Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Early Childhood topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Colton Joint Unified showcases preschool program benefits, DRDP assessment and parent testimonials
Summary
The district’s child‑development director, Melissa Williamson, described preschool offerings, the DRDP assessment across eight developmental areas, and site locations; parents and high‑school volunteers testified to improvements in language, social‑emotional skills and school readiness.
Melissa Williamson, director of child development for Colton Joint Unified School District, used the district’s community cabinet to highlight early‑childhood programs and the role preschool plays in school readiness.
"Preschool is an early childhood educational program for children ages 3 to 5 years," Williamson said, describing play‑based, teacher‑guided activities that support cognitive, social, emotional and motor development. She said the district operates Head Start classrooms at San Salvador and Slover Mountain High and state preschool at 10 sites across the district.
Williamson explained the district uses the Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP) to assess children across eight domains — approaches to learning and self‑regulation; social‑emotional development; language and literacy; English‑language development; cognition (including math and science); physical development and health; history and social science; and visual and performing arts — and to individualize supports for children who need extra help.
Parent testimonials illustrated the program’s outcomes. Daniela Kapachi said two of her children entered preschool without English and later gained language skills and confidence. "This preschool didn't just teach my daughters ABCs and numbers. It taught them kindness, patience, and independence," she said, adding that the experience led her to join the district workforce.
High‑school students in the district’s child‑development pathway described volunteer experiences at San Salvador Preschool. A Slover Mountain teacher said the pathway acts as a pre‑apprenticeship program that can lead to apprenticeship opportunities after graduation and gives students hands‑on experience supporting preschool learners.
Why it matters: Williamson emphasized long‑term benefits cited in research — increased graduation rates, reduced need for costly remediation, and societal returns on investment — and described program assets such as garden beds and family engagement through ClassDojo updates. She also cited the district’s preschool special‑education classrooms and internship placements that expand support capacity.
Next steps: The district continues to expand and publicize preschool offerings and parent workshops; Williamson encouraged families to view classroom videos and attend local preschool events.
