Program areas at SOWA
Through our grant making program, we drive resources to culturally responsive programs in underserved communities by making grants that break down funding barriers, seed and expand programs, and strengthen opportunities for communities to lead. Currently, we provide grants to support refugee youth with our refugee school impact program and to summer and after school programs in king county through the best starts for kids expanded learning initiative.
For over 30 years, sowa has been supporting an equitable ecosystem of expanded learning programs for Washington's youth by helping after-school, summer, and child care programs become more robust and accessible. In addition to our grant making and professional learning programs, sowa advocates for the youth development sector, convenes community advocates and system leaders to advance collective impact, and showcases the data and stories from youth program providers, highlighting the strengths and needs of Washington's expanded learning programs and young people, ages 5 to 24. Our efforts benefit communities throughout the state by prioritizing youth most impacted by systemic inequity.
School's Out Washington's professional development and program quality supports contribute to a thriving expanded learning workforce, a cornerstone for sustainable programs and positive youth outcomes. Our wide range of training and coaching supports help providers define what quality looks like, understand where they're at today, and pursue continuous improvements that make their programs more effective and joyful.
Youth development executives of king county (ydekc) was a coalition of youth-serving organizations working together to improve outcomes for young people in our region. Over the course of its 13-year history, from 2010 through its closure in october 2023, ydekc helped build the youth development field in king county to provide these opportunities and promote equity, accomplishing its goals through advocacy, collaboration, and leadership development.