The California kindergarten curriculum covers English language arts, mathematics, science, history-social science, physical education, and social-emotional learning, guided by the California Common Core State Standards, the Next Generation Science Standards, and state frameworks for the remaining subjects. Beginning with the 2024–25 school year, a child must complete a year of kindergarten before entering first grade at any California public or charter elementary school, so what happens in this year now carries real weight.1California Legislative Information. SB 70 – Elementary Education – Kindergarten
English Language Arts and Literacy
Reading instruction begins with print concepts. Children learn to follow words left to right and top to bottom, recognize that spoken words are made up of letters, and see that spaces separate words on a page.2California Department of Education. California Common Core State Standards – English Language Arts and Literacy
Phonological awareness is central. Kindergartners practice recognizing and producing rhymes, counting syllables, and blending or segmenting the individual sounds in simple words. Phonics ties those sounds to letters: one-to-one letter-sound matches for consonants and for the long and short sounds of the five major vowels. By year’s end, students are expected to read common high-frequency words like “the,” “of,” and “to” by sight.
For writing and language, children learn to print upper- and lowercase letters, use basic nouns and verbs, capitalize the first word of a sentence and the pronoun “I,” recognize end punctuation, and spell simple words phonetically.3California Department of Education. CA Content Standards LK2 – Language
Mathematics
Kindergarten math is organized into three domains under the California Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.4California Department of Education. California Common Core State Standards – Mathematics
Counting and Cardinality has children counting to 100 by ones and tens, counting forward from any given number, and writing numerals from 0 to 20. A key idea is that the last number said when counting a group tells how many objects are in it.
Operations and Algebraic Thinking introduces addition and subtraction word problems within 10, solved using objects, drawings, or physical actions. Students learn to decompose numbers up to 10 into pairs in more than one way, for example seeing that 5 equals 2 + 3 and also 4 + 1, and build fluency with addition and subtraction within 5.
Measurement and Data has students describing measurable attributes such as length or weight, comparing two objects directly to see which has more or less of an attribute, and classifying objects into categories, with counts kept to 10 or fewer.
All three domains emphasize concrete, hands-on reasoning. Children work with physical objects, fingers, and drawings before moving toward abstract representations.
Science
California uses the Next Generation Science Standards, which weave scientific practices, core disciplinary ideas, and crosscutting concepts into every lesson rather than teaching them separately.5Next Generation Science Standards. Next Generation Science Standards Kindergartners ask questions, build simple models, plan and carry out investigations, analyze data, and communicate findings at an age-appropriate level.6Next Generation Science Standards. K-5 Science Standards
Content spans three areas. In physical science, students explore how pushes and pulls of different strengths and directions affect motion. In life science, they focus on what plants and animals need to survive and how those needs connect to where they live. In earth and space science, they observe and describe local weather patterns over time. An engineering design component asks children to compare simple solutions to a problem based on how well each meets the goal.
History-Social Science
History-Social Science begins with the world closest to the child: self, family, and classroom community. Students practice sharing, taking turns, following rules, and understanding that actions have consequences. Basic civic ideas like fairness, responsibility, and respect for others are introduced here.
Geography is experiential. Children compare locations using terms like near and far, left and right, behind and in front of, and identify their school and home on simple maps. The curriculum introduces national and state symbols, including the American flag and well-known landmarks.
Physical Education
The 200-minutes-per-10-school-days PE requirement in Education Code Section 51210 applies to grades one through six, not kindergarten.7California Legislative Information. California Code EDC 51210 – Course of Study Grades 1 to 6 Kindergarten PE instead builds foundational movement: locomotor skills like running, hopping, and galloping; non-locomotor skills like bending and stretching; and manipulative skills like throwing, catching, and kicking.
Health and fitness concepts are introduced simply. Children learn why water matters, what nutritious food looks like, and how physical activity helps their bodies. The aim is movement confidence and positive attitudes toward being active, not athletic benchmarks.
Social-Emotional Learning
Social-emotional learning runs through the whole school day rather than sitting in its own period. Children practice identifying and managing emotions, setting simple goals, developing empathy, building friendships, and making responsible choices. In Transitional Kindergarten especially, structured play carries much of the instruction: cooperative games, pretend scenarios, and group projects create natural chances to practice self-regulation and resolve conflicts.
