Esther Quintanilla / Central Valley Journalism Collaborative

Hmong have a rich history in the Central Valley. Over 80,000 call the region their home, with vibrant communities in Fresno, Merced, Stockton and Sacramento counties.

The Young Authors’ Faire is a longstanding Fresno County tradition that’s been held for more than 40 years.

It’s a regional initiative designed to provide startup funds and supporting resources to child care providers who work out of their homes.

Central Unified schools have been steadily boosting up their testing scores over the last few years, particularly in their English learners.

Rather than going away to college, many are opting to stay local, where they feel safer and closer to family.

Students learning English as a second language in California are making steady progress amid challenges in immigration enforcement and educational funding, according to a new study from the Public Policy Institute of California.

This is the second year of the Fresno County Summer Art Academy’s Mariachi Performance and Composition course. The class was created for students in ensembles at their schools to continue developing their skills over the summer.

For students, summer is the time to take on new skills when they’re not in school. For a group of them in Fresno, this summer has included handling instruments and learning all about mariachi history. Journalist Esther Quintanilla with the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative takes us to the rehearsal room to hear the students’ finished pieces. Plus, the latest news headlines: A UC Merced report analyzes the potential cost of immigration raids on jobs; and a Kern County supervisor’s husband remains in jail.

In the culturally-diverse central San Joaquin Valley – where roughly one in five students are learning English as a second language – federal dollars account for a large portion of funding in school districts.

The Seal of Biliteracy is awarded to students who show a high level of proficiency in English and at least one other language.