Middle and high school educators are invited to join the third year of VOICES (The Central Valley Opportunity for Inclusive Civic Engagement and Service) – a three-part professional learning series designed to equip educators with the tools, strategies, and frameworks to foster active citizenship in students. The series launches with a full-day training on November 9, 2026 followed by additional trainings on January 21 and March 16, 2027.

University Preparatory High School (UPHS) students have participated in VOICES in the past, developing a variety of projects that address community needs. One project was a community awareness program designed to address Visalia’s cat overpopulation problem. Working with the Visalia Feral Cat Coalition and The Tattooed Cat, students Celeste Lopez and Matthew Henderson created a communications campaign that identifies the causes, effects, current policy, and what community members can do to help.

Middle and high school teams that join VOICES will learn to develop a civic engagement plan that aligns to their school’s mission and student needs, while discovering how to guide students in leading meaningful service projects aligned with existing curriculum and programs. Through the process, students will gain an understanding of community systems and their roles within them.

VOICES can be a pathway for eligible students to the California State Seal of Civic Engagement.

To register for VOICES, visit http://tulare.k12oms.org/147-286771. For more information, contact Laura Gunning at laura.gunning@tcoe.org. 

On Thursday, the Migrant Education Program (MEP) held three food distributions, serving a total of 200 migratory families across Tulare and Kings counties. The MEP team divided into three locations for distribution: the Tulare County Office of Education (Visalia), Strathmore, and Hanford.

These food distributions would not be possible without the continued generosity of Save the Children in collaboration with the Central California Food Bank. Through a generous grant, the Migrant Education Program has been able to provide food assistance to migratory families during times of need.

TCOE Business Services Division contributed to the distribution by collecting funding to purchase 200 cases containing two dozen eggs each, helping provide additional food support to migratory families.

In addition to providing food support, these distributions also created opportunities for the MEP team to connect with some migratory families and identify eligible students.

Migrant Education’s next distribution event will be held in November and include both food and clothing.

For more about the Migrant Education Program, visit https://tcoe.org/migranted.

Editor: Robert Herman, Communications Director
Contributors: Nayirah Dosu, Jennifer Fisher, Jaime Burnitzki, Laura Gunning, Gerald Arellano, Shantall Porchia, Evelyn Arciniega Leppke