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Video recording - May 2026 Working Group Meeting

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Video recording - May 2026 Working Group Meeting

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SF Child Care Planning and Advisory Council

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UPK Mixed Delivery Working Group Meeting - May 28, 2026 | Educator Compensation

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Running Meeting Notes - UPK Mixed Delivery Workgroup 

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Running Meeting Notes - UPK Mixed Delivery Workgroup 

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Interactive dashboard exploring San Francisco’s early care and education landscape

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Policy scenario tool modeling how changes affect San Francisco’s early care and education landscape

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Child Care Providers Struggle as Four Year-Olds Enroll in TK

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Child Care Providers Struggle as Four Year-Olds Enroll in TK

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PODCAST: Childcare providers struggle as four year-olds enroll in TK

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For 27 years, Yolanda Thomas has cared for children from birth to 12 years old. But many parents are now choosing to unenroll their kids at four to attend transitional kindergarten.

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Transitional Kindergarten in SF: What parents should know 

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Transitional Kindergarten in SF: What parents should know 

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Transitional kindergarten in SF: What parents should know

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The SFUSD is adding classrooms through 2030, but demand still outpaces seats on the west side.

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Community Child Care Centers on Shaky Ground After Transitional Kindergarten Expansion | KQED

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Community-based preschools across the state have struggled to compete with California’s free, universal transitional-kindergarten program

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Learning From States’ Use of Kindergarten

Entry Assessments

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Oscar Tang - Family Child Care Association of San Francisco, Merced Rocha - Wu Yee Children’s Services, and Quinn Chung - Parent Voices San Francisco

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Webinar - CDE Presenting Blending and Braiding in UPK

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Webinar - CDE Presenting Blending and Braiding in UPK

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SF UPK Mixed Delivery Theory of Change - Equity Action Plan - 2026 Priorities Workplan

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SF UPK Mixed Delivery Theory of Change - Equity Action Plan - 2026 Priorities Workplan

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Equity Action Plan Priority Steering Committee Group Work

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March 2026 Higher Ed Faculty Discussion_FINAL.pdf

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Demand and Supply for Child Care in SF (March 2025)

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Demand and Supply for Child Care in SF (March 2025)

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Demand and Supply for Child Care in SF Report_03202025

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Kindergarten readiness varies widely by income, new data shows. Cities are stepping in to help

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Kindergarten readiness varies widely by income, new data shows. Cities are stepping in to help

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Kindergarten readiness varies widely by income, new data shows. Cities are stepping in to help

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San Antonio offers a free preschool program for infants and toddlers, helping set them up for success in elementary school.

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Two-Thirds of SF Families Qualify for the City’s Free Subsidized Child Care, But Few Know About It

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Two-Thirds of SF Families Qualify for the City’s Free Subsidized Child Care, But Few Know About It

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SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports

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San Francisco expanded an existing program this week launched by former mayor London Breed that now provides free or deeply discounted child care for two-thirds of SF families with children five and under, but due to lack of public awareness, most eligible families still don't know it exists.

As SFist reported earlier this week, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced the city is expanding existing child care subsidies to include free child care for families with children five and under who are below 150% of the area median income (or $230,000 per year for a family of four), and families between 151% and 200% (less than $310,000 per year for a family of four) will qualify for a 50% reimbursement. Per an SFGov announcement, families can choose from a list of over 500 local child care programs, saving them tens of thousands of dollars a year.

"Families are being forced to make impossible choices - delaying having children, sacrificing savings, or leaving the communities they call home," said Lurie, per KQED. "I will not let that be the future of San Francisco."

"And we're not going to take four years to roll this out," Lurie added, per Mission Local. "We're going to be the first major city in the nation to actually get this done."

Per Mission Local, Lurie's statements appeared to be directed toward New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who recently announced that NYC is providing universal child care to all NYC 2-year-olds with plans to expand to offering free child care for all children under five.

Lurie's jab about a four-year roll-out is also notable, considering the current expansion has been on the books for seven to eight years when the program was first spearheaded by former SF Mayor London Breed through a 2018 commercial real estate tax measure, or "Baby Prop C." As the SF Examiner reported in November, the original intention of the child care subsidy program was to eventually provide free child care to all San Francisco children under five regardless of income.

