Goal: The goal of Transitional Kindergarten is to meet the needs of the youngest kindergarten learners, providing time and attention needed to set a strong foundation for both learning and behaviors in the school setting.
Overview: Transitional Kindergarten is an OPTION for students enrolled in Kindergarten with May 1st to September 1st birthdays, making them the youngest children in their grade. Transitional Kindergarten focuses on the MN State Kindergarten Standards for academics and also incorporates a lot of time devoted to social-emotional learning (cooperation, stamina, ability to self-regulate emotions...etc.) Families with a child enrolled in kindergarten at AES with birthdays will receive an invitation via phone call in the late spring the year prior to their kindergarten year. The class size is capped at 16 students. In cases where there are more than 16 students eligible, preschool teacher input will be used along with a parent interview. Priority may also be given to students living within the district versus open-enrolled.
Transitional Kindergarten is perfect for those children that have developmentally outgrown pre-school, but may have some social-emotional learning needs, lack maturity or have some academic development still in a process that may make learning a challenge in an everyday-all-day kindergarten setting. Some families choose TK (Transitional Kindergarten) for social-emotional needs, while their child may be demonstrating strong academic ability. Others sometimes choose the TK option because they have some academic concerns, but feel emotionally or socially, their child is ready. Children needing extra social-emotional support but not academic will continue to be challenged as TK curriculum allows each child to navigate their year in a way that best meets their needs.
Watch this important video: Potential Transitional Kindergarten
