Pre-K at Valley Parent Preschool vs. TK at your local public school
Kindergarten has changed since we all went to school, but children (and how they learn and grow) have not changed!
Starting in the 2025–2026 school year, all 4-year-olds in California will have access to free transitional kindergarten (TK). Families can now choose between TK—essentially an extra year of kindergarten—and another year of preschool. Although TK and Pre-K share some similarities, they differ significantly in teaching approach and learning environment, which parents should consider when deciding what best fits their child and family.
In California, TK teachers provide a modified Kindergarten curriculum aligned with both Common Core State Standards and the California Preschool/Transitional Kindergarten Learning Foundations. However, because districts and teachers have flexibility in how they apply these standards, TK programs can differ greatly.
Parents are encouraged to contact their local school district and visit classrooms to see if a specific TK program suits their child.
Similarities between Pre-K and TK
Both Pre-K and TK programs:
Aim to prepare children for kindergarten success.
Introduce early literacy and numeracy concepts.
Foster friendships and teamwork.
Involve caring teachers who want the best for your child.
There are four basic Areas of Readiness for Kindergarten, these are
Cognitive Skills
Physical/Motor Skills
Social & Emotional Skills
Self Help Skills
Valley Parent Preschool’s Pre-K program’s readiness for Kindergarten:
At Valley Parent Preschool, we understand that the years before kindergarten are a precious window for learning, growth, and confidence-building. We understand that every child's path to success is unique. Our program takes a holistic approach that nourishes the physical, cognitive and emotional development of each student in preparation for kindergarten––all while providing hands-on learning experiences designed to spark curiosity, creativity for creating life long learners and problem solvers. Parents also have access to resources so they can take an active role in supporting and guiding their child’s journey during this important stage of growth.
Cognitive Skills
Through interacting with their environment, children expand their knowledge and refine critical thinking skills. By exploring the world through stories, songs, pretend play and rhymes, they develop skills in sorting facts from fiction as well as language proficiency.
Children build cognitive skills through a mix of structured and play-based activities. Small-group lessons strengthen early math and literacy by having kids sort shapes, explore numbers, and practice writing. Playtime encourages problem-solving as children test ideas and find solutions during building or dramatic play. Language and listening activities enhance communication, memory, and attention, while creative exploration fosters imagination and flexible thinking.
Physical/Motor Skills
Through the nurturing environment of Valley Parent Preschool, children are gaining unique experiences to build lifelong foundations for learning. They explore their senses through outdoor and indoor activities and are given opportunities to take risks that help them grow into confident individuals with strong muscles, balance, and coordination skills. Manipulating natural objects such as wooden blocks or arts materials helps boost fine motor development while providing tactile stimulation.
Social and Emotional Skills
Children develop an understanding of their emotions, as well as respect for the feelings of those around them. Through risk taking and mastering challenges, they develop skills that enable them to navigate life's ups-and-downs with greater self assurance. As they learn how to identify and respond to emotions, their capacity for resilience increases too. In group play, children are given opportunities to learn to join groups, make friends, deal with social challenges, and express and regulate “big feelings”. Teachers serve as active facilitators—not just supervising, but scaffolding social-emotional growth during free play and structured activities. The cooperative parent-participation model means children interact regularly with adults and peers in a close-community setting, allowing many opportunities for social interaction and emotional support. At VPP we emphasize building kind hearts and strong bodies. By interacting in play situations and guided group experiences, children develop self-awareness, emotional regulation, empathy, autonomy and social competence—all foundational for school success and relationships. Experiencing “trial and error” in social play (e.g., how to join a group, how to handle someone being unfair) gives children practical tools for resolving conflicts, connecting with peers, and learning to navigate social situations.
A high level of adult support and small class/child ratios means children get more feedback, help and modeling of healthy social-emotional behaviours.
The strong sense of community (parents, teachers, children) fosters a safe and consistent environment, which is important for children learning to trust, engage, and express themselves safely.
Self Help Skills
Through play, circle time and snack time activities, children learn valuable life skills such as collaborating with others, communicating shared ideas and opinions effectively, and problem solving. By providing children with opportunities to choose from different activity areas and to carry out tasks through play, children naturally encounter situations where they practice doing things for themselves (e.g., selecting materials, cleaning up their area, putting things away). Participating parents work in the classroom as an extension of the teachers. This model supports children’s independence, because with parent and teacher guidance they learn routines, responsibilities and self-management tasks (for example, putting away snack items, picking up their materials, transitioning between activities).
A day in the life of your child at Valley Parent Preschool is filled with opportunities for self motivated, unique child-led exploration that sets children up for being life long learners.
The Valley Parent Preschool Advantage:
Our space and philosophy
Valley Parent Preschool children are educated with a whole-child approach to development that supports their physical, intellectual and social & emotional needs. By incorporating physical activity, social interaction, and emotional expression into our play-based program, we support the growth of every aspect of children—from intellectual proficiency to self-confidence and resilience. With opportunities for pretend and role playing that have been shown to boost language skills as well as communication in both adults and kids alike, Valley Parent Preschool is a wonderful environment for encouraging creativity while teaching age appropriate life lessons.
VPP’s instruction takes place both indoors and outdoors. Learning through play experiences helps children grow and develop. By spending time in both indoor and outdoor settings, children are able to explore the world around them at their own pace without being rushed or expected to sit still for long periods of time.
Our class size and our adult to student ratio:
At Valley Parent Preschool, our teachers are committed to creating an environment of learning and growth. The adult-student ratio in our Pre-K classes can be as low as 4:1. This low student-adult ratio enables ample opportunity for interactions between everyone involved - teachers, students, and the working parents - which maximizes developmentally appropriate practices during instruction. Meaningful play based activities are observed by the teachers who adapt lesson plans according to interests shown during class time.
Our school is a unique learning environment for children, run by dedicated parents who volunteer their time to ensure the school lives up to its excellent reputation. It is essential that parents stay involved at Valley Parent in order for it to remain an exemplary place of growth and development for both children and adults. Pre-K parents work in their child’s classroom one day per week and have the opportunity to formally observe their child during the class.
Our curriculum is tailored to the unique interests, and developmental needs of each child. We are able to adjust and adapt our programs and environments based on their interests and ideas.
Research studies suggest that play-based learning is an effective and powerful way for children to develop essential physical, cognitive and emotional skills. Providing your children with a play-based, cooperative preschool experience is an invaluable gift. Not only will they reap the joy of childhood's most memorable moments, but studies show that such environments also significantly benefit their physical and mental development.
Though not all parents can take advantage of this opportunity due to financial or time constraints, if you're one of the lucky ones who can provide your child with an extra year of play-based preschool at VPP, or similar program, it will certainly be an invaluable gift for them as they grow!
Families often find that an additional year in a smaller, caring Pre-K setting gives children the confidence, social maturity, and emotional readiness that makes kindergarten a joyful and successful start.
How to decide if TK is the right choice for your family
Request more information from your school district and inquire about a tour to learn more about their specific TK Program. Below are some questions you might ask when inquiring:
-How much free choice does the child have?
-How much time is child-directed?
-How much time is teacher-directed?
-How is the district reporting and assessing the student?
-What does a typical day look like?
-What are the hours?
-What is the playground like?
-Do the children have access to water, mud, bikes, blocks, gardens, etc.?
-What is the adult to student ratio?
Please reach out to your teacher if you have any questions or concerns or schedule a tour to learn more about our programs.