Per Mission Local, the program was first delayed by a lawsuit until officially launching in 2021, initially providing families below 85% of the area median income with free child care and households between 86% and 110% a 50% reimbursement. In 2024, Breed expanded eligibility during her final year in office, providing free child care to families under 110% of the area median income and a 50% reimbursement to households between 111% and 150%.

Despite Lurie taking credit for the latest expansion, the Examiner reported in its November article that reserve funds already earmarked for the current expansion had been sitting in the bank since the measure passed in 2018, amounting to nearly $500 million after accrued interest. Per the Examiner, local and state officials had been urging the city throughout 2025 to release the funds and expedite the expansion.

"Families earning 151-200% AMI receive no tuition credit whatsoever, despite being the explicit focus of the original 2018 ballot measure," Yensing Sihapanya, chair of the San Francisco Child Care Planning and Advisory Council, told the Examiner in November. "There are families currently enrolled and paying full price in the 151-200% AMI range who could receive immediate financial relief through tuition-credit expansion."

Norman Yee, former Board of Supervisors president and author of the Baby Prop C measure, had the same sentiment. "It's bewildering to me why we are not serving 200% AMI," Yee told the Examiner. "At this point there's no excuse. We have to move quickly."

Additionally, as KQED reports, the city has done little to raise awareness about the program since its launch in 2021. In 2024, only 200 families out of 29,000 eligible households enrolled, based on data from Wu Yee Children's Services, the agency in charge of enrollment.

"That's a comically low number," SF Supervisor Stephen Sherill, who helped push for the current expansion, told KQED. "Does every pediatrician's office know about this, and are they telling their patients? Does everyone who leaves the maternity ward in San Francisco get information about this?"

"When a family signs up online for a [child care] slot, are they informed of this subsidy?" Sherill continued, per KQED. "If not enough people take advantage, then what is the point of this program?"

Here's an idea - the city could utilize some of the accrued interest from the $500 million in reserved funds for a full-fledged community awareness campaign.

Readers, now's your chance to provide young parents with some unsolicited advice that they might actually appreciate.

Related: Yes, London Breed Is a Little Bitter That Lurie Is Getting Credit For Things She Started
Daniel Lurie Gives His First State of the City Address, Says 'People Are Proud to Live Here Again'

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Two-Thirds of SF Families Qualify for the City's Free Subsidized Child Care, But Few Know About It

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San Francisco expanded an existing program this week launched by former mayor London Breed that now provides free or deeply discounted child care for two-thirds of SF families with children five and under, but due to lack of public awareness, most eligible families still don't know it exists.

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UPK Mixed Delivery Project Timeline | 2025-2028

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UPK Mixed Delivery Project Timeline | 2025-2028

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Unintended competitors: Why L.A. preschools are closing as transitional kindergarten thrives (Dec. 3, 2025)

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Unintended competitors: Why L.A. preschools are closing as transitional kindergarten thrives (Dec. 3, 2025)

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Unintended competitors: Why L.A. preschools are closing as transitional kindergarten thrives

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L.A. County’s local preschools are closing in areas where transitional kindergarten is thriving, disrupting an already fraught child-care system.

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Our Theory of Change and Equity Action Plan

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Our Theory of Change and Equity Action Plan

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UPK TOC and Equity Action Plan - Materials for Oct 30 Workgroup Meeting

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Our Theory of Change (Last update: March 2026)

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Our Theory of Change (Last update: March 2026)

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Dual Language Learners Make Up Half of Preschoolers

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Dual Language Learners Make Up Half of Preschoolers

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Dual Language Learners Make Up Half of Preschoolers: What That Means for California

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Nearly half of California’s preschoolers are dual language learners, yet inconsistent and short-term funding limits statewide support.

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“What’s Missing Between Readiness and Results”

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“What’s Missing Between Readiness and Results”

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In comparing the Santa Clara School Readiness Assessment (SRA) with the SFUSD Longitudinal Study, one striking gap emerges in the Parent Information Form (PIF) design.

