Kindergarten Readiness Program

How Parents Can Help at Home (PDF-A)
Daily Activities that Prepare Children for Kindergarten (PDF-A)

Our Mission

The mission of the Kindergarten Readiness Academy is to provide developmentally appropriate activities to enhance each child’s intellectual, language, social-emotional, academic, and physical development and to prepare children to enter kindergarten with the skills needed to be successful. The Kindergarten Readiness classes strive to provide each child with a program that is developmentally, linguistically and culturally appropriate, while giving them the academic skills they need to be successful in kindergarten.

About Kindergarten Readiness

The Kindergarten Readiness program operates ten (10) months a year and generally follows the district calendar. Classes are conducted five (5) days a week, Monday through Friday. Sessions are held from 8:30 am to 11:30 am and 12:15 pm to 3:15 pm in the half-day programs.

Through grants from First Five Orange County and the California Department of Education, Tustin Unified School District offers a half-day Kindergarten Readiness program for preschool children living within the Tustin Unified School District Boundaries. The Kindergarten Readiness Academy classes, located on the campuses of Beswick, Estock, Guin Foss, Heideman, Heritage (STEAM preschool program), Nelson, Sycamore (Spanish Dual Immersion Program), and Tustin Ranch Elementary schools are the only preschools in the Tustin area that are run and operated by Tustin Unified School District.

In addition, TUSD is excited to offer a fee-based preschool option for families that do not qualify for State subsidized services. A half-day program is available at Heritage Elementary from 8:30 am - 11:30 pm. A full-day program is available at Hicks Canyon Elementary and Myford Elementary from 7:00 am - 4:30 pm.

If you have questions that are not answered on this page, please call the Kindergarten Readiness office at (714) 730-7592.

Admission Information

Children who turn three or four years old by September 1 of the current school year and live within the District boundaries have priority for enrollment for the 2022-23 school year. Classes for students are free for those families who meet the State's income guidelines. There are no fees for state preschool services.

Priority for admission is given to families that income qualify for the program and live within the attendance boundaries of Tustin Unified School District. Families living outside of TUSD boundaries will be enrolled after all priority families have been served. ***NOTE: Children with IEPs may be accepted into our program, regardless of income, after all income qualified children are accepted.

The Kindergarten Readiness office staff will assist families in determining if they qualify for State subsidized services. However, if you do not qualify, Tustin Unified School District will offer three fee-based classes for the 2022-23 school year. Heritage Elementary school will offer a half-day preschool class. Hicks Canyon Elementary and Myford Elementary will offer a full-day preschool class. These classes will give families whose income is over the state guidelines for State Preschool the opportunity to participate in a quality 5-star preschool program that is run and operated by TUSD. If you are interested in this program, please call the Kindergarten Readiness office for more information at (714) 730-7592.

For both State subsidized classes and Fee-based classes, priority is given to four year old students. Once all four year old students have been accepted, we are able to offer services to three year old students.

Enrollment Information

Children must be three (3) or four (4) years old by September 1, 2022 to participate in the preschool classes for 2022-23 school year.
Preschool sessions for 2022-23 will begin Thursday, August 18, 2022 and continue through Thursday, June 1, 2023.
Enrollment packets are available at the Kindergarten Readiness Program office located at the Education Support center at 1151 San Juan St. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Enrollment applications for the 2022-23 school year will be available starting January 31, 2022.

For more information, call (714) 730-7592.

Required Immunizations-All Students
Required Documentation

Required Immunizations-All Students

IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Vaccination Law Update and Personal Beliefs Waiver

On June 30, 2015, Governor Brown signed a new vaccine bill (SB277). The law took effect on January 1, 2016. This new law requires that all children in California be fully vaccinated to attend public or private school.
California law requires certain immunizations for children under 18 years of age to enter or transfer into public elementary and secondary schools (grades K-12). Parents must provide health immunization records at the time of enrollment. Students may enroll but may not begin school unless immunizations are current. Full information about vaccinations required for preschool and grades TK/K-12 school attendance.
For all students entering Transitional Kindergarten or Kindergarten, and first graders not previously enrolled in kindergarten, California law requires proof of an oral health assessment by a licensed dentist or other licensed or registered dental health professional that was performed no earlier than 12 months prior to the date of initial enrollment.
For all students entering Transitional Kindergarten or Kindergarten, and first graders not previously enrolled in kindergarten, California law requires proof of an oral health assessment by a licensed dentist or other licensed or registered dental health professional that was performed no earlier than 12 months prior to the date of initial enrollment.

