Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla Honored With Early Learning Champion Award

Preschool California will honor Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla (D-Concord) with the 2012 Early Learning Champion Award for championing transitional kindergarten (TK) and early childhood education at a community celebration featuring educators, parents, business and community leaders next Thursday, October 18, at Highlands Elementary School in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District.

With the new school year in full swing, more than 2,000 TK classes are up and running across the state with the historic launch of the first new grade introduced since 1891.

“Preschool California is honored to present Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla with the 2012 Early Learning Champion Award in recognition of her steadfast leadership in championing transitional kindergarten and critical early childhood education programs this year,” said Catherine Atkin, President of Preschool California.

“I am honored to receive this recognition,” said Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla. “Thanks to transitional kindergarten we’ll see greater academic achievement, higher graduation rates, and fewer students being held back or placed in special education.”

Mt. Diablo Unified School District opened six new transitional kindergarten classes across the district this fall.

Transitional kindergarten is a new grade serving younger students with birthdays between September and December, established by the California state law that changed the kindergarten entry date so that children enter kindergarten at age five. All school districts are required to offer transitional kindergarten this year, but children’s attendance is voluntary, as is kindergarten attendance.

Background:

This past year Assemblywoman Bonilla led her Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance in rejecting Governor Brown's proposal to eliminate transitional kindergarten. The Governor's proposal would have meant a permanent Average Daily Attendance (ADA) funding cut to schools by denying 125,000 children the right to enter kindergarten; creating uncertainty for families who were ready to enroll their children in kindergarten.

As Chair of the Select Committee on High Quality Early Childhood Education, Assemblywoman Bonilla held hearings on the importance and need of transitional kindergarten. After hearing from school administrators and teachers, Assemblywoman Bonilla partnered with Preschool California to author AB 1853 to make voluntary professional development available for teachers seeking the additional training to teach transitional kindergarten effectively. Unfortunately, the bill was vetoed by Governor Brown even though the bill did not establish a new teaching credential, as suggested by the Governor in his veto message.

Transitional kindergarten is a bright spot in our education system and Assemblywoman Bonilla will continue to work to see Transitional Kindergarten be successful.

Learn more about TK at: http://www.preschoolcalifornia.org and http://www.tkcalifornia.org.