A woman teaching a class of children in a classroom.

About SEAL

For more than 15 years, SEAL has worked with school districts, county offices of education, schools, preschool LEAs, teachers, families, California Department of Education, and many other education champions to advance educational outcomes of English Learners and Dual Language Learners. It all began with Dr. Laurie Olsen and Sobrato Philanthropies whose strong belief that all children should have access to opportunities for growth and success led to designing, piloting and eventually creating the SEAL you know today.

SEAL Through the Years

See our journey—from pilot program to valued partner in language and literacy development.

1998

Proposition 227, “English for the Children”

Proposition 227, emphasizing an English-only approach in K-12 education, brought about a radical change in how English Learners (ELs) were educated, effectively dismantling bilingual education programs. This move ushered in a prolonged era of English-only instruction in California schools, spanning two decades. Eighteen years later in 2016, California voters approved Proposition 58 which overturned many of the restrictions on bilingual education established by Proposition 227.

Meet Our Team

SEAL’s team is as passionate and driven as the educators we support. Meet the individuals behind our mission.

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School District Partners

As more schools and classrooms discover the SEAL impact, we are able to reach more communities throughout California every school year.

Brea Olinda Unified School District
Azusa Unified School District
Azusa Unified School District
Davis Joint Unified School District
Cutler Orosi Unified School District
Earlimart Preschools
Gilroy Unified School District Preschool
Lindsay Unified School District
Long Beach Unified School District – Educare
Los Angeles Unified School District – Preschools
Mexican Alliance Opportunity Foundation
Milpitas Unified School District – CDC
Porterville Unified School District
Rialto Unified School District STATE Preschool
San Bernardino Unified School District
Santa Clara County Office of Education
Redwood City School District – Preschools
San Lorenzo Unified School District – Kidango
San Rafael City Schools – Preschools
Santa Clara Unified School District – Preschools
Berryessa Union School District
Coalinga-Huron Unified School District
Davis Joint Unified School District
Earlimart Schools District
Evergreen Elementary School District
Woodlake Unified School District
Fillmore Unified School District
Franklin McKinley School District
Gilroy Unified School District
Golden Plains Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District
Milpitas Unified School District
Mountain View School District
Newark Unified School District
Oak Grove School District
San Bruno Park School District
Redwood City School District
San Lorenzo Unified School District
San Rafael City Schools
Santa Clara Unified School District
Twin Rivers Unified School District
Williams Unified School District

Join the SEAL Team! 

Interested in becoming part of the SEAL mission? Join us as we continue to grow and expand to more schools, students and communities —in California and beyond. Apply now!

A woman standing next to a boy in a classroom.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at SEAL

SEAL’s mission inherently promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization in which we give voice to, and meet the needs of, the communities, teachers, and students we serve.

We believe in lifelong learning and continuous improvement, and we are ever-evolving the processes through which we select and support team members and foster a culture of universal belonging and empowerment. SEAL is committed to the principles and practices of equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment.

SEAL encourages applications from individuals of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, especially those from immigrant and multilingual communities, people of color, and members of other historically marginalized groups.

Financials

SEAL is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and prepares its financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP). We want you to know how your investment is used, so you have confidence that your generous gifts make a meaningful impact on the classrooms, schools, and districts that we help transform through our effective model.

FY 2022-2023
FY 2021-2022
FY 2020-2021

To assure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the not-for-profit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare these donors’ bill of rights.