TK / Kindergarten Q&A
Questions and Answers from
Transitional Kindergarten / Kindergarten Information Night
January 29, 2025
If you missed the TK / K Parent Orientation Night webinar, don't worry! View the slides here. Watch the video of the program here (passcode is $2^2?u*D).
Q. What are the age requirements?
A. Children that turn 4 on or before September 1, 2025, enroll in Transitional Kindergarten. Children that turn 5 on or before September 1, 2025 enroll in Kindergarten. There are no exceptions.
A. Children that turn 4 on or before September 1, 2025, enroll in Transitional Kindergarten. Children that turn 5 on or before September 1, 2025 enroll in Kindergarten. There are no exceptions.
Q. TK eligibility has grown significantly, has TK capacity at AUSD grown at a similar rate?
A. Yes, we accept every Albany resident that is TK-eligible.
Q. Do you have a recommendation for how to think through the decision to enroll or not in TK for children who are the very youngest qualifiers?
A. We advise families to enroll all qualified children. Children develop very quickly at this age and a child who is clearly not ready in January may be ready in August. We acknowledge that this is a difficult question and it will depend on whether you think TK programming would be the best fit for your child. The presentation shared some ideas around readiness. It’s important to remember that TK students should be potty trained and there is no designated napping time. TK is not a required grade, therefore if you feel TK is not the right fit for your child you could choose to disenroll from TK.
Q. Will there be Kindergarten classes at all three elementary schools?
A. Yes
Q. Will there be Transitional Kindergarten classes at all three elementary schools?
A. Yes. The exact number of classes at each school will depend on meeting enrollment needs.
Q. How does transition from TK to K work? Can a kid who is not yet 5 at the time of admission and enrolled in TK be moved to K immediately or shortly after they turn 5?
A. No. Both TK and Kindergarten are one-year programs. If your child enrolls as a TK because they turn 4 on or before September 1, 2025, then your child will stay in TK for the entire school year. In the fall of 2026 your child would then go to Kindergarten. Students do not move from TK into K within the same school year.
Q. What is the student/teacher ratio for TK? Kindergarten?
A. In 2025–26, TK classes will have a maximum of 20 students, 2 adults (1 teacher, 1 aide), Kindergarten classes will have a maximum 24 students, 1 teacher.
Q. If our child is enrolled in preschool at Albany Children's Center (ACC), do we need to go through the AUSD enrollment process?
A. Yes, please follow all the instructions for enrolling.
Q. My child turns four close to September 1, 2025, so my child will not have all the required immunizations until close to or after her birthday. Can we go ahead and enroll this spring?
A. Yes, please enroll. We understand that some of the required immunizations are not available until the child's 4th birthday. Please provide records of the additional immunizations once your child has turned four and the immunizations are completed.
Q. If my child who will be enrolling in TK has an older sibling in AUSD, do we need to go through the AUSD enrollment process?
A. Yes, please follow all the instructions to enroll your new TK student. Our enrollment forms do include questions about older siblings.
Q. My child is currently enrolled in TK. How and when will I submit my school preference?
A. If your child is already enrolled in TK in an Albany Unified school, you do not need to re-enroll. You will receive a Kindergarten School Preference Form. Please follow the instructions sent with the form.
Q. My TK student has an older sibling at Cornell. What are the steps to transfer to Cornell for K?
A. You should have received a Kindergarten School Preference form recently. One of the questions on the survey asks about what school you prefer for Kindergarten. Another question asks about siblings. Just be sure to state that Cornell is your first choice and that your child has a sibling already at Cornell.
Q. How are schools assigned?
A. This is much more difficult and involved than you might think! We want to give families their first choice of school, but there are many important factors. We work hard to gender balance all classes, and to keep a very consistent class size across the district. We also must ensure that students who need special services will have them available at their school site. We realize that families are anxious to know their school and their teacher, but we must adhere to this process for the benefit of students. If you don’t get your first choice school, please know that the process used was thoughtful. There is no guarantee that you will get your first, or even your second choice school.
Q. When will school assignments be announced?
A. For the 2025–26 school year, we expect that school assignments will be announced in June 2025.
Q. What about children with special needs in TK and K? Is the process any different?
A. If your child has an Individualized Education Plan, or you think that your child should be evaluated for special education, you should contact the Special Education Department at [email protected]. The answer to your question will depend on individual circumstances.
Q. Do we need to submit the online application before booking an in-person appointment?
A. Yes, once you have submitted your online application, contact the Student Services Coordinator by email at [email protected] to make an appointment to submit the required documents.
Q. The enrollment requirements state that “original” documents are needed. Are printouts of online statements, lease agreements, and medical records considered “originals”?
A. Yes. You may use printouts of online statements, lease agreements, and medical records. It is important that all the paperwork be legible. Please bring in originals of your identification documents. If you are using a passport as identification, we will scan it in the office at your appointment.
