool program children into a transitional kindergarten program classroom shall not also include children enrolled in transitional kindergarten for a second year or children enrolled in kindergarten in that classroom.
(Amended by Stats. 2020, Ch. 24, Sec. 55. (SB 98) Effective June 29, 2020.)