TK at Kaiser ECE vs Sankofa for future Peralta student?
Hi BPN,
my son is eligible for OUSD TK next fall, and we are zoned for Peralta elementary for regular kindergarten... We are trying to decide if it would be best to send him to the Peralta feeder TK program, which is at Kaiser ECE and quite far from home, or go to Sankofa for TK (walking distance) but then need to reapply for Kinder at Peralta. Is the trek worth it to get to know the kids and families who we will eventually see for elementary? Does it not matter, because the school is so big, he won't see the TK kids next year (Peralta)? Do any other kids attend Sankofa for TK, but then go to Peralta? We know quite a few neighbors of ours will go to Sankofa and we really like that community, but we hear Peralta is an amazing school with arts, gardening etc... My son is very sweet and friendly but definitely more shy, slow to warm up, and not a rough house/ jump into the action kind of kid, if that helps?
Parent Replies
Both Peralta and Sankofa are small schools, so certainly he will see TK classmates the following year if he continues at either. One wondering--and not one I know the answer to--is whether you are considered to be enrolled at Peralta by virtue of being in the Peralta TK, and therefore won't need to reapply for kinder. If that's the case, it's probably wise to do that if you definitely want to be in Peralta long term, since there's no guarantee that there will be enough kinder seats for all neighborhood families if the TK kids and siblings have priority. But we know families who love Sankofa too so if you do opt for their TK and then don't get into Peralta, you could consider just staying there. This will be the first year Peralta has offered TK (and only the second for Sankofa, I think), so hard to know what the enrollment patterns will be. Personally when we looked at schools, I wasn't willing to drive up to Kaiser (which was then an elementary school) and prioritized schools closer to home.
So a few things, if your child goes to the Peralta TK, they are considered to be enrolled at Peralta and guaranteed a spot at the school going forward. (Same for Sankofa). Peralta has moved from having 2 Kinder classes to 3 Kinder classes, so really “should” have spots for all interested neighborhood families (again tricky to forecast, but odds I would be willing to take). They are both small sweet schools, so no wrong choice. (There are definitely Peralta families looking at Sankofa TK because it’s walkable). Which school gives you the better commute for K-5?