Our Vision

Our vision is that every child attends a school where their well-being is a priority. We hope that one day in schools across the country, each student feels safe and loved and can develop the social, emotional, and academic skills they need to thrive.

two children smile at the viewer

Our Model

The Whole Child Model focuses on student and adult well-being. We help schools and teachers create a safe, supportive environment so that children can form strong relationships and reach their academic goals. We use the science of learning and trauma-informed practices to shape our work.

The model includes three categories of practices:

  • CARE (Compassion & Assertiveness, Routines, Environment): All children receive CARE (Tier I)

  • Boost: Children who need it receive extra support (Tier II and III)

  • Family Circle: We build meaningful partnerships with all caregivers

 
 
peach box with hands holding a heart and the text "CARE"
dark green box with a rocket ship lifting off and the text "Boost"
light green box with a circle made of many hands with a heart in the center and the text "Family Circle"
 

See Whole Child Model classrooms in action:

 

Our Impact

The Whole Child Model is designed to build academic dispositions, increase belonging, and deliver measurable results, including:

  • Reduced chronic absenteeism

  • Fewer discipline infractions

  • Improved reading and math outcomes

Learn more about the impact of the Whole Child Model in this video.

 

Spreading the Model

Developed through a partnership between Transcend and District of Columbia Public Schools, the Whole Child Model is rooted in the understanding that a child's academic success is intrinsically linked to their overall well-being. Grounded in learning science, we firmly believe that academic excellence and holistic development can and must go hand in hand.

To date, schools across the country—including California, the District of Columbia, Tennessee, Texas, Minnesota, Alabama and Mississippi—have embraced the Whole Child Model, with promising results. Our approach has garnered national recognition, including being featured on the Today Show, Forbes, and the 74.  

We are currently partnering with rural schools to spread the model through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

 

Work With Us

 

Explore how to work with us!

Schedule a conversation with our partnerships lead, Indi: bit.ly/schedulewithindi