Abstract
Universal transitional kindergarten (UTK) is an extension of a preexisting California public school program, transitional kindergarten. Currently, transitional kindergarten exists within the k-12 public school system, however it services only children whose 5th birthdays fall between September and December of a given school year. The purpose of the UTK expansion is essentially to create publicly funded prekindergarten programs that services as many eligible children and their families as possible. This project addressed the need for research-based reading and writing curriculum specifically for universal transitional kindergarten teachers and administrators. The literature review of this project provides a historical review of early child care and education in the United States, and dives into the arguments for research-based prekindergarten programs. Additionally, the literature review warns readers of potential failures of large-scale prekindergarten programs, and makes specific pedagogical suggestions in order to avoid program failure. The appendix of this project provides a six-week unit of study that integrates reading and writing for universal transitional kindergarten.