Universal Transitional Kindergarten (UTK) will be offered for the first time at all San Diego Unified School District Elementary and K-8 schools beginning this fall.
“This new program is a phenomenal opportunity for San Diego Unified families,” said Superintendent Dr. Lamont Jackson. “Providing free, universal preschool for 4-year-old children certainly helps our families but I’m really excited about what it does for our students – it will prepare them for kindergarten and lay the foundation for future growth and development.”
Students must be 4 years old by Sept. 1 to be eligible for UTK. Children who turn 5 years old on or by Sept.1 are age-eligible for kindergarten and will not be enrolled in UTK.
Pre-enrollment to UTK is required and runs through May 20. Pre-enrollment will be offered to families who live within the San Diego Unified School District boundaries. An online pre-enrollment link went live on May 2 and can be found on the district’s website sandiegounified.org. Parents can also contact their neighborhood school for enrollment assistance.
Each school has space limitations; therefore, enrollment at a family’s neighborhood school is not guaranteed. If there is a lack of space available at the family’s school of residence, they will be offered enrollment at the next closest school with space available. UTK will not be offered at the Language Academy, Logan Memorial Education Campus, Mt. Everest, or the Virtual Academy.

Public schools across the region and state will offer similar programs this fall.
At San Diego Unified, UTK will be held with a full day schedule aligned to the elementary school site, said Stephanie Ceminsky, director of Early Learning and Development Programs.
“Providing all children access to a high-quality preschool program, regardless of their family’s income, is a game-changer,” Ceminsky said. “We know early childhood education plays a key role in a children’s learning journey, which is among the reasons why all of us at San Diego Unified are thrilled to introduce this new program to our neighborhood schools.”