THE FOLLOWING IMMUNIZATIONS ARE REQUIRED FOR ENROLLMENT in TK, kindergarten and new students entering grades 1-5.) Parents MUST present proof of immunizations to school staff prior to admission.

Vaccine	Required Doses
Polio	4 doses at any age, but 3 doses meet requirements for ages 4-6 years if at least one was given on or after the 4^th birthday;.
Diphtheria, tetanus, and Pertussis (DTaP)	Age 6 years and under: DTP, DTaP or any combination of DTP or DTaP with DT (diphtheria and tetanus) 5 doses at any age, but 4 doses meet requirements for ages 4-6 years if at least one was on or after the 4^th birthday.
Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)	2 doses both on or after 1^st birthday
Hepatitis B	3 doses at any age.
Vericella (chickenpox)	1 dose for children under 13 or health care provider's documentation varicella (chickenpox disease history, or immunity meets the varicella requirement

Required Documentation

The following documents need to be provided at the time of enrollment:

Proof of preschool-age child 's birth date/age. (Proof of the child's birth date must be presented at the time of registration. Proof may be a certified copy of a birth record or a statement by the local registrar or a county recorder certifying the date of birth, or a baptism certificate duly attested, or a passport, or, when none of the foregoing is obtainable, an affidavit of the parent, guardian, or custodian of the minor, or any other appropriate means of proving the age of the child as prescribed by the governing board of the school district.) (CA Education Code Section 48002)
Proof of age of all siblings.
Immunization card
Rental agreement
Current gas or electric bill
Photo ID of parent
Proof of income: One month of recent check stubs for each working parent/guardian
Parent volunteers must provide: TB test results and proof of the following immunizations: Measles, pertussis, & flu.

Kinder Readiness Office Staff

The Kindergarten Readiness staff is available to assist families with enrollment and to provide any information that will aid in the success of their child's education. Our office is open Monday-Friday, 7:30 am-4:30 pm. We are happy to answer any questions you may have regarding your child's educational program or to assist you in locating resources within the community.

Lauralee Cabibi

Principal, Kinder Readiness

(714) 730-7592, ext. 401

E-mail

Emily Daniel

PreschoolManager

(714) 730-7592, ext. 404

Christina Ramirez
Community Liaison
(714) 730-7592, ext 419
E-mail

Diana Leclercq
School Readiness Nurse
(714) 730-7592, ext 405
E-mail

Kinder Readiness Teaching Staff

Ana Munoz
Preschool Educator, Beswick Elementary
E-mail

Jessica Quezada
Preschool Educator, Estock Elementary
E-mail

Alyssa Quevedo
Preschool Educator, Guin Foss Elementary
E-mail

Gladys Aguilar
Preschool Educator, Heideman Elementary
E-mail

Diana Maldonado
Preschool Educator, Heideman Elementary
E-mail

Veronica Jimenez-Fernandez
Preschool Educator, Heritage Elementary
E-mail

Cathy Modicamore
Preschool Educator, Hicks Canyon Elementary
E-mail

Vandana Chauhan
Preschool Educator, Hicks Canyon Elementary
E-mail

Paloma Fonseca
Preschool Educator, Myford Elementary
Email

Xochitl Gonzalez
Preschool Educator, Myford Elementary
Email

Jessica Torres
Preschool Educator, Nelson Elementary
E-mail

Ana Torres
Preschool Educator, Sycamore Magnet Academy
E-mail

Marisela Garcia
Preschool Educator, Tustin Ranch Elementary
E-mail

First 5 - Orange County

Early Development Index (EDI)

Developed over the course of nearly 30 years, the EDI is a population-based measure of early child development and school readiness in five key domains: physical health, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills, and communications skills and general knowledge. Through rigorous, international testing, the EDI has been found to be a reliable indicator of a child’s well-being that has been used to monitor populations of children over time; report on populations of children in different communities; predict how groups of children will do in elementary school; and, inform systems and policies concerning young children and their families.

For more information about the Early Development Index, please visit First 5 Orange County's website at Early Development Index - First 5 Orange County (first5oc.org)

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