Category: Community Spotlights

In a year like no other, we saw how youth workers and organizations came together and reimagined what it meant to support children, youth, and families. Below is one of 20 people and organizations that inspired us in 2020. Read the full report. Growing in rural Central Washington Altera, an educational nonprofit partnering with central Washington rural school districts serving Hispanic families, many speaking Spanish as their home language, saw firsthand how devastating the COVID pandemic could be for their communities.   Two of their programs in the small rural communities of Highland/Warden and Tonasket/Oroville serve families with little internet access … [ ]

In a year like no other, we saw how youth workers and organizations came together and reimagined what it meant to support children, youth, and families. Below is one of 20 people and organizations that inspired us in 2020. Read the full report. Building Systems That Care—An “all hands-on deck” approach to child care in Whatcom County Seven school districts and the Whatcom Central Emergency Command, with leadership from Bellingham Public Schools, worked together with child care providers to make sure there was safe, quality child care for essential workers in spring 2020, at the onset of the pandemic.   Two … [ ]

In a year like no other, we saw how youth workers and organizations came together and reimagined what it meant to support children, youth, and families. Below is one of 20 people and organizations that inspired us in 2020. Read the full report. Youth Development Strategy Table Advocacy has always been a crucial part of SOWA’s work—championing funding and support for expanded learning opportunities across the state. Like so many things, that work shifted dramatically in the last year.   Legislators and state agency staff saw the immense value of child care and youth development providers. Organizations came together to share … [ ]

In a year like no other, we saw how youth workers and organizations came together and reimagined what it meant to support children, youth, and families. Below is one of 20 people and organizations that inspired us in 2020. Read the full report. Beth Monfils  Beth is the Education Services Manager for the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, which has multiple 21st Century Learning Centers. These federally funded programs are supported by SOWA and offer young people from underserved communities expanded learning opportunities.   Beth shares how and why she has stepped up to be an advocate for the youth and families … [ ]