June 16, 2021
CATCH, known for high-quality Whole Child wellness programs, integrates the proven SEL program, with EduMotion founder Margot Toppen to join the CATCH team.
June 16, 2021, AUSTIN, TX – As part of a strategic expansion into Social Emotional Learning (SEL), CATCH Global Foundation (CATCH) has acquired the innovative SEL Journeys™ program, developed by Chicago-based company EduMotion. SEL Journeys™ uses movement and cultural learning to teach and reinforce SEL concepts via a highly engaging digital platform. With the acquisition, EduMotion’s founder and CEO Margot Toppen will join the CATCH team as Vice President of Programs. In 2019, EduMotion was selected by New Schools Venture Fund as one of the top 10 companies that are “expanding the definition of student success.”
CATCH provides schools and out-of-school child care providers with robust programs, training, and resources that support a Whole Child approach to wellness. By adding SEL to their suite of health programming, CATCH now has one of the most extensive offerings of Whole Child wellness programs, including: Physical Education, Nutrition & Health Education, Vaping Prevention, Sun-Safety, and Oral Health. The proven-effective SEL Journeys™ curriculum provides age-differentiated lessons for grades K-12 aligned to the 5 essential SEL competencies, as outlined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).
“The COVID pandemic has heightened the need and demand to support students’ mental and emotional health as part of a Whole Child educational philosophy,” says CATCH Global Foundation Founder and CEO, Duncan Van Dusen. “For CATCH to integrate SEL programming into our lineup, and a recognized SEL leader onto our team, is a big win for both schools and kids.”
CATCH will incorporate the SEL Journeys™ curriculum into their Whole Child wellness campus guide, known as the CATCH Coordination Kit™. This will ensure campuses have an organized strategy for student physical and emotional health that engages all areas of the school – classroom teachers, administrators, physical education and fine arts teachers, school counselors, food services staff, and parents.
Starting today, schools may subscribe to the SEL Journeys program as a stand-alone SEL offering or as part of a package of CATCH Whole Child services that address mind-heart-body wellness for teachers, students and families.
Toppen brings an extensive background in SEL, arts, and physical education. She is a founding member of CASEL’s SEL Providers Council and SHAPE America’s Task Force for SEL in Health and Physical Education. She is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Communications, and holds a certificate in nonprofit management from the Kellogg School of Management.
“EduMotion’s partnership with CATCH began with some collaborations around professional learning,” says Toppen. “The deeper we got into the partnership, the more evident it became that by joining forces we would be able to offer a full spectrum of health and wellness services that authentically benefit the whole school, whole community, and whole child.”
Schools and other child care providers can learn more about the CATCH and SEL Journeys™ integration, including available trainings for summer camps and the 2021-22 school year, at catch.org/what-we-do/SEL
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