Kandelia

Kandelia’s mission is to address systemic inequities so immigrant and refugee families and communities can thrive without having to compromise values, heritage or ethnicity.

For over 15 years, Kandelia has worked in partnership with Seattle World School (SWS) to provide high quality youth enrichment programs to all students and families enrolled in the school. SWS is the only public school in King County designed as a preliminary entry point for refugee and immigrant children of middle and high school age: 100% of students have immigrant or refugee status and 97% identify as a student of color. Our Youth Enrichment Programs offer a model that bridges in-school and out-of-school learning time across multiple school and community partners.

Our Youth Enrichment Program has a proven track record - to date, more than 80% of students have increased their English and math scores by the equivalent of one or more grade levels each year as measured by standardized tests. Active Kandelia students have consistently increased their school-day attendance rates compared to their peers. In 2014, an independent evaluator found that students who participated in our programs consistently scored higher (an average of half a grade level) on math and English standardized tests compared to their peers.