I became a realtor in the East Bay city of Walnut Creek, California a few months of

giving birth to my first child. The years passed quickly and now my oldest of three

is getting ready for high school. Although I really love the process of helping people

find the right home in the right community, I nonetheless see myself as a mother

first and foremost. As a working mother, and a busy one at that, I often feel guilty

that I cannot be there for all their school events.

I still try to make it to the PTA meetings whenever possible if only to remain in my

kids’ so-called “educational loop”, but it is far from what I wish I could do if I had

more time. I would recommend making time to spare to get involved in your child’s

school, especially while they are in those formative elementary school years.

I am almost certain that the overall level of parental involvement truly affects the

successful climate of the elementary school, which can especially be said of Monte

Gardens Elementary School in Concord.

The successful climate exists when adults get involved in the educational process

and hold the school district accountable and show children that they care. Children

take this as a cue to increase their scholastic performance level, hence creating a

cycle of ever-increasing quality of education.

Such is why the Diablo Basics program at Monte Gardens Elementary School is one

alternative education program that I believe should be emulated throughout other

public schools across such towns as Alamo and Walnut Creek.

The strength of this program lay in its school-wide communication practices that

emphasize involvement of parents, students and teachers. These include: monthly

progress reports, weekly Monday envelopes of schoolwork, daily folders for K-2 and

daily planners for grades 3-5.

The staff at Monte Gardens takes great pride in their consistent and ongoing effort

to maintain the communication between home and school regarding academic and

behavioral expectations.

Here all students are expected to do well, and parents sign a Parental Agreement

of Support for the Diablo program’s philosophical direction declaring their

involvement in their child’s education. If this sounds like the kind of environment

you would like you and your family to be a part of in Concord, consider  Monte Gardens Elementary Concord.