Kindergarten Could Soon Be Mandatory for California Children

August Russell clings to his mother, Natalie Russell, on his first day of kindergarten in Altadena, Calif., in August 2021. Al Seib/Los Angeles Times/TNS

By Mackenzie Mays From Los Angeles Times

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—California is one step closer to mandating that children attend kindergarten, a requirement that would come after droves of the state’s youngest students skipped the grade during the COVID-19 pandemic and heightened learning gap concerns.