Opinion | Transitional kindergarten offers lessons for Michigan early learning investments

Decades of research are clear: attending preschool boosts children’s kindergarten readiness, and the benefits can last into adulthood.  To her credit, Governor Whitmer pledged to expand universal pre-K in Michigan to all 4-year-olds as early as this coming fall. As the state continues to expand its early learning investments, we urge policymakers to learn from a relatively new entrant into the early education landscape - the state’s Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program (also known as Young Fives or Developmental Kindergarten).    

Unlike most public early education options, TK programs are not targeted to children from families with low incomes. Districts typically enroll children with fall birthdays who just miss the Sept. 1 kindergarten cutoff date and/or children with summer birthdays whose families think they aren’t quite ready for traditional kindergarten. Nearly 13,000 children enrolled in Michigan’s TK programs last year. Our research team has surveyed hundreds of teachers and administrators and tracked students attending TK using statewide longitudinal data. Our findings on the program’s features, reach, and impacts offer several important lessons.

First, TK’s popularity underscores the advantages of a universal approach. Families that enroll are diverse in income, race/ethnicity, and geographic region. District administrators are overwhelmingly positive about their TK programs, reporting that they improve children’s early learning and transition to elementary school. 

Second, test scores show that families and administrators are on to something: TK gives children a large and persistent learning boost. We find that participating in TK increases math scores in third grade equivalent to roughly six months of additional learning, compared to enrolling in other preschool options or staying home with a family member. This is particularly encouraging because the effects of preschool are not often sustained into the early elementary years.

While we can’t attribute this boost to any single factor, TK does have several distinctive features compared to other programs in the state. TK teachers must meet the same education and certification standards as K-12 teachers, and as a result are the best-compensated, most qualified early learning workforce in the state. For example, teachers in Michigan’s public Pre-K program (called the Great Start Readiness Program) are paid on average 31% less than K-12 teachers, and many do not receive benefits. While the state’s Pre-K expansion plan seeks to address these pay gaps, it suggests loosening education and certification requirements for Pre-K teachers, which prior research suggests may lower quality.  

TK also stands apart in its approach to curriculum and instruction.  Most other preschool programs in the state use what experts call a “global” curricula that attempts to cover all domains of learning without any clear focus on numeracy or literacy. A new National Academies consensus report makes clear that these global curricula under-deliver for children and recommends preschool programs shift to other evidence-based choices. In our research, TK administrators report using curricula that more closely follows the National Academies recommendations.  

Finally, our experience evaluating TK highlights the need for Michigan to expand its data infrastructure. Presently, 38 states require kindergarten readiness assessments; Michigan does not. Michigan also no longer requires districts to administer literacy and math assessments to children in grades K-2, although it will  reimburse districts who choose to administer these type of tests.  Districts who receive state funding to administer K-2 assessments will be required to provide the state some information on student outcomes but will not have to make the full data available for analysis. As a result, it is not possible for policymakers or researchers to easily obtain a comprehensive understanding of children’s academic performance before third grade. 

Given how successful Michigan TK appears to be, policymakers should consider additional investment and improvements.  Districts decide whether to offer the program, and we find that districts offering TK tend to be larger and more economically advantaged than other districts.  Some administrators report not knowing how to start a TK program or not having sufficient funding or space to do so. The State of Michigan could help solve this problem by offering training, information, and technical assistance for districts that want to start a TK program. 

Getting all children off to a strong start is critical for the well-being of Michigan families and the state’s economy.  As Michigan leaders increase the state’s early learning investments, TK should not be overlooked.