The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District is opening its doors for more 4-year-olds to attend transitional kindergarten.

Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed a budget-related bill that allows for the expansion of transitional kindergarten, known as Preppy K, which is designed as a bridge between preschool and kindergarten for children too young to enroll in traditional kindergarten classes.

“This is huge,” said Dorie Staack, director of elementary education for the district.

Preppy K was introduced to the public school system in 2010 when the Legislature changed the age requirement for starting kindergarten.

Kindergarten went from being open to children who turned 5 by Dec. 1 to children who turned 5 by Sept. 1.

The Preppy K classes picked up many of those younger students. Now children who turn 5 between Sept. 2 and March 31 will qualify for the yearlong program.

“I think this program is a win, win, win,” Staack said, adding that the program offers more of the time and age-appropriate curriculum that younger students need to fully develop before kindergarten.

“It’s a win for the students because they get the developmentally appropriate program that will allow them to be successful in their later school years. It’s a win for the parents because they no longer have to move their children midyear … and there is no cost to parents for this program. It’s a win for the district as well, because it will ultimately increase our enrollment,” Staack said.

The district has 19 Preppy K classes and will be adding a class at three schools: Lakeview Elementary School in Yorba Linda and Ruby Drive and Sierra Vista elementary schools in Placentia. The district is also offering a home school option, for a total of 23 classes, Staack said.

“We just enrolled 107 students in the last five days and they are still coming in,” Staack said Wednesday.

Parents interested in finding out whether their child qualifies for transitional kindergarten should contact the district Mondays through Thursdays at 714-985-8650.

Contact the writer: 714-704-3709 or desalazar@ocregister.com