Dear MVSD Preschool Families and Community,
Greetings from the wonderful world of preschool! Spring is the perfect time to get children excited about the world around them. In our preschool classrooms, we continue to provide hands-on, child-centered learning experiences that support all areas of your child’s development through play, imagination, and creativity. This is also the season to secure your child’s spot in preschool for the 2026–2027 school year. Below, you will find two video clips—one highlighting our Early Head Start Programs and the other featuring our 12-month, full-time program at the Children’s Center for working families.
In this edition of our Preschool Programs newsletter, you will learn about:
- Our dedicated preschool staff teams
- Community partners who support and enhance services for students and families
- How our students learn and grow in the classroom
- Family engagement opportunities and helpful resources
On behalf of our dedicated Preschool Programs staff, I wish you a wonderful remainder of the 2025-2026 school year!
Respectfully,
Glenda Giron
Principal of Preschool Programs
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Excellence is a word that Mr. Andy Sanchez, Day Custodian for our preschool programs, truly embodies through his strong work ethic, attention to detail, and dedication to keeping our preschool campuses clean, safe, and welcoming for students, staff, and families. Since joining Mountain View School District in 2019, he has gone above and beyond his custodial duties by helping wherever needed, from supporting special events to stepping in as a community reader for preschool students. His kindness, humility, and willingness to serve others are evident both at work and in the community, including volunteering during COVID relief efforts such as food drives and offering support through his church, hospitals, and care homes.
Mr. Andy is also a trusted leader who represents preschool programs in safety committees, leads emergency preparedness efforts, and serves as a role model during drills and daily operations. Staff consistently praise him for his positivity, reliability, and commitment, often describing him as someone who quietly leads by example and always puts students first. Through his professionalism, pride in his work, and positive impact on school culture, Mr. Andy enhances the image of classified employees districtwide and is highly deserving of this recognition.
Enjoy the video below, which highlights how valuable Mr. Andy Sanchez is to our Mt. View Preschool Programs.
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Keeping our preschools clean, safe, and welcoming for every student and staff member each day is our custodial and maintenance team's motto. Their commitment to safety and cleanliness shows how much they value our students and staff. Beyond maintaining the campus, this team often support staff, families, and special events, making them an essential part of the preschool community.
Meet our dedicated team, pictured below, from left to right:
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Randy Kobaissi, Rodrigo Dena-Montes, Josette Diaz, and Rey Cuevas, Part-Time PM Traveling Custodians
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Guadalupe Bobadilla, Maintenance Worker II
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Andy Sanchez, Full-Time Day Custodian
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The Health and Nutrition Team's focus is on the promotion of the student's overall well-being by ensuring the student's medical, dental, and nutritional status is met. A healthy student is a successful student in the classroom and beyond,
Collaboration is key for this team, composed of Cynthia Banuelos, MS, RD, who is our Nutrition Manager, Claudia Salazar, Health Technician, and Carina Aragon, Secretary I, who supports the Early Head Start Home-Based Program in the area of health services. This team also includes the expertise of three Nurses/Health Consultants, Lupe Vazquez, Tamara Hart, and Mindy Jolley.
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Our agency also offers a state-funded School Age program for eligible students who currently attend La Primaria School in Kindergarten through Second grades. This program offers income-eligible working families the opportunity to have before and after-school care at the Children's Center.
Throughout the year, school-age students have shown meaningful growth in building and maintaining positive relationships with both peers and adults. They are becoming more confident in expressing their thoughts, feelings, and perspectives while also learning to respect and understand the viewpoints of others. This reflects stronger communication skills and greater social awareness.
Students have also been learning and practicing conflict resolution strategies. They are developing the ability to identify the causes of disagreements, communicate respectfully, and work toward fair solutions that consider everyone’s needs and feelings. Through guided experiences, they are strengthening skills such as active listening, empathy, problem-solving, and compromise. These experiences help students become more responsible, socially aware individuals who are better prepared to handle complex social situations.
Meet the dynamic duo of Melissa Velasco, School Age Teacher, and Mary Torres, School Age Instructional Assistant.
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Supporting young children with special needs is a vital part of our Special Education program at Mountain View, made possible through a collaborative team of dedicated professionals who provide comprehensive and individualized support.
Our team includes Special Education Teachers Kalyn Sakamoto, Sarah Guzman, and Wendy Giang, who focus on adapting classroom instruction and delivering personalized strategies so that every student can meaningfully engage in their learning experience. Their work ensures that instruction is inclusive, accessible, and responsive to each child’s unique strengths and needs. Additional key members of the team include Leah Barragan, School Psychologist, who conducts comprehensive assessments and offers guidance to help identify student needs early while connecting families with appropriate resources and services. Kimberly Navarro, Speech and Language Pathologist, supports students in developing communication skills and collaborates closely with staff to identify and address speech and language needs as early as possible.
