Immigrant and Refugee Academy KC

The goal of the Transitional Schooling Program is to effectively accommodate the growing population of non-English-speaking refugee children who have had little-to-no formal school experience or who have had their schooling interrupted by the events of their refugee experience. The majority of these families come from agrarian societies and impoverished circumstances. Most of them have lost the extended family and community that they have traditionally depended on for advice and support, and many have experienced violence during their flight and stay in refugee camps. These families are currently adjusting to immersion in a new culture and to a daily life that is vastly different from their experiences in their countries of origin or countries of transition. Many of these refugee children are from ethnic groups that do not have a written language, and the school system in their home country is quite different from the public school system here in the United States. Greater Kansas City Public Schools are challenged not only to teach these refugee children in the classroom, but are also aware of the need for a holistic approach, including addressing the additional needs of their families, in order to ensure these children's successful transition to their new schools.