I immigrated to California from Ecuador at the age of five and grew up in the inner city Los Angeles. My parents made many sacrifices to legally bring the whole family to the United States. They immigrated in stages over the course of eighteen months.
My childhood and adolescence was filled with anxiety, anguish, and hardship. I grew up in a working-class neighborhood with gangs, drugs, and an inadequate education system that barely met the unusual needs of an immigrant child. It was a challenge to receive subject matter instruction, while trying to develop the English language and its literacy skills. My thirst for knowledge was misunderstood by many of my teachers.
Wanting more for myself, I left the business world to enter the field of education. The understanding of learning challenges compelled me to earn a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education and study for a state certification to teach young learners. My goal to improve education led me to obtain earn a Ph.D. in Intercultural Education at Biola University. I began my teaching career on an emergency credential while completing the requirements needed for a California multiple subject teaching credentials with a bilingual authorization.
Serving the University in a larger leadership role, I taught pre-service teachers; developed degree programs, and wrote curriculum focusing mainly on early childhood education for bilingual children. In 2018, I contracted with a publishing company to create a Spanish Literacy Program for the Frog Street Pre-K 2020 Dual Language Curriculum. The program included an approach for teaching beginning Spanish literacy, with resources, lessons, and contributions to the English program. In 2021, the desire to build a thriving environment for my children, led to the founding of Castle Blossom Press (CBP).
CBP provides resources that provide and empower parents and grandparents to pass their faith to the next generation and reinforce classroom learning. CBP’s vision is to create a new generation of well-educated, multilingual, godly leaders who enlarge God’s kingdom exponentially worldwide.
As a parent or early childhood educator, you know what you do matters. You’re passionate about creating a safe, stable home life and class environment. You care about meeting children’s needs – all while trying to foster a love for God in their hearts … to set them up for lifelong success. You know what you do matters, but sometimes you don’t know what to do or how to do it. This is where CBP can help. CBP shares these desires. CBP is passionate about offering parenting resources, quality professional development, and a holistic home school curriculum. We help parents and teachers address the whole child – body, mind, and spirit. You can raise thriving children with an appetite for learning while building godly character.
For the past 31 years, I have dedicated my career to educating, protecting, and being an advocate for children, their families, and teachers. As an elementary school teacher and University professor I have come to understand how education policies impact students.
In 2023, I was voted to the Board of Education at Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District. Through this position, I hope to bring knowledge and experience in education to serve students and safeguard parents’ rights.
CBP is a Preschool through Kindergarten home curriculum and online learning program helping parents and teachers focus on holistic development. This program promotes the passing of faith to the next generation. CBP can help you build a biblically based education and lay a solid foundation for children.
By Dr. Lorena Vidaurre
