Candelen

Candelen Together, we help children shine Candelen is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of care for children in Arizona.

Today, we celebrate the fathers and father figures who show up with wisdom, patience, strength, and heart. Through every...
06/21/2026

Today, we celebrate the fathers and father figures who show up with wisdom, patience, strength, and heart.

Through every lesson taught, word of encouragement shared, and example set, you help shape brighter futures for the next generation.

Thank you for the lasting impact you make every day.
Happy Father's Day!

Today, we commemorate Juneteenth, a day that marks the emancipation of the last enslaved African Americans in the United...
06/19/2026

Today, we commemorate Juneteenth, a day that marks the emancipation of the last enslaved African Americans in the United States and serves as a powerful reminder of both our nation's history and its continued pursuit of justice.

Juneteenth is a celebration of resilience, perseverance, and the enduring belief that freedom and human dignity belong to all. It is also an opportunity to reflect on the profound impact of those who fought for liberty, equality, and civil rights, often in the face of extraordinary adversity.

We recognize that the legacy of inequity continues to shape the experiences of many children and families today. Honoring Juneteenth calls us not only to remember the past, but also to remain committed to building communities where opportunity, belonging, and support are accessible to all.

๐Ÿ‘ถ Arizona babies need strong early support.๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—™๐—ฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿณ ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐—ฑ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐˜„๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—ฐ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—บ๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜€๐˜‚๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—ผ...
06/18/2026

๐Ÿ‘ถ Arizona babies need strong early support.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—™๐—ฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿณ ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐—ฑ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐˜„๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—ฐ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—บ๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜€๐˜‚๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜ ๐—ฏ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€, ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐—ฑ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€, ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ณ๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐—”๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜‡๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ. These programs help identify developmental delays early, support parent-child relationships, provide child care assistance, and connect families to health and mental health services.

Right now in Arizona:
โ€ข Over 12,000 children are waiting for child care assistance
โ€ข Infant care costs $14,000โ€“$15,000 per year
โ€ข Many families already face long waitlists for services

Cutting funding would make these challenges even harder.

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐—ง๐—ฎ๐—ธ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: tr.ee/speakupforazbabies


โ˜€๏ธ Arizona Summer Safety โ˜€๏ธJune is National Safety Month, and in Arizona, heat and water safety are especially important...
06/12/2026

โ˜€๏ธ Arizona Summer Safety โ˜€๏ธ

June is National Safety Month, and in Arizona, heat and water safety are especially important for young children. ๐Ÿ’ง

Quick reminders for families and caregivers:
๐Ÿ’ง Always supervise children near water
๐Ÿšช Install and maintain secure pool fencing
๐Ÿ”’ Keep gates closed and latched
๐Ÿ›Ÿ Designate a โ€œwater watcherโ€ during gatherings
๐Ÿš— Check the back seat every time
๐Ÿงด Reapply sunscreen throughout the day
๐Ÿฅค Encourage frequent water breaks
๐ŸŒก๏ธ Watch for signs of overheating
๐Ÿ“ฑ Limit distractions around water

๐Ÿคฝ Drowning and heat-related emergencies can happen quickly. A few simple precautions can make a life-saving difference. ๐Ÿ’›

Wishing everyone a safe and healthy Arizona summer! ๐ŸŒต ๐ŸŒž

Every family deserves to feel seen, supported, and connected.This Pride Month, we celebrate the importance of creating c...
06/10/2026

Every family deserves to feel seen, supported, and connected.

This Pride Month, we celebrate the importance of creating communities where all children, caregivers, and families feel they belong. ๐Ÿ’›

A cozy reading corner. New learning materials. A caregiver who pours her heart into the children she serves. ๐Ÿ’›Recently, ...
06/02/2026

A cozy reading corner. New learning materials. A caregiver who pours her heart into the children she serves. ๐Ÿ’›

Recently, our team visited Olga, one of our ๐—ž๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต & ๐—ž๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—บ participants, and got to see the beautiful literacy space she created inside her home child care program using materials provided through the program.

From books and writing tools to hands-on learning materials, every detail was thoughtfully arranged to help young children build early language, reading, and writing skills through everyday play and exploration.

Seeing Olgaโ€™s excitement, and hearing her heartfelt words of gratitude, was a powerful reminder that when we invest in caregivers, we help create stronger learning environments for children from the very beginning.

Thank you, Olga, for the love and care you bring to your community each day.

