Montessori -> Berkeley TK?

We have our 4-year-old in a wonderful Montessori pre-school, and are considering sending him to Berkeley Transitional Kindergarten next year. We're hoping to learn from parents who've done that same transition, to see how the TK experience was. If anyone is willing to share their experience in writing or a quick Zoom, we'd be so appreciative. Thank you!

Parent Replies

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RE:

My son went to TK at Cragmont pre-COVID-19. It was fine. I do not have complains. There is a bathroom IN their classroom. Because the kids are young, the district provides a teacher's assistant. I chose to go to TK instead of continuing with preschool for several reasons. 1) It was convenient for me because I had an older child at the same school and 2) it was near our home. 3) TK is free. Academically, there is no difference TK versus PK.

RE:

I responded to another post about Berkeley Arts Magnet TK, so you can find some info there. For us, our son seemed socially ready (getting a handle on sharing and developing some emotional regulation, happy to go to school each day, generally follows directions from teachers). I'm glad we chose TK instead of continuing pre-school for another year.

One thing to consider is that the school day will not be as long as a typical pre-school's. Our pre-school was 8:30-5:30. Our TK is 9:10-2:30, so we still needed to arrange after-school care (of which there are on-site options).