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Take 5 - January 2026
- Jan 31
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 17
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.
What Happens When Child Care Disappears for a Day?
Child care is the quiet infrastructure that allows families to work, businesses to operate, and communities to function. Early childhood educators make all of that possible—yet their essential role often goes unnoticed until something breaks.
Mendocino County Office of Education, along with a few community partners, wanted to know: What would Mendocino County look like if every early childhood educator and child care provider took the day off? A Day Without Early Education explores what happens when the essential people who care for our youngest learners suddenly disappear, and how that affects families, businesses, and our local economy.
The Community School Model in Action: How to Remove Barriers
The Butte County Office of Education (BCOE) exemplifies a robust community school model that intentionally identifies and removes non-academic barriers to student engagement and success. Staff go beyond traditional curriculum-led instruction to address barriers such as inadequate clothing, food insecurity, and family needs by partnering with organizations like Soles4Souls and the Butte County Local Food Network to provide new shoes, fresh produce, and other essentials directly to students and their families. These efforts not only meet basic needs with dignity and sensitivity, but also build trust and connection among students, educators, and families—leading to measurable increases in attendance, belonging, and school engagement.
This approach illustrates how community schools can leverage integrated support systems to sustain student participation and academic progress. By recognizing that challenges outside the classroom—such as economic hardship and food access—directly affect whether students show up and thrive, BCOE operationalizes a whole-child strategy that aligns with emerging statewide community school initiatives.
County Office Partners to Build the Clean Energy Workforce
The San Mateo County Office of Education and its partners are taking significant steps to prepare local students for high-demand green careers, including those in the electric vehicle and clean energy industries. Through the Electric Vehicle (EV) Collaborative—funded by Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE) and facilitated by the County Office’s College, Career, and Community Partnerships (C3P) team—the county is bringing together educators, labor partners, and industry leaders to design a robust EV and clean-energy career pathway for students in northern San Mateo County.
San Mateo County already boasts one of the strongest sustainability-focused educational ecosystems in California. Nearly 65% of high school students participate in Career Technical Education (CTE) courses, many of which integrate themes of environmental stewardship and green technology.
VCOE Opens New Welding Education and Testing Facility
The first and only welding education and testing facility in Ventura County accredited by the American Welding Society (AWS) is now officially open at the Ventura County Office of Education’s Career Education Center. The opening marks the culmination of years of planning and preparation to build a state-of-the-art facility that meets the strict standards set by AWS and the state.
The opportunity to earn AWS certification at a local site is a significant benefit for students in existing high school and community college welding programs, as well as for current welders seeking to advance their careers. In addition to AWS certification, the new facility offers affordable, hands-on welding training for high school students and adult residents interested in pursuing welding careers.
New Conference Offers Educational Strategies to Enhance Services to Deaf and/or Hard of Hearing Students
More than 17,000 students attending California’s public schools are considered Deaf and/or hard of hearing (DHH)—including 1,163 in Riverside County. To enhance future educational experiences for DHH students by equipping the educators who serve them each day, the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) is hosting Fields of Possibility: Where Deaf Education Takes Root—a free, one-day professional development summit in partnership with the California School for the Deaf, Riverside (CSDR).
“This first-of-its-kind event will offer educators evidence-based strategies, innovative practices, and collaborative insights, while providing inspiration for attendees to cultivate growth, connection, and empowerment,” said Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edwin Gomez.
