Ceres Unified School District promoted early registration for its transitional kindergarten and kindergarten programs for the coming 2023-24 school year with its May 3 Registration Fair – and came away with a total of 18 enrolled in TK/Kindergarten classes and five in preschool.
Several more families took enrollment packets home to complete and return.
The event was held in the Argus/Endeavor High School Multiuse Room with staff members on hand to assist families to enroll a child in TK or Kindergarten programs. The event was made fun with activities, prizes and book reading as well as free taco dinners and ice pops.
We currently have 250 students enrolled for transitional kindergarten in 2023-24, compared with 207 enrolled for 2022-23 at this point last year. Currently 685 students are enrolled for kindergarten in 2023-2024, compared with 707 enrolled for 2022-2023 at this time last year.
“We do anticipate additional enrollments over the summer,” said Beth Jimenez, CUSD’s Communication Specialist.
Ceres Unified still has room in its full-day TK and kindergarten programs and invites families to explore all CUSD has to offer, including clean and modern campuses, quality instruction with no combination classes, free childcare after school and during most school breaks, free summer programs, free breakfast and lunch, 1:1 student Chromebooks, dual-language programs, free tutoring, and strong social-emotional supports.
While the new state guidelines expand eligibility for transitional kindergarten by two months, enrollment is declining throughout the state and CUSD is seeing the same trend.
Under new state eligibility guidelines, children who turned 4 by April 2, 2023 qualify for Transitional Kindergarten (TK) for the 2023-24 school year.
CUSD’S full-day TK and kindergarten programs are taught by credentialed teachers, many of whom were on hand at the event to meet prospective students.
The district also offers free after-school care until 6 p.m. for children in grades TK-8, student Chromebooks, strong social-emotional supports, free breakfasts and lunches and a Super Summer Academy.
Educators say transitional kindergarten serves as a stepping stone to kindergarten, equipping young children with foundational skills for success later in school. A 2017 study by the American Institutes for Research showed that students who attend TK “enter kindergarten with stronger mathematics and literacy skills and are more engaged in their learning.”
For more information about CUSD’s TK or kindergarten programs, call (209) 556-1540 or visit https://www.ceres.k12.ca.us/o/cusd/page/school-enrollment
