Orcas Island School District may offer a preschool option for qualifying students by next fall.

Transitional kindergarten is a public school program for children aged five or about to turn five who do not have access to high-quality early learning experiences and have been identified as needing additional support to be successful in kindergarten. TK is provided at no cost to families and is fully integrated into the school system, providing students with access to meals, transportation and recess.

In January 2023, there were more than 3,000 TK students throughout 101 school districts in Washington state. In many communities, it operates as part of a blended model where students participating in TK, Head Start and the Early Childhood Education Assistance Program are all served. During the 2023 legislative session, a bill was passed that allocates specific funding for students enrolled in transitional kindergarten.

“This is an opportunity to leverage new additional federal funds that could allow local funds to be reallocated to benefit even more families,” said OISD Superintendent Eric Webb.

TK is particularly beneficial for communities that are a “child care desert,” meaning there are few affordable daycare options for kids under the age of 5. Those in opposition to the program launching on Orcas say it could cause the three early learning centers in Eastsound — Kaleidoscope, Children’s House and Orcas Montessori — to be adversely impacted. It could also affect the level of financial support from the state-funded ECEAP and federally-funded Headstart, which provide free services and support to eligible preschool children and their families. Currently, all eligible Orcas children are being served by the existing early education organizations, none of which have a waitlist for preschool-aged children.

San Juan County’s ECEAP serves Orcas and Lopez while San Juan Island has Head Start. ECEAP has three primary functions: provide preschool services to children, assist families with everyday problem-solving and parenting issues, and encourage high quality teaching, programming and safe facilities at the locally contracted preschools. Orcas also has the Early Childhood Education Initiative, a five-year collaboration of the three preschools, private funders and advisors. The group’s goal is to ensure all young children receive early childhood education opportunities and are prepared for kindergarten.

Kaleidoscope, Orcas Montessori, San Juan County ECEAP and ECEI released the following statement regarding transitional kindergarten on Orcas.

“Such a program runs the risk of adversely affecting the exceptional early childhood education community that is already in place. Our ECE community has worked tirelessly for decades to provide access to high quality preschool for all islanders no matter their ability to pay, and working collaboratively towards a common goal: providing children with the best educational and life outcomes and supporting families to pursue their own goals. Due to the hard work of these programs, the kindergarten readiness of these students ranks among the best in the state. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction states in their TK guidelines that the program is intended to fill gaps in service, and that such a program should only be opened if it will not adversely affect the programs that are already in place. We are here to tell you there are no gaps to be filled and that a TK program would undoubtedly have a negative effect on our ECE community.”

Webb says he is planning to meet with the Orcas preschool directors and Samantha Bowen, Executive Director of Early Learning for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, in January.

“She is currently working with a few other districts and counties across the state to help blend programs and funding into the cohesive system that provides the most services possible for our children and families. I plan on having a report about TK on the February School Board agenda,” Webb said. “We are moving slowly on this issue and want to partner with the preschools on the island to develop a larger system that can provide even more opportunities for the children and families of the island … It is important to remember that initiative was only developed and funded during the last legislative session and guidance has only recently been developed. Districts across the state are striving to develop models that work best within their local communities.”