May 1, 2012 > Legislature's message: Transitional Kindergarten will remain law Legislature's message: Transitional Kindergarten will remain law Submitted By Jennifer Kern In a critical move towards ensuring no child is denied their right to kindergarten, the California State Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee on Education voted on April 12 to reject the governor's budget proposal to eliminate transitional kindergarten. The California Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance already voted to reject the governor's proposal on March 13. "We applaud the Senate in joining the Assembly in voting to reject the governor's misguided proposal that could block up to 125,000 children from public schools," said Catherine Atkin, president of Preschool California. "With today's vote, the state legislature is sending a clear message that should erase any doubt in school districts' minds: transitional kindergarten will remain California state law." Fully implementing transitional kindergarten is in accordance with The Kindergarten Readiness Act - the California law that changed the kindergarten entry date so that children enter school at age 5 and establishing transitional kindergarten, a developmentally-appropriate grade to serve those younger students with birthdays between September and December. The governor's budget proposal is at odds with The Kindergarten Readiness Act, which remains the law and could impact 1 out of 4 kindergarten-aged students. Learn more about the Save Kindergarten Campaign at: www.preschoolcalifornia.org/savekindergarten.