UPK Planning and Implementation Guidance Release & Office Hours

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UPK Planning and Implementation Guidance 

The California Department of Education (CDE) is excited to announce that additional Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) Planning and Implementation guidance has been posted on the California Educators Together website. See below for a list of new sections of guidance. The main web page can be found at Universal PreKindergarten/Preschool to Third Grade (UPK/P-3).

The CDE will post this guidance to the Universal PreKindergarten and Transitional Kindergarten web page in the future found at https://cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/em/. Please note that the California Educators Together website may be more current as guidance is being updated.

Background

CDE created the UPK/P-3 Group on the California Educators Together platform to share resources and guidance for local education agencies and partners to use in preparation for the implementation of UPK in California.

This group is open to state and local implementers, leaders, and practitioners of UPK, including Transitional Kindergarten and early elementary school settings, as well as the California State Preschool Program, Head Start, and additional PreK program providers and extended learning and care partners.

California Educators Together is a free platform that is designed to streamline communication between educators and education leaders and allows them to access and share a vast library of content, resources, strategies, and supports. Users can share materials including lesson plans, curriculum, and other resources with each other in addition to accessing resources for such topics as literacy, expanded learning, mental health, and event updates. CDE encourages you to register for a free account to access the full suite of features and resources in this platform, however, registration is not required to access the UPK/P-3 site.

New Guidance Added to the California Educators Together Web Page

Focus Area A:

  • Guidance for UPK Leadership Structure
  • Guidance on Integrating UPK within District Local Control Accountability Plans
  • Supporting Access and Enrollment Equity

Focus Area B:

  • California State Preschool (CSPP) – Information for Parents
  • UPK Head Start – Information for Parents
  • Email Language for Convening UPK Community Partners
  • Guidance on County Office of Education Support for Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) Planning and Implementation
  • Supporting Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) Through Community Schools

Focus Area C:

Focus Area D:

Early Math-Math Matters

Focus Area E:

  • Funding Sources That Can Be Utilized for Facilities
  • Guidance on the Supervision of Young Children
  • Implementing Universal Meals in UPK
  • Transportation

To access this guidance and information please visit  

https://www.caeducatorstogether.org/groups/e0cfjrjf/upk-p-3.

UPK Office Hours

The Early Education Division (EED) is excited to host weekly Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) office hours. The EED will be hosting virtual office hours on Wednesday afternoons targeted at Local Education Agencies (school districts, charter schools, county offices of education) so that attendees can come and ask questions and receive technical assistance about UPK implementation. The first 15 minutes will be a quick review of UPK and the latest developments. Registration will be limited to 500 participants per session and will be open to all regions of California. Please register ahead of time. Registration for each week’s Office Hours opportunity will open the Friday afternoon before each Wednesday’s event.

The CDE has posted resources for UPK at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/em/, including information from the first two UPK webinars and the first round of guidance to use in planning for UPKimplementation.

Please register for the next UPK Office Hour, which will be on April 13, 2022, from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. To register, visit https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/em/upkofficehours.asp.