New center a coop for community

Mike Sciacca, Independent

Decked out in red, white and blue, wearing sunglasses and vests, 192

preschool students enthusiastically shouted out the tune, “If You’re

Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands” in front of an equally

enthusiastic crowd that numbered around 300.

All were on hand to witness and celebrate the grand opening of the new

Oak View Preschool and Education Resource Center at Oak View Elementary

School.

“We are thrilled with this new educational center and the supportive

turnout we have received on such a beautiful day,” said Donna Stapleton,

the coordinator of preschools and school readiness programs for the Ocean

View School District.

The center is a collaboration between Ocean View School District, the

Huntington Beach Union High School District, UC Irvine, Children and

Families Commission of Orange County and Jeanne Hardy Head Start.

The center will serve as a preschool and adult education facility

sharing one location. The preschool will offer free half-day classes to

3- and 4-year-old children of qualifying low-income families who use

English as a second language. The goal of the program is to provide

youngsters with the skills needed as they begin preparation for

kindergarten.

That leaves three classrooms available for the Huntington Beach High

School Adult School, which offers classes in English as a second

language, a general education degree, computer and math classes.

“The Oak View Preschool, one of the first such programs in the state,

shows Ocean View School District’s commitment to creating unique

environments for learning,” said Supt. James Tarwater.

In a speech at the opening ceremony event, that was translated into

Spanish, Tarwater touted the opening as one of the proudest moments in

his 36 years in education.

The UCI department of education, in conjunction with the preschool and

Huntington Beach Adult School, is conducting a language and literacy

development research project targeting Oak View preschool children and

their parents who attend English as a Second Language classes. The

program is the first of its kind in Orange County, Stapleton said.

“The challenges they may face in the future can be difficult but these

children can do it,” he said.

Stapleton said that the family-like atmosphere that surrounds Oak View

is what will help make the new center a success.

“This became a realization because of the hard work of so many

people,” said Stapleton.