The 5-year-olds played with a farm, while others read their colorfully crayoned farm booklets aloud.

They certainly knew their horses from their cows, laughing
when someone got them reversed. And the tykes bubbled with energy as
recess grew near.

Welcome to the transitional kindergarten at Yorbita Elementary
School. The pilot program is helping Rowland Unified gear up for the
new classes expanding to every elementary school next year.

Under the new state plan, younger children will be allowed to
enroll in the special kindergartens. In fact, the Kindergarten Readiness
Act of 2010 will gradually change the birth dates for entry from Dec. 1
to Sept. 1

Read more in Rich Irwin’s story KINDER.