Together, this talented team fosters a supportive, inclusive environment where all children are respected, all abilities are valued, and families feel welcomed.
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In the month of February, our staff had the opportunity to nominate colleagues for the CKH "Spark the Heart with Kindness" Award. Congratulations to:
Andy Sanchez, Day Custodian
Claudia Salazar, Health Technician
Maria Flores, Instructional Assistant
Sonia Saenz, Secretary II
Kalyn Sakamoto, PIN Teacher
Capturing Kids Hearts (CKH) is a program designed to foster a positive school culture through strong relationships between teachers and students and their families.
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Our agency is grateful to partner with Baby2Baby, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to providing children and families in need with essential items such as diapers, clothing, and basic necessities that every child deserves.
Below is an Early Head Start (EHS) family who received a diaper donation delivered through this meaningful partnership. This wonderful organization also delivers the donated items to the agency in these amazing trucks.
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The start of another wonderful community partnership!
On April 2, 2026, the classrooms and programs at the Children’s Center welcomed a wonderful Dr. Seuss-themed visit from representatives of Longo Toyota, a valued community partner of Mountain View School District that has primarily supported our district’s elementary schools. This special visit brought joy to our preschool students and highlighted the importance of strong school-community partnerships. We look forward to strengthening this partnership for many years to come.
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Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit organization dedicated to children’s literacy. RIF distributes books and provides reading resources to children across the country, along with valuable support materials for educators, families, and community volunteers.
Through our partnership with RIF, our Preschool Programs are able to increase access to books, promote early literacy, and create engaging, joyful reading experiences for all children. Parent volunteers and community visitors play a vital role in this program, often engaging children through read-aloud experiences and interactive themed activities.
At the end of the RIF event, each child is able to choose a free book for themselves to add to their home library. Fostering a love of reading at an early age is a strong indicator of long-term academic success. Below are a few examples of activities that showcase the creative themes teachers use to bring books to life.
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Regular attendance in preschool is important because it helps children build strong learning habits, develop social skills, and feel confident in their daily routines. When children attend school consistently, they are better prepared for kindergarten and future academic success.
Every month we hold a special Spirit Day to raise awareness about the importance of preschool attendance. In February the theme was "A Caring Day with Hearts." In March it was "Multicultural Day," and in April it was "Space Day."
Help us decide on the May Spirit Day Theme, taking place on May 21, 2026 by casting your vote on the yellow button below.
"Space Day" filled our Preschool Universe at our final Preschool Attendance Awareness Rally of the Year on April 23, 2026. We thank our preschool families for demonstrating that preschool attendance matters greatly as they set positive expectations for themselves and their young children. Students are recognized for attendance at three levels:
- Gold Level Ribbon = 0 absences
- Silver Level Ribbon = 1 absence
- Bronze Level Ribbon = 2 absences
Congratulations to the latest Top Winning Classes recognized for attendance (pictured below)!
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Ms. Ballze's Maxson Full-Day Class |
Ms. Torres's Kranz Full-Day Class |
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Ms. Del Toro's Full-Day Baker 3 Class |
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Our Preschool Programs use Creative Curriculum, which supports the development of the whole child through hands-on, play-based learning experiences organized around engaging study units. Performing arts, visual arts, culinary arts, and craft-making activities are intentionally integrated into these units to enrich children’s learning. Some of the study units completed this year include the Insect Study, Gardening Study, Clothes Study, Bread Study, Pet Study, and Simple Machines Study. In addition, our teaching staff provides targeted instruction in pre-literacy and pre-math skills, including phonemic awareness, academic vocabulary building, rhyming, dialogic read-alouds, math talks, and advanced counting abilities.
For example, in the Baker part-day classes with Ms. Dominguez-Gonzalez and Ms. Sanchez, students explored which insects lay eggs and, with support from their parents at home, created insect-themed baskets for their culminating Insect Egg Hunt activity.
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In Ms. Ballze's class, she sent seed and containers home for the spring break as a project for our garden study, and also tied to the April CKH Theme: Finish Strong/Perseverance. |
In Ms. Torres's class, students conduct a parade throughout the main Head Start offices to culminate this and all other Creative Curriculum studies. |
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Read Across America Week, often associated with the birthday of Dr. Seuss, was created to inspire a love of reading in children and to celebrate literacy in all its forms. Beyond simply encouraging children to pick up a book, the week also promotes cultural awareness, strengthens a sense of community, and supports the development of strong literacy skills.
Within our Preschool Programs, this special week becomes a vibrant, district-wide celebration. Our preschool teachers plan engaging, themed activities for each day to spark excitement around reading. From playful events like Crazy Hair Day to creative, Dr. Seuss–inspired games and storytelling experiences, every classroom participates in bringing books to life. These interactive and joyful experiences help children associate reading with fun, creativity, and connection, laying the foundation for a lifelong love of learning.
