This summer, join the Sacramento County Office of Education and WestEd for a statewide institute focused on supporting teachers to implement joyful, evidence-based, and standards-aligned literacy instruction that supports the California English Language Arts (ELA)/English Language Development (ELD) Framework for children in preschool through 2nd grade. Over the course of this 3-day institute, held June 16–18, 2025, participants will learn how to support children’s literacy development through evidence-based instructional practices aligned with California’s ELA/ELD Framework for grades preK through 2.
Date: June 16–18, 2025
Time: 8 a.m.–3:30 p.m. PT
Location: Sacramento County Office of Education Conference Center
3661 Whitehead Street, Mather, CA 95655
Registration Information
Registration Fee: $75
Breakfast and lunch are included with registration.
Participants will receive six free children’s books and instructional materials focused on interactive read-alouds, oral language development, vocabulary instruction, creative expression, social–emotional learning, and ELD.
Institute Objectives
Participants will learn how to establish a caring and playful literacy learning environment and implement comprehensive instruction that addresses all five themes of the California ELA/ELD Framework: meaning making, effective expression, language development, foundational skills, and content knowledge.
Participants will learn how to do the following:
- establish a caring, playful, and welcoming learning environment
- implement evidenced-based and comprehensive early literacy instruction
- support a wide range of children’s development and learning needs
- integrate social–emotional learning and arts education with literacy instruction
- implement integrated and designated ELD instruction
- strengthen family literacy partnerships
Institute activities are aligned to California’s ELA/ELD Framework, ELA and ELD Standards, Preschool and Transitional Kindergarten Learning Foundations, and P–3 Learning Progressions for Language and Literacy Development. Family engagement, with home literacy activities available in nine different languages, will also be in focus.
Keynote Speaker
Karla Arenas Valenti, author of María Mariposa
Karla Arenas Valenti is the Pura Belpré Award–winning author of bestselling children’s picture books, chapter books, and middle grade novels. Her books are on various state reading lists and were featured on NPR’s Sunday Edition and the Drew Barrymore Show and are listed on Kirkus Best Book of the Year, Banks Street Best Children’s Book, School Library Journal’s Best Books, Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year, Evanston Public Library Best Book of the Year, PEOPLE’s pick for best children’s book, and Best Books for kids by Entertainment Weekly.