Belonging to Pathways: A Collaborative Transition Model Between the Dreamers Center, ESL Program, and DARTE

The Program of Practice

This program is a collaborative adult learner transition model that brings together the Dreamers Center, ESL Program, and DARTE to support multilingual learners, immigrant students, undocumented students, and other returning adult learners as they move from adult education into college, career education, and workforce pathways. The practice centers on equity, belonging, language development, transition support, and career-connected entry points so students can access Delta College through a more coordinated and supportive experience. Stockton’s adult learner population reflects both significant need and significant opportunity. The presentation data show that Stockton has a total population of 324,975, and 73,119 adults do not have a high school diploma. In addition, 47.5% of Stockton residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, signaling a strong need for multilingual, transition-focused, and culturally responsive educational pathways.

Within the San Joaquin Adult Education Consortium, 7,097 students were enrolled in 2024–25, with the largest age group being 25–44 years old (3,675 students). The consortium also serves a high proportion of Hispanic/Latino learners, with 4,852 students identified as Hispanic/Latino, demonstrating the importance of designing pathways that intentionally address equity, language access, and transition support.

Despite this need, adult learners often experience disconnected systems. Students may need immigration-related support, ESL instruction, foundational skills, college onboarding, and career guidance at the same time, yet those services are often separated across offices or programs. This creates barriers to persistence and slows transitions into credit, noncredit, CTE, and workforce opportunities. The problem of practice, therefore, is not simply access to classes, but access to a coordinated pathway of support that helps adult learners move from entry to momentum.

The Response

San Joaquin Delta College responded by building a collaborative model between the Dreamers Center, ESL Program, and DARTE. In this model, students are connected to a safe and welcoming support environment, bilingual and culturally responsive services, academic language development, transition assistance, and workforce-connected pathways. Rather than functioning as separate supports, these areas work together to help students understand how to move from adult education and English language learning into college enrollment, student services, certificates, and employment-focused opportunities.

DARTE plays a key role in this response by helping students navigate college systems and transition services. Presentation data show that DARTE served 203 students after census in 2024–25. Of those students, 119 identified as Hispanic/Latino, 130 were female, and the largest age group was 18–21 years old with 92 students, followed by 22–34 with 47 students. This indicates that DARTE is serving a diverse transition population that includes both younger and returning adult learners.

The collaboration is strengthened further through SB 554 dual enrollment, which served 201 students after census in 2024–25. Among those students, 123 identified as Hispanic/Latino, 153 were female, and the largest age groups were 35–44 (65 students) and 22–34 (57 students). This supports the case that the transition model is reaching adult learners across multiple ages and entry points, not only traditional college-age students.

The ESL component is equally important. The presentation shows that 196 students were enrolled in ESL 82 and 85 after census in 2024–25, providing a critical bridge for multilingual learners who need academic English, confidence, and structured support as they enter college pathways.

The Unique Features of the Program

The unique feature of this program is that it intentionally combines belonging, language development, transition support, and career pathway navigation into one coordinated student experience.

First, the collaboration recognizes that many adult learners have overlapping needs. A student may need help with immigration-related questions, confidence-building, English language development, college processes, and career exploration at the same time. This model addresses those needs through a connected structure rather than isolated referrals.

Second, the program is grounded in the realities of the region. With 73,119 adults in Stockton lacking a high school diploma and 47.5% of residents speaking a language other than English at home, the college designed a model that responds directly to the linguistic, educational, and equity needs of the community.

Third, the model shows strong integration across the adult education continuum. The presentation identifies the following transition and college pathway enrollments after census in 2024–25: DARTE: 203 students, SB 554: 201 students, ESL Bridge: 196 students. Together, these components demonstrate a robust transition structure that supports students from foundational preparation into college-connected momentum.

Finally, the model is both equity-focused and workforce-minded. The presentation’s call to action emphasizes expanding CTE pathways, strengthening ESL-to-career bridges, aligning Adult Education, DARTE, and SB 554 transitions, and increasing access to short-term certifications. That makes this program not only a student support effort, but also a regional workforce and economic mobility strategy.

The Outcome

This collaboration produces measurable outcomes in access, transition, and student success.

At the regional level, the San Joaquin Adult Education Consortium served 7,097 students in 2024–25, showing the scale of adult education demand and the importance of coordinated re-engagement strategies. The majority of students were ages 25–44, and the consortium served a large number of Hispanic/Latino adult learners, indicating the importance of culturally responsive and transition-centered programming.

At the transition level, the collaboration supported strong enrollment across key pathway programs: 203 DARTE students, 201 SB 554 students, and 196 ESL Bridge students after census in 2024–25. These numbers demonstrate that the college is not relying on a single intervention, but rather on a layered and connected transition model that supports adult learners at multiple points of entry.

At the student's success level, the ESL Bridge data is especially strong. The presentation shows that ESL 82 and 85 had a success rate of 85.3% and a retention rate of 96.0%, compared with the overall college success rate of 74.4% and a retention rate of 93.4%. These outcomes show that when adult learners receive structured bridge support, they can perform at rates that exceed collegewide averages.

Overall, the data support this model as an effective equity and transition strategy. The collaboration between the Dreamers Center, ESL Program, and DARTE helps students move from community need to educational momentum by increasing access, strengthening persistence, and connecting adult learners to college and workforce opportunities. The presentation itself summarizes this impact by highlighting that adult education is playing a critical role in re-engaging adults, building foundational skills, and strengthening transitions into college pathways.