Enrolling for Student Success

UTK students at Lincoln Elementary practice their alphabet.

Since Winter Break, you may have heard the buzzwords “Priority Registration” flying across MUSD campuses.

You might be asking, “What does that mean?” and “How does this impact me?”

Well, Priority Registration aims to make a significant, positive impact in Manteca Unified.

Priority Registration is new student registration for the upcoming school year, but with an accelerated timeline. Manteca Unified worked to create this unique “priority period” which will run from January 17 – March 3, 2023. The intent behind this designated priority window is simple: By enrolling new students earlier, families will have the greatest chance of getting into their school of residence, especially if it’s impacted.

By moving the registration date to January, families – regardless of school or grade level –are enrolling students earlier than ever before, allowing families greater access to programs that historically have filled up in April.

This is especially true of MUSD’s Universal Transitional Kindergarten program, known as UTK.

UTK is an optional by highly recommended state-funded program which provides early education opportunities for younger children. Based around early development with an emphasis on literacy, math readiness, play, and social emotional growth, UTK provides free, full-day learning opportunities, a lower staff to student ratio, and curriculum aligned with instruction up to 3rd grade.

Universal Transitional Kindergarten was first piloted at six schools during the 2022/23 school year, and this August, the program will be available for all age-eligible children!

Since there’s no better champion for UTK than its teachers, educators from the six schools that piloted the program were asked about the details and benefits of Universal Transitional Kindergarten.

What’s Unique about the UTK Program

Allison Guzman, Lincoln Elementary

The UTK program has made quality early education more accessible to families in our community. With this new group of younger students, we, the UTK teachers, get the opportunity to provide these children with play-based experiences and exposure to school materials. UTK is not the first year of a 2-year kindergarten program, but a unique, meaningful learning experience.

Why Early Learning Opportunities are Important

Debbie Hightower, Lathrop Elementary

A fantastic aspect of UTK is that it provides a foundation for later learning. Children acquire basic knowledge (including colors, shapes, numbers, and letters) while gaining confidence and self-sufficiency, which truly sets them up for success in kindergarten. The program encourages social development (how to have a good relationship with others, how to share and take turns, how to solve conflicts with others, how to problem solve a particular issue, how to compromise etc.) and allows children to become comfortable being away from their family while at school.

Allison Guzman, Lincoln Elementary

Coming from teaching kindergarten for the past three years, I feel that I can say kindergarten is HARD! In kindergarten students must learn to self-regulate, problem-solve, communicate, and share while also learning how to read, write, add, and subtract. Providing an opportunity such as UTK to young students provides a safe, developmentally-appropriate environment for students to learn about themselves, others, and the world around them. We are giving students a head-start to becoming successful and reaching their full potential.

Teaching UTK

Julie Rodriguez, George Komure Elementary

Teaching UTK has allowed me to not only teach my students academically, but to really slow down and take advantage of every learning opportunity that presents itself in the classroom. It’s definitely unique from other grades because these four-year-old little minds and personalities are so curious and eager to learn, making almost every experience and activity enjoyable and memorable.

Why We Recommend UTK

Margie Morris, French Camp Elementary

I feel it is crucial for children to prepare themselves for kindergarten and the future of education. The children in my class are learning how to socialize with other children, learn about a school campus, meet other educators who will be their teachers in the years to come, and learn appropriate ways to act in school. As a parent, I would want my children to get the best education possible, and I feel UTK is the best possible education for 4 year-old children.

Marissa Stough, Shasta Elementary

By enrolling their children in UTK, parents can trust that students will be given appropriate time to adjust to school rules and expectations, interacting with other students, listening to a teacher, doing work/ projects, as well as develop skills such as using scissors and holding a pencil. This program is an opportunity for learning through hands-on and playbased activities that are fun and familiar!

Amy Zachreus, Golden West Elementary

I feel that UTK is such an important part of a child’s first experience in a school environment. It prepares them in so many ways to have a successful career as a student. Since the focus is on social/emotional learning which encompasses many areas, children are learning to experience purposeful play in a variety of settings. They problem solve with one another and practice using dialogue to carry on conversations! They have opportunities to work cooperatively with one another and build friendships, vocabulary, and skills to help them throughout their schooling. I am so blessed to work with these children, it has been a really positive experience for me as I come to the close of my teaching career.

For more information about Priority Registration or the UTK program, visit www.mantecausd.net/registration