Take 5 - August 2025 Edition

Take 5! is a monthly spotlight of promising practices happening at county offices of education throughout the state, rotating the five that are featured and the focus areas covered. The map coordinates with the location of the stories featured this month from across our state. You can view past bright spots by clicking the link at the bottom of this page

The buzz of back-to-school is in the air. Students from Orange County convey our excitement of welcoming students and staff back for the 25-26 school year!

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Visual Storytelling Features Employees on What it Means to Create Opportunities for Students.

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Solano County Office of Education (SCOE) welcomed more than 400 staff members to its 2025-26 Back-to-School Kickoff celebration. The day combined inspiration and professional learning, setting the tone for a year anchored in the theme Unlocking Endless Possibilities. Retiring Solano County Superintendent of Schools Lisette Estrella-Henderson, who has served in education for more than four decades, delivered a heartfelt keynote reminding staff that “we each play a vital role in unlocking endless possibilities for our students.” Her message underscored SCOE’s belief that every connection, relationship, and effort builds the foundation for student success.

A digital photo album of the event for staff and a compelling video featuring SCOE employees highlighted diverse perspectives on what it means to create opportunities for students.

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 Inclusive Early Learning Center Opens at Santa Clara County Office of Education

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The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) was awarded an Inclusive Early Education Expansion Program (IEEEP) grant, which allows the creation of inclusive and equitable early learning environments for children ages birth to five with disabilities. 

A year and a half since its groundbreaking, the SCCOE Early Learning Center is now open to the county’s youngest learners. Over the summer, educational leaders celebrated the opening of the new facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, welcoming those in attendance to a glimpse of the spaces where young children will learn, grow, and play at the Ridder Park campus. 

Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. David M. Toston, Sr. addresses the audience at the ribbon cutting of the new Early Learning Center. This facility is now open to the county's youngest learners as an inclusive and equitable early learning environment for children ages birth to five with disabilities.  

“The opening of the Early Learning Center is a celebration of many things: equitable access to early learning programs and having a visual reminder that anchors not just staff but the community in why we do this work on behalf of children,” said County Superintendent, Dr. David M. Toston, Sr. “We, as the Santa Clara County Office of Education, commit that this will be a place where differences are embraced, instruction is intentional, belonging is felt, and possibilities for our children are endless.” 

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School-Based Mental Health Summit Kicks Off Year of Support for Students

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The Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) School-Based Mental Health Summit brought together hundreds of counselors, psychologists and other professionals to prepare for the year ahead, spotlighting the vital role of wellness in student success.

The third annual School-Based Mental Health Summit drew more than 400 counselors, psychologists, nurses, clinicians, interns and others on the front lines of student support. The day featured a keynote address, workshops, breakout sessions and administrator discussions.

County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Stefan Bean opened the event with a message of gratitude rooted in his own life experiences, recalling his childhood recovery from scoliosis surgery and his family’s experience with loss.

“For me, this work is deeply personal,” he said.



Bean described the isolation he felt as a 10-year-old confined to a body cast for nine months, unsure if he would ever catch up to his peers. What made the difference, he said, were caring adults who noticed, encouraged him and reminded him that he was more than his circumstances. 

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From Locked Doors to Open Minds: How Art Transforms Incarcerated Youth

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Discover how the Riverside County Office of Education is transforming lives through the power of the arts.

This program highlights the real impact of bringing hands-on visual art, poetry, and dance instruction into the classrooms of Riverside County’s juvenile court schools. Through powerful firsthand reflections from educators and artists involved in the initiative, this video offers a window into how creativity can foster expression, build confidence, and create meaningful connections with students who have often felt unseen and unheard.

This video celebrates purpose-driven education and the belief that all students—regardless of circumstance—deserve access to creative outlets that help them grow, reflect, and heal.

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Students Thrive in Music Production Through Ongoing Partnership with David’s Harp

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Connecting students’ educational experiences with real-world opportunities is one of the San Diego County Office of Education’s goals and put into practice through a nearly decades-long partnership with David’s Harp Foundation. 

In the past year, students from the Career Technical Education Center (CTEC) and SOAR Academy East Mesa have participated in internships with the local non-profit, with opportunities involving all aspects of music production.



Four students from CTEC, which focuses on career technical education, provided sound and technical support for a recent live concert, while 51 youth at SOAR Academy East Mesa, which serves youth in the East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility, were producing their own culturally relevant original songs.

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