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We successfully celebrated our second annual Preschool Wellness Week during the week of April 13, 2026! This special week was dedicated to promoting healthy habits, mindfulness, and positive connections among our students. 🧘♀️❤️🍊🥦🦷🙏🏃♂️🎨
Each day focused on a different theme to support student well-being and encourage healthy choices:
Mindfulness Monday – Self-love, mindfulness, and healing
Tasty Tuesday – Nutrition, healthy eating, and Staff Wellness Day
Wellness Wednesday – Dental health and hygiene
Thoughtful Thursday – Gratitude and positive affirmations for others
Fit Fun Friday – Physical activity, movement, and fitness
To help reinforce these themes and create meaningful wellness experiences, each classroom received a Wellness Week Bag 🌟 filled with small gifts and activity materials for both students and the classroom. In addition, families received a daily ParentSquare message featuring a wellness tip of the day along with helpful wellness resources to support healthy habits at home.
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Do you ever wonder what Early Head Start is like? Our free, comprehensive program supports pregnant women, infants, toddlers, and their families through high-quality early learning, health, nutrition, social-emotional, and family engagement services. Designed for families with the greatest need, the program promotes healthy development, strengthens parent-child relationships, and connects families to community resources that support long-term success.
The video below gives a brief glimpse into our Early Head Start Home-Based Program.
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Family Engagement Updates |
Got your Preschool Spirit Shirt?
In our efforts to increase the number of preschool children meeting the health requirements, last year we created the Preschool Spirit Shirt Campaign. Last year, we awarded a free shirt to over 91% of our students. This year, we have awarded a free shirt to over 85% of our students so far. It is never too late to put a smile on your child's face every Friday as they wear our very own Preschool Spirit Shirt. Dream big to meet your preschool child's health goals in three specific ways:
- complete up-to-date physical exam that includes a lead value,
- have all required immunizations up-to-date, and
- have a current dental exam on file
Once children earn their spirit shirt, they can participate in our Preschool Spirit Days on Fridays. Returning students can earn a new color of shirt every year they are enrolled in our programs!
Congratulations to the classes with 100% students meeting their health goals and earning their Preschool Spirit Shirt:
- Baker Part-Day AM (Ms. Dominguez-Gonzalez)
- Cogswell Full-Day 1 (Ms. Ochoa)
- Cogswell Full-Day 2 (Ms. Guerrero)
- Maxson Full-Day 1 (Ms. Ballze)
- Monte Vista Full-Day (Ms. Gonzalez)
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Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors) is a ten-session, evidence-based parenting, leadership, and advocacy program that we provided this year in February 2026. The curriculum was created by Latino Parents, for Latino Parents. Topics include children's growth, development, health, mental health, as well as literacy, math, technology, school readiness, and parent advocacy!
This parent curriculum falls under the Family and Community Engagement portion of the Head Start comprehensive services offered to our families, and is conducted by trained staff. In our Mt. View Preschool Programs, the staff are known as the Abriendo Puertas Facilitators and are composed of all of our Family Service Workers and our Social Services Facilitator. At the end of this year's workshop sessions, parents graduated and reflected upon their experience with what they learned. Pre- and post-surveys were captured to ensure Parent feedback is used to improve the program.
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This year, our Coffee with the Principal series traveled to various school sites, creating welcoming spaces for families to connect, share valuable feedback, and build trust through open and informal dialogue. The sites visited were selected based on the results of an initial parent survey in which families voted for the school site they wanted us to visit.
Our journey started at Baker and continued to Maxson, Monte Vista, and the Children's Center. We are grateful for the parents who took part in this positive and collaborative journey!
The second Coffee with the Principal event, held in November, focused on our annual parent training centered on preschool academic priorities for children. During the event, families learned a variety of strategies and practical tips to help connect school readiness goals from the classroom to learning at home. To support working families and those who were unable to attend the event, we prerecorded the training, which can be accessed further below.
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You can access this Flyer in four languages at the yellow button above. |
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Mountain View School District Preschool Programs in El Monte and South El Monte, CA serve and support the educational needs of expectant mothers and children 0-4 years of age.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us. You can reach out the following ways:
Visit Us:
Hilda L. Solis Children's Center
Contact Us:
(626) 652-4250 Phone
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Our school is a proud member of the Mountain View School District community, which is committed to each student attaining academic success by Inspiring Each Student to Succeed Every Day.
MOUNTAIN VIEW SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION
Jacqueline Saldaña - President
Adam Carranza - Vice President
Veronica Sifuentes- Clerk
Christian Diaz - Member
Cindy Wu - Member
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION
Raymond Andry, Ed.D. - Superintendent
Darin De Knikker, Ed.D. - Associate Superintendent of Business Services and Strategic Planning
Mercedes Gomez, Ed.D. - Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services
Roberto López-Mena - Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources
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