Universal Prekindergarten Resources
We support school districts and charter schools in planning and implementing UPK, including TK expansion, in their communities. As the lead agency for Sacramento’s UPK collaborative, we arе committed to a mixed-delivery system of high-quality early childhood education services that are delivered through a variety of providers and programs, including both public and private settings. Find Information about:
California’s Mixed-Delivery UPK System
Universal PreKindergarten
Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) is an initiative designed to ensure access for all children to a quality learning experience the year before kindergarten by bringing together programs across early education and TK–12 settings.
UPK in Sacramento County is provided through a mixed delivery system that includes not only Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and the California State Preschool Program (CSPP), but also Head Start, private providers, and other options.
By 2025–26, California is poised to meet major UPK objectives by:
1) providing all families, regardless of income, a free year of voluntary public PreK for all four-year-old children through TK; 2) serve a growing number of three-year-old children through the CSPP and the mixed delivery system.
While not all providers of UPK will be available free of cost to families, families will be able to choose whether to enroll their three- and four-year-old children in quality early learning programs and in which program to enroll them.
UPK Mixed Delivery Planning
The Local Planning Council created a diverse workgroup, lead by SCOE Early Learning leaders and consisting of broad representation of the early learning and care community, to develop a plan supporting a mixed-delivery system in Sacramento.
UPK for Families
Families are a child’s first teacher and the SCOE Early Learning Department is committed to connecting families with the information and resources they need to help their children thrive. UPK's mixed-delivery system brings more flexible, high-quality early learning choices for your 3- and 4-year-olds that address your families' learning and care needs.
Early Learning Workforce Programs
SCOE Early Learning works in partnership with institutes of higher education, schools of education, and partners across the county to assist and support increasing a diverse, highly qualified workforce dedicated to helping our youngest learners and their families thrive.
Sacramento Consortium for Empowering Early Educators (SacE3) Program
SacE3 supports early educators in advancing their careers through professional learning, stipends for college course units, acquiring a BA in Child and Adolescent Development, and participating in an internship program to teach TK.
Sacramento County Workforce Pathways Grant (WPG) Stipend Program
WPG supports early educators, providers, and caregivers through professional growth stipends to complete professional learning hours and degree-pathway college units. WPG also supports new family child care providers by reimbursing the cost of the initial Licensing fee and initial Health & Safety Training.