EL MONTE – El Monte City School District celebrated the graduation of 15 parents from its Opening Doors workshop with a June 15 ceremony filled with cheers from their children, instructors and administrators.

The Opening Doors program, called Abriendo Puertas in Spanish, is an evidence-based program that focuses on early childhood development and teaches District parents to encourage their children to stay happy, healthy and interested in learning.

The ceremony took place at the Jeff Seymour Family Center, where attendees received their graduation certificates and breakfast during the final workshop. Program attendees met every Saturday for 10 weeks to learn various methods for boosting school readiness for their children.

This is the second year the program has been available in the District.

“The program helps empower parents in owning their role as the first teacher in their child’s life and the home as their child’s first school,” Jeff Seymour Family Center Executive Administrator Christina Davila said. “Our workshops touch on a variety of topics such as physical health, mental health, self-care for parents, how to advocate for children’s rights, setting goals, the importance of early childhood development and a parent’s role in supporting that.”

Superintendent Dr. Maribel Garcia congratulated the graduates for going above and beyond and sacrificing many weekend hours to better prepare their students as they enter the District.

“It really takes a village to raise a child and the Opening Doors program is an amazing resource for bringing parents together to collaborate to ensure all children in the District are on the right educational path,” Garcia said. “This program is just one of the many ways we emphasize camaraderie between parents and the District to create a welcoming community.”

PHOTO CAPTION:

EMCSD_OPENINGDOORS: The graduating class of El Monte City School District’s Opening Doors program holds their certificates, acknowledging their efforts to encourage early educational development for their children during a ceremony at the Jeff Seymour Family Center.