Refugee Navigation Services

Refugee Navigation Services connects refugee children and their families with local schools and area community resources.  

Welcoming and Supporting Refugees  

Whether refugees have recently resettled in the United States or have moved to West Michigan from another state, our Refugee Navigators welcome and support our new neighbors. Having experienced resettlement themselves, our Refugee Navigators understand what it means to be new members of the community. Our team guides newly arrived students and their families as they enroll and engage with local school systems.  

Navigation Services   

Our Refugee Navigators provide students, parents, and caregivers with:

• School orientation   

• School enrollment guidance   

• Help with parent-teacher conferences  

• Parent-student workshops to educate parents on school services and the importance and benefits of being involved in their child’s education  

• Referrals to Refugee Education Center programs and services  

• Referrals to direct service programs and/or other state-funded benefit programs, such as housing, food, transportation, employment, and more 

About our Refugee Navigators  

Since 2006, a primary tenant of the Refugee Education Center has been creating opportunities for more established refugees to share their lived experiences with newly arrived refugees, preparing them to fully participate in the community. 

The Refugee Education Center developed our team to include one or more Navigators of the same ethnic background, birth country, and/or language as our community’s primary populations of resettled refugees. Together, our Navigators speak 28 languages. Navigators are trusted partners and pathfinders for refugees arriving in an unfamiliar place.   

The Refugee Education Center originally developed our Navigation Services to support Michigan’s contracted work of Family Engagement Services and Student Enrollment Services (via the Student Impact Grant).