Support for English Learners
California has standalone English Language Development standards that work alongside every academic subject.8California Department of Education. California English Language Development Standards Kindergarten English learners are placed at one of three proficiency levels: Emerging, Expanding, or Bridging, moving from immediate-needs English toward advanced use across academic contexts.
The ELD standards cover three areas: interacting in meaningful ways through collaborative dialogue, comprehension, and oral or written production; learning how English works, including sentence structure, vocabulary, and grammar; and foundational literacy skills adapted from the ELA reading standards. Classroom teachers use these standards alongside the regular academic content rather than as a replacement.
The Kindergarten-Before-First-Grade Rule
California’s compulsory education law still begins at age six.9California Legislative Information. California Code EDC 48200 – Compulsory Education Starting with the 2024–25 school year, though, a child must complete one year of kindergarten before being admitted to first grade at any public elementary school or charter school.1California Legislative Information. SB 70 – Elementary Education – Kindergarten If your child will attend California public school, skipping kindergarten means they cannot enter first grade on time.
Transitional Kindergarten and Standard Kindergarten
California has two entry points. Standard kindergarten is the one-year program for children who turn five on or before September 1 of the school year.10California Legislative Information. California Code EDC 48000 – Kindergartens Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is the first year of a two-year program using a modified, age-appropriate curriculum that blends preschool readiness with early kindergarten content. TK weighs heavily on language development, pre-math concepts, social skills, and self-regulation before a child moves into the standard kindergarten year.
Universal TK has been phasing in younger children each year. In 2025–26, any child who turns four by September 1 qualifies for TK.10California Legislative Information. California Code EDC 48000 – Kindergartens Publicly funded early education now starts a full year earlier than the traditional kindergarten entry age.
Immunizations Required to Enroll
Before a child can attend TK or kindergarten, California requires proof of the following immunizations:11California Department of Public Health. Shots Required for TK-12 and 7th Grade
- DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis): 5 doses, or 4 if one was given on or after the fourth birthday
- Polio: 4 doses, or 3 if one was given on or after the fourth birthday
- Hepatitis B: 3 doses
- MMR (measles, mumps, rubella): 2 doses, both on or after the first birthday
- Varicella (chickenpox): 2 doses
California eliminated personal belief exemptions for required school vaccinations in 2016. The only remaining exemption is a medical exemption issued by a licensed physician. Children missing doses can be admitted conditionally on a catch-up schedule, but schools will exclude students who fall behind on that schedule.
Special Education and 504 Accommodations
A TK or kindergarten student who may have a disability is entitled to evaluation and services under federal law. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires the school district to complete an initial evaluation within 60 days of receiving parental consent, unless state law sets a different timeframe.12U.S. Department of Education. IDEA Reauthorized Statute – Changes in Initial Evaluation and Reevaluation If a qualifying disability is identified, the school develops an Individualized Education Program (IEP) with specialized instruction and services tailored to the child.
A child who has a physical or mental condition that substantially limits a major life activity but does not qualify for an IEP may still receive accommodations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Common 504 accommodations in kindergarten include a structured learning environment, sensory breaks, picture schedules, modified homework amounts, and multi-sensory teaching methods. An IEP changes what or how a child is taught; a 504 plan adjusts the classroom environment so the child has equal access to the standard curriculum.
How Transitional Kindergarten Progress Is Measured
California uses the Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP) to assess progress across developmental domains including social-emotional development, approaches to learning, cognition, language, physical development, health, and science.13California Department of Education. Desired Results Developmental Profile – Child Development The DRDP is a continuum-based observational tool: teachers assess children by watching them during regular classroom activities rather than giving a formal test.
The DRDP is required for all three-, four-, and five-year-old students who have an IEP or IFSP, including those in TK and kindergarten. It is not required for general education students in TK through third grade, though many districts use it voluntarily to track development and inform instruction. Parents can ask to see their child’s DRDP results and should expect narrative descriptions of where the child falls on each continuum rather than letter grades or percentile scores.