School's Out Washington

06/11/2026

We put together a list of upcoming Juneteenth events across the state! Check it out to find an event near you.

Want to add your event? Comment the details below and we'll update the list.

Want to add your event? Email [email protected] with details. Friday, June 12 Black Night Market 5:00 PM-10:00 PM Tacoma Armory Learn more Saturday, June 13 Eton School 11:00 AM-5:30…

06/11/2026

One of our Best Starts for Kids Expanded Learning Initiative grantees, Somali Health Board, was one of the recipients of World Cup tickets for youth in their soccer club!

From the article:

"One of the chosen organizations is the Somali Health Board, which provides culturally appropriate healthcare services to the Somali community in King County. At Wednesday's news conference, a sea of purple jerseys filled the room as young members of the Somali Health Board Soccer Club posed for photos with the mayor.

"'The Somali Health Board Soccer Club was built to give our youth something to run toward,' said Najma Osman, Somali Health Board executive director. 'We've grown to something we're incredibly proud of: a soccer club with 12 competing teams across Washington state, providing our young people access to this once-in-a-generation sporting event, right here in our home city of Seattle. It's more than an exciting experience. It's a statement that our youth belong on the world stage—they belong as fans, they belong as athletes, and as our future.'"

Read the full story below.

The initiative is believed to be the largest local youth access program for the 2026 World Cup to date.

06/09/2026

to keep our youth safe and engaged in learning while supporting working parents, but access to programs still remains out of reach for families nationwide. New data from Afterschool Alliance shows that more than 3 in 4 youth are missing out on these essential programs.

Go to aa3pm.co to learn more and access:
• Summer national and state dashboards
• Summer executive summary
• Summer national fact sheet
• Summer national press release

And more! aa3pm.co

06/03/2026

Do you want to share your expertise with leaders in the expanded learning field from Washington state and beyond? Submit a workshop for 2026 Bridge Conference by June 21! Learn more at https://schoolsoutwashington.org/bridge-conference/bridge-conference-submit-a-workshop/

2026 Bridge Conference — The Art of Being Water
October 26-27, 2026, Greater Tacoma Convention Center
Tacoma, Washington

We're looking for workshops that help leaders and youth to:

• Understand stages of child and adolescent development, and how to apply this knowledge to programs & systems
• Align employee, program, and organizational practices with values
• Cultivate community care for youth and youth workers
• Incorporate practices that support our humanity, from how to heal and manage grief to how to celebrate & play together
• Lead an individual, organization, or system through transformational change
• Create or grow new programs in collaboration with others, within an environment of support
• Communicate about the strengths of the expanded learning opportunities field and the critical role we play to policy makers, government agencies, and the public
• Reflect on our biases while learning and unlearning how to create more holistic and supportive environments for young people

Have questions? Email our team at [email protected]

06/02/2026

Youth in your program have a chance to create this year's Lights On Afterschool poster design! Deadline for mail and digital submissions is June 18. Voting will take place on Afterschool Alliance's Instagram and Facebook accounts, so make sure to follow them for updates! Afterschool Alliance

Why participate?
⭐ Winning artwork will be printed on 50,000+ posters displayed at 8,000+ Lights On Afterschool events around the world
⭐ Winning artist will be featured on Afterschool Alliance's website, blog, and a press release
⭐ Winning artist's afterschool program will be credited on the poster and will receive the grand prize of $500

Visit afterschoolalliance.org/loa.cfm to access the entry form required for submissions and learn more about this year's Lights On Afterschool event.

06/01/2026

Do you want to present at our upcoming Tri-Cities Regional Symposium? Submit your workshop proposal by emailing [email protected] today!

Tri-Cities Regional Symposium
August 31, 2026 from 9:00 AM-4:00 PM
Boys & Girls Club Pasco Clubhouse
801 N 18th Ave, Pasco, WA 99301

Our goal is to offer a variety of topics that meet the needs of attendees with different roles and levels of experience, while being relevant to a wide range of identities, perspectives, lived experiences, and backgrounds. We also warmly welcome multilingual presenters and participants.

Session times (subject to change):
Morning session: 9:30 AM-12:00 PM
Afternoon session: 1:00 PM-3:30 PM

SOWA has a modest budget to offer compensation for workshop facilitation. To submit your workshop proposal, email [email protected] with the following info:
• Your name, organization, and role
• A brief description of the workshop or summary of content/learning objectives

Want to register as a participant? Register here: https://sowa.my.salesforce-sites.com/sowaevents/event/home/centralwafallsymposium20260831?_gl=1*cyflii*_ga*MTkxMjg0MzAxLjE3Njc2NTc1NjY.*_ga_20SRMX0GRF*czE3Njc5MDk3NDQkbzQkZzAkdDE3Njc5MDk3NDQkajYwJGwwJGgw

05/29/2026

Check out our upcoming training and workshop opportunities in June! Our training team takes an annual break from offering trainings each July, so this is the time to get in STARS credits before our calendar starts up again in August.

Are you in Pierce County? Don't miss out on our Pierce County Summer Blast! Happening on June 18 from 9:00 AM-3:00 PM at the Boys & Girls Club Schatz Branch in Tacoma, this day of learning is tailored to the development and needs of summer youth program providers in Pierce County. Engage with experts from the field, build your skill toolkit, and explore applicable strategies you can take back to your program.
Register here: https://sowa.my.salesforce-sites.com/sowaevents/event/home/piercesymposium20260618?_gl=1*cyflii*_ga*MTkxMjg0MzAxLjE3Njc2NTc1NjY.*_ga_20SRMX0GRF*czE3Njc5MDk3NDQkbzQkZzAkdDE3Njc5MDk3NDQkajYwJGwwJGgw

Workshops coming up in June:

6/2: Adult Mental Health First Aid - 6.5 STARS credits
6/2: Engaging Youth in Supported Struggle - 2.5 STARS credits
6/9: Question, Persuade, Refer - 2 STARS credits
6/10: Culturally Responsive Management & Supervision - 2 STARS credits
6/11: Creating Equitable Spaces for Transgender Youth - 2.5 STARS credits
6/12: The Feeling Factor: Creating Experiences That Matter - 2 STARS credits
6/16: Embodied Regulation for Wellbeing - 2 STARS credits
6/17: Introduction to Leadership Styles & Team Building - 2.5 STARS credits

Browse our full calendar and register anytime at https://sowa.my.salesforce-sites.com/sowaevents/

05/19/2026

05/15/2026

Resettling one’s family in an unfamiliar country is not an easy feat. Having survived violence and persecution in their countries of origin, refugees face a plethora of new challenges when resettling…

05/14/2026

We had a blast during our Spring 2026 Staff Retreat! In addition to grounding in our values and vision, each of our teams spent time celebrating another team by crafting and presenting a trophy.

Cross-team recognition and support encourages staff cohesion, collaboration, and awareness of other teams' work - all while helping our staff feel seen and valued. Our dedicated staff is proud to further the mission of School's Out Washington, and we couldn't do it without one another.

Click through for pictures of our staff and their trophies. ⭐