Chino Valley Unified offers transitional kindergarten

CHINO - Chino Valley Unified will offer transitional kindergarten come the next school year.

The district's program gives children additional time to develop the necessary social and academic skills for success throughout their school experience.

Transitional kindergarten is designed for children who may not be socially and/or academically ready for entry into a traditional kindergarten program, although they were previously age-eligible, according to a district news release.

Many parents feel their children may not be quite ready for the academic rigor of today's kindergarten. These students often have birthdays in the fall and may still be developing the skills they need for academic work. Just as children learn to walk and talk at various rates of developmental growth, academic readiness occurs at different times in different children.

Under a new state law, students can enroll in a two year transitional kindergarten program, which is designed for students who will turn five between Oct. 2 and Dec. 2 for the 2013-14 school year.

Transitional kindergarten is based on the California Kindergarten Standards, including focused instruction in prereading and math readiness skills with a strong emphasis on self-regulation and social engagement.

Transitional kindergarten will be offered at a few CVUSD schools, but each student will return to their neighborhood school the following year for kindergarten.

The program is part of the public school system and is free for families.

The CVUSD daily schedule includes whole group instruction and activities, small group instruction, and independent "hands-on" learning. In additional to pre-reading and math readiness experiences, transitional kindergartners participate in numerous activities such as music, art, social, and motor skills development.

Classes will be taught by credentialed teachers from the K-12 system.

Students can be enrolled in the same manner as kinder students, at the neighborhood schools.