The majority of kindergarten classes in Manteca Unified could be extended to full-day schedules starting in August.
It is part of an update that’s the next phase to the existing universal pre-kindergarten implementation plan the school board will consider adopting when they meet Thursday at 6 p.m. at the district office complex.
There are currently 10 of the district’s 20 schools operating on full day kindergarten schedules made possible through waivers approved by teachers.
A half day consists of 180 minutes versus 305 minutes for a full-day kindergarten session.
Victoria Brunn, the district’s chief business and information officer, noted teachers were inspired to expand to full day kindergarten after seeing positive impacts of doing so.
She said it reflects the commitment Manteca Unified teachers have to their students.
There will still be a handful of half day kindergarten classes in the 2024-2025 school year.
The all-day kindergarten also would align with the transitional kindergarten program more effectively.
Transitional kindergarten, under state law, now go full days while the state currently funds half-day kindergarten and then requires full-day sessions for first grade and above.
The district doesn’t believe the back and forth is in the best interest of students.
“The success of this year’s Universal Transition Program (UTK) where all students attended a full-day program, is indicative of the positive impact of an extended schedule on early childhood education,” Brunn noted.
“UTK students are thriving in the full-day environment, reinforcing our commitment to PreK-3rd’s grade alignment and providing continuity within our Early Primary Program. This update also allows us to respond to data and provide equitable access for all students across MUSD.”
If the board gives its approval to the update, Manteca Unified will also move towards a regional model for transitional kindergarten at five campuses starting in August.
The school sites are Lathrop Elementary, McParland Annex, Stella Brockman, Great Valley and Veritas.
Additional designated overflow classes will be housed at Lincoln and Joshua Cowell.
The five sites — along with Lincoln and Cowell — will operate as an Early Primary Program under state guidelines. That means primary programs need to operate for an equal length of time.
The district believes the full day kindergarten also will better support families.
Given the prevalence of households where both parents working full time and at least one commuting to employment in the Bay Area as well as challenges facing single parents, the district believes the shift will eliminate the pressure to find before or after school programs.
“We believe full day kindergarten is what’s best for students,” Brunn said.
Brunn, while she didn’t know how many other districts are doing what MUSD is doing, is confident the move will be a growing trend.
In fact, the state has already toyed with the idea of not only going to full day kindergarten as a California public schools requirement, but also possibly mandating kindergarten attendance.
It had been tentatively set to do so for the 2025-2026 school year, but Newsom backed off on embracing such a mandate due to budgetary concerns at the state level.
Attending transitional kindergarten as well as kindergarten is not currently mandatory under California law.
“Schools like French Camp, Sequoia, and Lathrop have successfully implemented this schedule for several years,” Brunn said. “The positive outcomes from these schools demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of a full-day program.”
One key advantage is that no additional teachers will be needed for the full-day schedule, as all kindergarten teachers are already contracted for a full day.
Kindergarten teachers do not currently share classrooms with other teachers, eliminating the need for additional classroom space.
Manteca Unified is still working toward building an Early Education on part of 56 acres the district owns on Tinnin Road in south Manteca.
The targeted opening is for the 2026-2027 school year, assuming everything falls in line.
The future Tinnin Road campus will:
*ultimately increase the capacity of three neighborhood schools — Woodward, Nile Garden, and Veritas.
*allow the creation of a campus uniquely designed for transitional kindergarten (TK) and kindergarten.
The Tinnin Road site south of Woodward Avenue is roughly midway between Union Road and Main Street. As such it is in the center of the area south of the 120 Bypass that planning consultants for the city over the years have indicated could be home to 40 percent of Manteca’s population by 2040.
The goal is to have the first phase of the early education center up and running within three years to meet a state mandate for TK programming. That is timed to take advantage of state funding committed to help districts build TK facilities that are not housed in portable classrooms.
Manteca Unified is aiming to develop an optimum early education experience given the classroom needs for TK and kindergarten mirror each other.
They require classrooms of 1,350 square feet as opposed to 960 square feet for a standard classroom.
Kindergarten classrooms also must have fenced in playground areas with age-specific playground equipment as well as their own restrooms.
That means the space will be interchangeable between the two programs to account for shifts in enrollment that typically occurs over the years.
It also means the entire campus can be designed for the TK and kindergarten experience.
By shifting kindergarten classes ultimately from Woodward, Veritas and Nile Garden schools to the TInnin Road location, it will avoid the need to add on to those campuses to accommodate TK.
It also means that the capacity of the three schools for first through eighth grade could be increased by 90 plus students each by reconfiguring the existing kindergarten spaces.
That would be the equivalent of building a third of an elementary school — typically the size of an annex campus – in south Manteca.
It is more expensive to add a handful of classrooms spread out over existing campuses than it is to develop a new campus.
At the same time, a full TK-8 campus would cost in excess of $40 million.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