Santa Clara’s PIF asks detailed questions about children’s early care and education experiences—whether they attended preschool, family child care, or Head Start; how many hours per week; and at what age they began. This allows the county to connect specific public investments in early learning to readiness outcomes. In other words, it gives us a line of sight from ECE participation → readiness at kindergarten entry.

By contrast, the SFUSD longitudinal study’s PIF collects family demographics and routines but omits ECE participation data entirely (or maybe not in this report). As a result, when the study later finds that readiness predicts academic success through high school, we know readiness matters, but we don’t know what produced it.

The causal pathway between public investment in early learning and long-term educational outcomes is broken at the data-collection stage.

This missing link has real implications:

- It makes it impossible to trace returns on early-childhood funding at the system level.

- It shifts policy narratives from “invest in early learning to increase readiness” to “some children arrive ready, others don’t.”

- It risks turning readiness into an individual trait rather than a public outcome shaped by access, affordability, and quality of ECE.

To invest wisely, our data systems need to follow the whole arc — from ECE access to readiness to academic outcomes — instead of cutting the story in half. Without that middle segment, we can measure performance but not public responsibility.

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Transitional Kindergarten Participation Declines Despite Expansion, Report Finds

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Despite expanding eligibility requirements, California’s transitional kindergarten program showed declining rates of participation, according to a recent report by the Public Policy Institute of California. After the state launched the Universal Prekindergarten program in 2021, school districts offering optional transitional kindergarten began incrementally accepting younger 4-year-olds into the program in 2022 — an expansion from […]

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Some San Francisco Unified parents frustrated over lack of permanent TK teachers (Nov. 28, 2025)

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Some San Francisco Unified parents frustrated over lack of permanent TK teachers (Nov. 28, 2025)

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Some San Francisco Unified parents frustrated over lack of permanent TK teachers

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Statewide mandates and requirements for transitional kindergarten classes are leaving some school districts like San Francisco in a difficult situation.

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San Francisco Universal Preschool (UPK) Mixed Delivery Workgroup - Overview 

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UPK Mixed Delivery Overview for CPAC & Workgroup -  Slides (August 2025)

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UPK Mixed Delivery Overview for CPAC & Workgroup -  Slides (August 2025)

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Copy of UPK MD Overview for CPAC & Workgroup.pptx

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San Francisco Unified struggles with TK staffing as program expands (Nov. 3, 2025)

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San Francisco Unified struggles with TK staffing as program expands (Nov. 3, 2025)

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UPDATE: San Francisco Unified struggles with TK staffing as program expands

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The latest education news updates from EdSource.

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Improving Racial Equity in Kindergarten Readiness Inventory Efforts

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Improving Racial Equity in Kindergarten Readiness Inventory Efforts

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Improving Racial Equity in Kindergarten Readiness Inventory Efforts

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We research, then promote, policies and practices that will strengthen systems for children ages 0 to 5 in California.

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What Does It Mean for a Child to Be Kindergarten-Ready?

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What Does It Mean for a Child to Be Kindergarten-Ready?

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What Does It Mean for a Child to Be Kindergarten-Ready? (Opinion)

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SFUSD practitioners reflect on the implications of a recent evaluation of their Transitional Kindergarten program and the benefits of partnership work. Contributed by the Stanford-SFUSD research-practice partnership.

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In the 2025–26 school year, Transitional Kindergarten (TK) will be open to all four-year-olds in California regardless of birthdate. This report examines trends in TK enrollment over time, highlighting differences in participation across school districts and student populations.

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HOW THE SAN FRANCISCO SCHOOL DISTRICT

IS BUILDING A PREK – 3RD GRADE BRIDGE

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HOW THE SAN FRANCISCO SCHOOL DISTRICT

IS BUILDING A PREK – 3RD GRADE BRIDGE

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PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Instruction Credential

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PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Instruction Credential

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The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing provisional permit allows non-credentialed individuals to work as the teacher of record only if the teacher is enrolled in a credential program and meets other criteria. Hiring decisions are made entirely by the local school district. If a candidate has an offer of employment and wishes to enroll in the intern program, the following conditions must be met:

A candidate must show evidence of completion of Subject Matter Competency.

