The Solana Beach School District is beginning the process to start serving the district’s youngest learners, aiming to craft its own transitional kindergarten program tailored to the needs of local district students.

Transitional kindergarten (TK) refers to a program that uses a modified kindergarten curriculum that is developmentally and age-appropriate. By 2025-26, Universal Kindergarten in California is expected to be fully phased in for all 4-year-old children statewide at no cost to families, in districts that receive funding through the Local Control Funding Formula.

As a community-funded basic aid school district supported by property taxes, Solana Beach does not receive state funding for kindergarten. Of the 133 districts that are TK-eligible in the state, eight do not offer TK and five are in San Diego County including Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe, Encinitas and Cardiff.

SBSD Superintendent Jodee Brentlinger said that while they are not required to implement Universal TK, there is nothing precluding them from looking at a locally-created TK program.

“This school board regularly demonstrates their commitment to the success of each and every student,” Brentlinger said at the board’s Nov. 8 meetings. “We recognize that we do have students across the district’s schools who would accelerate their