Q. Will you accept printouts of immunization records from MyChart or other medical provider websites?
A. Yes. The immunization record does not need to be signed.
Q. If my child got her vaccinations as a baby in another country and it's not in English, what can I do?
A. We require immunization records to be translated. Take a closer look at your records, they may have the translation printed, most records from other countries usually have the English vaccinations printed on the document.
Q. Is COVID a required vaccination?
A. No, it is not. These are the required immunizations. In addition to immunizations, a tuberculosis risk assessment must be completed.
Q. For enrollment documents, do both parents' names need to be on the residence documents? Is one parent's name OK? Would each parent need to provide supporting documents?
A. Only one parent needs to provide documents.
Q. Is there "priority" within the enrollment priority window? Does someone who has an appointment Feb 1 have any priority over someone who has an appointment Feb 20?
A. No, it does not matter when in the priority window you enroll.
Q. My child is learning English. What instruction will they receive at school?
A. When families register their student, they indicate what languages are spoken at home. If languages other than English are spoken, the student will be given an English Proficiency test at school to determine if they qualify as an Multi Language Learner. If so, the student will receive English Language Development support at school. If the initial proficiency test identifies them as English Proficient, the student would not qualify for additional language development support.
Q. To volunteer in the classroom, what level of volunteer status is needed? How often do you need to renew your volunteer status?
A. Thank you for asking! We love volunteers! You will need Volunteer I clearance, which must be renewed annually. More information on volunteering can be found here.
Q. What reading curriculum does AUSD use?
A. For TK and K, we use Fundations and Fletcher's Place. For elementary students, K–5, AUSD adopted a curriculum approximately 10 years ago, Units of Study, for both reading and writing. Recently, with the understanding that these programs do not encompass all of the necessary components of a structured literacy program, the district has purchased supplemental curriculum and materials to address the need for instruction in phonological awareness, decoding, sight recognition, and language structures. These supplemental programs include Heggerty, Fundations, Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words (SIPPS), Quick Reads, and other programs/materials. Once a more comprehensive literacy curriculum is available, the district will embark on a collaborative adoption process.
Q. Is before-school and after-school care free and guaranteed?
A. Before- and after-school care is not free and space is not guaranteed. AUSD’s Albany Children’s Center runs a small before- and after-care program called the “school-aged care program”. This is located at each elementary school and reduced rates are available for low-income families. AUSD also has a limited Expanded Learning Opportunities Program. All other before- and after-school care is provided by other entities and is entirely separate from the District. Each family is independently responsible for obtaining childcare for their children, if it is needed, outside of the normal school day.
Q. When you say enroll as soon as possible for the ACC School-Aged Care waitlist, when is the application available? Are we required to be pre-enrolled in AUSD (meaning that we had an in-person meeting at the AUSD Enrollment Center and turned in our forms), before we can get on the ACC after-care waitlist?
A. ACC School-Aged Care will begin taking applications on Feb 12 at noon. No, you do not need to be pre-enrolled in AUSD to apply for before- and after-school care.
Q. Is AUSD School-Aged Care (before- and after-school care) five days a week? How much does it cost?
A. Yes, the only option offered is for five days a week of care, for a varying number of hours. The cost depends on the hours of care and if you qualify for a subsidy. Please see this page for details.
A. Yes, the only option offered is for five days a week of care, for a varying number of hours. The cost depends on the hours of care and if you qualify for a subsidy. Please see this page for details.
Q. Are you working to expand after-school care to meet demand as we understand the current capacity is low?
A. AUSD is very space-constrained. This is limiting our ability to expand before- and after-school care.
A. AUSD is very space-constrained. This is limiting our ability to expand before- and after-school care.
Q. We do not live in Albany, but want to enroll here. There was a lot of information presented about the February 1–March 31 priority enrollment period. Should I fill out an online enrollment form and schedule an appointment?
A. You will need to use the Interdistrict Transfer process if you want to enroll in Albany schools, even if you have been attending preschool at the Albany Children’s Center. You must first obtain a release from your district of residence. Only when that release permit has been submitted to the AUSD Enrollment Office, and we have notified you that we have accepted your student, will you be able to enroll. We welcome out of district students when space allows and expect that many of our ACC families will be successful obtaining releases from their district of residence. If we accept your student, that means there is a spot available for them. Find out more at our Interdistrict Permit page.
Q. If my child is approved to inter-district transfer to one of the elementary schools in Albany, are they automatically eligible to go to an Albany Middle School (AMS) and Albany High School (AHS)? Or do we need to get another transfer permit for each?
A. At school transitions (5th grade to AMS, 8th grade to AHS, we evaluate for space at grade levels. When space exists, we aim to keep students on interdistrict permits. However, your district of residence may also have requirements for renewing your permit.