A school district must offer the candidate a teaching position at a PK/TK or K-3rd elementary school site;

A candidate must apply and be admitted to an accredited credential program;

The candidate must complete 120 credit hours of credential coursework (equivalent to three 3-unit classes)

Once these conditions are met, the candidate must submit an application for the intern teaching permit to the Department of Elementary Education Intern Coordinator, who will review for approval. The Graduate College of Education Credential Analyst will then authorize the permit.

*Note: Interns work at a slower coursework pace while in the credential program to permit full time employment.

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PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Instruction Credential | Department of Elementary Education

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PK-3 ECE Specialist Instruction Credential Program prepares candidates to teach in preschool through grade 3. The program prepares candidates to collaborate with professionals for diversity, equity, and inclusion and to meet the individual needs of all children and families. This program incorporates cutting-edge educational theories, innovative and effective teaching practices, and guided field experiences in culturally and linguistically diverse schools. Two post-baccalaureate pathways are offered (traditional student teaching and intern) in a hybrid modality, in which one-third of the content is delivered online and two-thirds face-to-face on the SFSU campus.

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What is Transitional Kindergarten (TK)?

Transitional kindergarten (TK) bridges the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten years. It is the first year of a two-year kindergarten program that has been implemented in California for children who are not old enough yet for kindergarten, but want to build their social, developmental and academic skills.

TK classrooms are taught by a multiple-subject credentialed teacher and the TK curriculum is based on the California Preschool Learning Foundations and the Kindergarten Common Core Standards. TK is offered at select SFUSD Early Education Schools and elementary schools.

Find more information on SFUSD's webpage about TK expansion, or visit TK California's webpage.

Is Transitional Kindergarten mandatory?

No, even if a child is TK eligible, parents have a choice of whether they want to enroll their child in TK or preschool.

Who is eligible for Transitional Kindergarten (TK)?

The eligibility for TK has expanded year-by-year, as part of the gradual rollout of TK as a universal grade for all students in California. The 2025-26 school year is the first year that all 4-year-olds are eligible for TK. To learn more, read about the new state law.

For the 2025-26 school year, TK is for students who will be turning age 5 between September 2, 2025 and September 1, 2026.

For the 2026-27 school year, TK is for students who will be turning age 5 between September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2027.

(California law requires that children be age 5 on or before September 1 of the school year to be eligible for kindergarten, and age 6 on or before September 1 of the school year to be eligible for first-grade.) See the age chart below.

Students who complete TK at an Elementary School will automatically be promoted to Kindergarten at that school. Students who complete TK at an Early Education School or Mission Education Center will be required to apply for kindergarten the following year and will receive a tiebreaker preference if they choose to continue kindergarten in their attendance area.

View the age requirements by grade on the Enrollment Center webpage.

Which SFUSD schools are offering TK?

TK is offered at most SFUSD elementary schools, as well as at some K-8 schools and Early Education Schools.

For the 2025-26 school year, SFUSD is adding 15 new TK programs.

View the full list of schools offering TK for the 2025-26 school year:

If you are interested in learning about specific schools, you can find school information, including school videos, at the Discover SFUSD Schools page.

How to apply for TK

Applying for TK is similar to the application and enrollment process for elementary school grades.

For the 2024-2025 school year, families can enroll their student to begin immediately at any school with open seats, by submitting the online application or contacting the Enrollment Center.

For the 2025-26 school year, families should complete the 2025-26 application online, or contact the Enrollment Center. Submit your application before the Main Round application deadline on January 31, 2025. Visit sfusd.edu/apply for more information. If you submit the Main Round application, you will receive your school assignment letter the week of March 17, 2025.

What are the changes that were made recently to TK enrollment, and how do they impact me?

Here are the changes:

1. Attendance Area tiebreaker: All TK applicants have access to the Attendance Area tiebreaker, either at their Attendance Area elementary school if it has TK, or at a nearby Early Education School if the elementary school is not able to fit TK because of space constraints. This makes it easier for applicants to be assigned to TK closer to their homes.