At Candelen, connection is at the heart of every partnership, mentorship, learning group, and every community we serve. ...
05/29/2026

At Candelen, connection is at the heart of every partnership, mentorship, learning group, and every community we serve. Through shared experiences, trusted relationships, and meaningful support, we create spaces where caregivers feel encouraged, children feel loved, and families feel they belong.๐Ÿ’œ

๐ŸŒŸ Meet the incredible team bringing Candelenโ€™s Kith & Kin Program to communities across the Navajo Nation! ๐ŸŒŸ๐—–๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ ๐—ง๐˜€๐—ผ๐˜€...
05/21/2026

๐ŸŒŸ Meet the incredible team bringing Candelenโ€™s Kith & Kin Program to communities across the Navajo Nation! ๐ŸŒŸ

๐—–๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ ๐—ง๐˜€๐—ผ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ฒ, Specialist, and ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ ๐—–๐—น๐˜†, Early Care Educator, are passionate advocates for children, caregivers, and families throughout the Navajo Nation. Together, they support family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) caregivers by delivering early childhood education resources and services through both community-based and home-based models rooted in culture, connection, and care. ๐Ÿ’›

Through strong partnerships with schools, chapter houses, and local organizations, Calvina and Paula are helping expand access to critical supports for caregivers and young children across vast rural communities.

Their dedication, teamwork, and commitment to traveling long distances to reach families continue to strengthen relationships, grow awareness of Candelenโ€™s Kith & Kin Program, and create meaningful impact throughout the Navajo Nation.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ธ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚, ๐—–๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ, ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜, ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป, ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฝ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ฏ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†!

We had a great time presenting at the ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—˜๐˜…๐—ฝ๐—ผ, an annual relationship-building event hosted by Pre...
05/19/2026

We had a great time presenting at the ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—˜๐˜…๐—ฝ๐—ผ, an annual relationship-building event hosted by Prevent Child Abuse Arizona in partnership with the ๐—”๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜‡๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ ๐——๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—–๐—ต๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜†.

Held this year at the Renaissance Glendale Conference Center, the Expo brought together 84 different organizations committed to supporting children and families across Arizona.

It was a wonderful opportunity to connect, collaborate, and share resources with others doing this important work.

A special thank you to our ๐—–๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ป team members Jorge Sanchez, Sandy Mendoza, Meka Harbert, and Jacqueline Diaz for representing us at this yearโ€™s event!

Weโ€™re excited to share that Candelen Kith & Kin Director, ๐—”๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฎ ๐—ง๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฎ, will be presenting alongside ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ ๐—™๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ป at ...
05/13/2026

Weโ€™re excited to share that Candelen Kith & Kin Director, ๐—”๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฎ ๐—ง๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฎ, will be presenting alongside ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ ๐—™๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ป at the ๐—–๐—ต๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—”๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป (๐—–๐—”๐—ฃ) ๐—–๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ this July, hosted by ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—–๐—ต๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—”๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—”๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜‡๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ. ๐Ÿ’›

Their workshop, โ€œ๐™๐™ค๐™จ๐™ฉ๐™š๐™ง๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™‹๐™ค๐™จ๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ซ๐™š ๐˜พ๐™–๐™ง๐™š๐™œ๐™ž๐™ซ๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™ž๐™ฃ ๐™„๐™ฃ๐™›๐™ค๐™ง๐™ข๐™–๐™ก ๐˜พ๐™–๐™ง๐™š: ๐™Ž๐™ฉ๐™ง๐™š๐™ฃ๐™œ๐™ฉ๐™๐™š๐™ฃ๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™๐™–๐™ข๐™ž๐™ก๐™ž๐™š๐™จ ๐™๐™๐™ง๐™ค๐™ช๐™œ๐™ ๐™‹๐™ช๐™ง๐™ฅ๐™ค๐™จ๐™š๐™›๐™ช๐™ก ๐™Ž๐™ช๐™ฅ๐™ฅ๐™ค๐™ง๐™ฉ,โ€ highlights the critical role family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) caregivers play in supporting young children and families across Arizona. The session will explore evaluation findings from Candelenโ€™s FFN caregiver program and how intentional support for informal caregivers can strengthen protective factors, improve caregiving practices, and build stronger systems of support for families.

Weโ€™re proud to not only sponsor this yearโ€™s conference, but also contribute to conversations that center prevention, connection, and community-based support for children and families across Arizona.

Address

777 E Thomas Road
Phoenix, AZ
85014

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 12pm

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