By Diana Lambert, Sacramento Bee

Preet Sandhu wasn’t surprised to learn last week that her daughter Kirat wasn’t eligible for kindergarten. Elk Grove Unified staff had done a good job of getting the word out.

Sandhu’s daughter turns 5 on Nov. 5, 2012 – and a new law requires that kids be age 5 by Nov. 1 to enroll in kindergarten next school year. Currently, California children could enroll in kindergarten if they turned 5 by Dec. 2.

The new law changing the age requirement for kindergartners is being phased in over three years. In the fall of 2013, children must be age 5 by Oct. 1. In the fall of 2014, students must turn 5 by Sept. 1.

So what happens to these kids with later birthdays?

The law that changed the age requirement also called for a new grade level – transitional kindergarten, or TK.

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