2. Automatic promotion to Kindergarten: All students in an SFUSD TK class will be promoted to Kinder without doing an application. Students in TK at a school with Kindergarten will be promoted to Kinder at their same school. Starting with students completing TK at an Early Education site for these 26-27 school year, those students will be promoted to their elementary school feeder.

TK feeder patterns will be explained in depth in the enrollment materials for the 2026-27 school year, released in October.

If I have a student currently in TK, do I need to submit an application for Kindergarten?

If you have a student in TK in the 25-26 school year, you do not need to submit an application for Kindergarten

You wish to change schools for Kindergarten

You wish to change programs for Kindergarten, at the same school (e.g. in General Education TK, but want to get into the school's language program that starts in Kindergarten). Watch a video about this here:

Your student is in a standalone early education site (PK and TK only)

Your student is in Mission Education Center TK (K-5 is for Newcomer students only)

unless If you have a student in TK in an Early Education School in the 26-27 school year and beyond, your child will automatically be promoted to Kinder at their feeder elementary school. ...
If you fit into any of those four categories listed above, submit your Main Round application by January 31, 2025. Go to sfusd.edu/apply for more information.

If I submit an application for Kindergarten, does that forfeit my student's opportunity to remain at their current school and pathway?

No, it does not.

If you have a student currently enrolled in an elementary school TK program, they will be automatically promoted in their same school and program for Kindergarten. You do not need to submit an application if that's your desired outcome.

You have the option to submit an application if you wish to transfer to a different school or program. If you do submit an application, you should do so by the Main Round application deadline. You can list schools and programs that you prefer more than your current school and program. If we are not able to assign your student to one of their requested programs, they will keep their enrollment at their current school and program. You don't lose your spot because you applied elsewhere.

Additionally, we will automatically place your student on waitlists for up to their top 5 choices after the Main Round. They can remain enrolled at their current school while you wait to get into your requested schools. We will notify you between April and August if a seat becomes available for your student at one of their choices, and you will have the opportunity to accept or decline the offer to transfer at that point.

What should I do if I'm applying for TK for 25-26?

If you are applying for your student to enter TK for 25-26,

Find all the TK options above, in the section "Which SFUSD Schools are offering TK?", or view them in a map view here

If your attendance area elementary school has TK, you will qualify for the Attendance Area tiebreaker when you apply there. View all the tiebreakers that come into play during the student assignment system on sfusd.edu/tiebreakers.

Remember that if your student enrolls in TK at an elementary school, they will have the option to remain there in the same program for Kindergarten without having to submit an application next year.

Additional Questions?

For more information on TK including eligibility for upcoming school years, tiebreakers, and a list of frequently asked questions, view our TK expansion page.

You can also contact the Enrollment Center at (415) 241-6085 with any additional questions.

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All you need to know about everyone's favorite new grade: Transitional Kindergarten!

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Learning from the Field: Merced County’s UPK Mixed Delivery Plan 

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Learning from the Field: Merced County’s UPK Mixed Delivery Plan 

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2023 San Francisco Public Schools Facilities Master Plan 

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2023 San Francisco Public Schools Facilities Master Plan 

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Including Home-Based Family Child Care Programs into state’s Pre-K Expansion: Lessons Learned from Maryland

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Including Home-Based Family Child Care Programs into state’s Pre-K Expansion: Lessons Learned from Maryland

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As SF Expands Transitional Kindergarten, Some Classes Still Lack Permanent Teachers (Oct. 31, 2025)

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As SF Expands Transitional Kindergarten, Some Classes Still Lack Permanent Teachers (Oct. 31, 2025)

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As SF Expands Transitional Kindergarten, Some Classes Still Lack Permanent Teachers | KQED

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Parents in a handful of classes said they are operating with a rotation of substitute teachers and instructional coaches — and don’t seem likely to get a permanent teacher.

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Kindergarten Readiness Linked to Family Income

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Kindergarten Readiness Linked to Family Income

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Kindergarten Readiness Is Linked to Family Income. Cities Are Stepping In to Help

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A new federal survey finds roughly a 20 percent difference in school readiness between children from the poorest and wealthiest families.