Hockinson's Transitional Kindergarten program was featured in the February 22 edition of The Columbian. View the article HERE. Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is a full-day preschool program that gets each student ready for a successful kindergarten year by providing a high-quality early learning experience.
The TK program at Hockinson Heights Elementary School closes opportunity gaps through play-based instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, and social skills for four-year-old children who do not have access to high-quality early learning experiences prior to kindergarten. TK students also participate in specialist lessons in art, music, and PE. The students are immersed in an elementary school experience, having lunch and recess at Hockinson Heights Elementary every school day. The TK program is free to Hockinson families.
TK was established in line with the HHES vision of preparing every student to read at grade level by 3rd grade. A recent longitudinal study showed that this was a critical turning point that determined a student’s academic and post-secondary trajectory.
With TK, HHES is continuing its tradition of innovative and student-centered programs. The school was named an outlier in a 2020 Center for Educational Excellence Study for demonstrating exceptional improvement in student learning.