Transform TK into a Launchpad for Lifelong Learning

Three Cheers for California TK is an English language program focused on the Science of Reading. Uno, dos, tres: ¡California TK! is its Spanish partner program designed for dual language and biliteracy settings, utilizing an authentic syllabic approach rooted in the Science of Reading for the Spanish language.

Both curricula are meticulously aligned with the California Preschool/Transitional Kindergarten Learning Foundations. They provide a purposeful bridge to the 2025 California ELA/ELD Roadmap and Kindergarten Common Core Standards.

Both programs use a parallel foundational literacy routine within their daily blocks, matching the structure of Three Cheers for California TK and Uno, dos, tres: ¡California TK! to support biliteracy models:

• Alphabet Knowledge (4-Step Routine): Every letter is introduced through a parallel, research-based sequence. In English, students use "See, Say, Find, and Write" (Letter name, sound, textual recognition, and air writing). In Spanish, students use the exact equivalent: "Ver, Decir, Buscar, y Escribir".
• Phonological Awareness:
• English Version: Follows a systematic daily sequence building from basic to complex skills, including syllable blending, onset/rime, rhyme identification, and phoneme isolation.
• Spanish Version: Instruction is explicitly adapted to address the structural differences of the Spanish language, focusing heavily on Spanish syllabication.

Purposeful play is the engine of both the English and Spanish curriculum, explicitly designed to build executive functioning and self-regulation. California TK classrooms balance academic instruction with structured, play-based frameworks across the entire day:

• Learn and Play / Aprender y jugar: A predictable segment (Let’s Move, Let’s Talk, Let’s Read) that guides students through multisensory literacy centers and extends literacy concepts.
• Centergize (Theme & Choice Centers): Hands-on, student-directed spaces where teachers facilitate and observe practice.
• Outdoor Play: Utilized as an active learning environment to explicitly practice CA-aligned social-emotional skills like boundaries and cooperation.
• Daily Routines: Embedded across all academic blocks via music and movement (chants, songs), manipulatives, and playful transition games that keep learning multisensory and engaging.

Both programs support the "Whole Child" by seamlessly connecting social, emotional, and academic development directly back to foundational literacy:

• Social-Emotional Literacy: SEL serves as the program's foundation. Using the Mood Meter, SEL Cards, and the Javi the Helicopter mascot during routines like "Reflect" and "Snack Time," students build the vocabulary needed to identify feelings, practice self-regulation, and develop oral language skills critical for reading readiness.
• Physical & Multisensory Literacy: Gross motor activities found in "Let's Move" build the physical coordination needed for classroom focus, while fine motor development is explicitly embedded throughout the day to strengthen the hand muscles required for early writing.
• Applied Literacy through Play: During Centergize, students independently apply these concepts. As they engage in dramatic play, STEM, and art, they actively practice peer conversation, storytelling, and print awareness, making literacy a natural part of their physical and social world.
• Comprehensive Domains Beyond Literacy: To ensure a well-rounded education, the curriculum offers dedicated instruction in several areas outside of reading and writing. This includes daily Math Circles, as well as dedicated, rotating units for Science, Social Studies, Technology, and a daily Fine Arts Circle.

Yes. Uno, dos, tres: ¡California TK! activities are specifically engineered to mirror the English curriculum. This parallel design provides a seamless cross-linguistic transfer of skills, allowing Multilingual Learners to expand their knowledge in one or both languages.

Educators can make instant, real-time instructional adjustments using embedded tools designed to meet the diverse needs of California TK students.

• Checks for Understanding ("If/Then" / "Si/Entonces" Statements): Built into Literacy and Math Circles, allowing teachers to quickly gather data and provide immediate, on-the-fly support.
• Differentiated Support Notes & Cues: Embedded throughout the Teacher's Edition to provide point-of-use strategies for auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and tactile learners, with specific modifications for younger students.
• Small-Group Instruction & ELD: A dedicated instructional framework for targeted math and literacy scaffolding, paired with a tabbed English Language Development (ELD) section to support all language proficiency levels.
• Adaptable Assessment System: Flexible print and digital assessment tools that let teachers customize presentation, timing, and settings to accurately measure a student's true capabilities.

Both curricula feature robust accessibility supports and universal design strategies explicitly built to accommodate diverse learning styles and varying abilities:

• Materials & Assistive Technology: Includes NIMAS-compliant files (for Braille big books) and digital books with audio and American Sign Language (ASL) options.
• Targeted Developmental Supports:
• Speech/Language: Employs visual aids (picture/alphabet cards), heavily labeled environments, and explicit teacher language modeling.
• Fine Motor: Integrates multisensory letter play, building, music, and tactile coloring.
• Age/Developmental Windows: Point-of-use "Differentiated Support" notes offer immediate modifications for advanced learners, struggling students, or younger children.
• Flexible Assessment Adaptations: To measure a child's true capabilities rather than their limitations, teachers can dynamically adjust the assessment Presentation (visual aids/simplified language), Response (pointing/assistive tech), Setting (reduced distractions), and Timing (frequent breaks).

Both programs include a comprehensive suite of developmentally appropriate assessment tools. Teachers can use regular screening and progress monitoring checks alongside real-time Observational Checklists to capture growth in both academic and social-emotional domains.

Families can access the centralized Savvas Realize® platform to listen to narrated, multilingual e-books in English and Spanish. Parents can also use the integrated Family Engagement Portal to access multilingual family letters, learning activity ideas, and interactive digital games, such as Queen Bee’s Letter Train and Bella’s Super Sounds.