Children’s Cabinet of West Kern Launches New School Year with Shared Focus

WASCO, CA – September 12, 2025 – The Children’s Cabinet of West Kern opened its first meeting of the year with more than 30 education and community leaders from across Taft, Tupman, Wasco, and Lost Hills. The session centered on expanding family support, reviewing district needs, and setting a collective goal for the next two years.

The meeting featured a spotlight on the Parents as Teachers program, now serving families with children ages 0–5 across the region. Partners brainstormed new ways to boost enrollment, including outreach through clinics, door-to-door efforts, social media, and evening home visits.

District leaders also shared their strengths and priorities: from housing and food security in Tupman and Taft, to on-campus services in Lost Hills, and middle school math alignment at Wasco High. These updates highlighted both the diversity of community needs and the power of collaboration.

Cabinet members reviewed progress on chronic absenteeism, celebrating big gains at Maple and Semitropic while recognizing continued challenges in other districts. The group will decide whether to keep attendance as the primary collective goal or expand to new measures such as family health access, kindergarten readiness, or college and career preparation.

Before closing, members committed to promoting Student Sleep Health Week (Sept. 15–19), recruiting families for counseling services, and amplifying local success stories through the new social media handle.

The Cabinet will reconvene on December 12, 2025.