CHICAGO (May 14, 2019) – Two leading organizations in the school health arena have teamed up as part of a concerted effort to improve kids’ health and well-being in schools nationwide through programming, policies, and community engagement. Together, CATCH Global Foundation (CGF) and Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) reach nearly half the schools in the U.S. and more than 20 million children.

Guided by the CDC’s Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model (WSCC) —a framework for improving children’s psychosocial and physical health in schools—CGF and AFHK will combine their extensive reach with a breadth of evidence-based programming and resources to provide schools and communities with the most comprehensive solution currently available to address many critical aspects of Whole Child health.

“CATCH is proven to improve kids’ health and is even more effective when schools engage the surrounding community. With this new partnership, CATCH schools will now have greater access to AFHK’s extensive tools, resources, and policy guidelines, which have been shown to foster parent and community engagement,” said Duncan Van Dusen, Founder and CEO, CATCH Global Foundation.

As long-time collaborators, CGF and AFHK believe in the power of collective impact to address the complex health, education and societal issues and inequities facing schools, families, and communities today. By bringing together CATCH’s programming and AFHK’s model for integrating schools, families, and communities in Whole Child health, the two organizations will multiply the effect of their investments—from grant funding and complementary resources to curriculum implementation and programmatic support—in schools and communities where they can have the greatest impact.

“AFHK offers a flexible model that enables schools to build or improve their health and wellness programs, policies and practices in a way that fits the needs of their school and community. By teaming up with CATCH, our partner schools will now have more resources to expand, develop, and maintain their programs – from whatever their starting point – through effective CATCH curricula and adaptable resources from AFHK,” said Rob Bisceglie, CEO, Action for Healthy Kids.

In the 2019-2020 school year, the first joint initiative of CATCH and AFHK will bring together their CATCH Promise and Game On initiatives respectively in Indianapolis and Chicago Public Schools to create more powerful collective projects that have greater impact, stronger community support and outreach, and increased sustainability.

About CATCH Global Foundation
CATCH Global Foundation is a 501(c)3 public charity founded in 2014. Our mission is to improve children’s health worldwide by developing, disseminating and sustaining the CATCH platform in collaboration with researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and UTHealth. The Foundation links underserved schools and communities to the resources necessary to create and sustain healthy change for future generations. For more information, visit https://catchinfo.org

About Action for Healthy Kids®
Action for Healthy Kids is a nationwide grassroots network mobilizing school professionals, families and communities to take actions that improve school foods, nutrition education, physical activity and physical education for all students. Through funding opportunities, expert technical assistance, and our flagship program, Game On, Action for Healthy Kids supports schools in developing healthy environments where children thrive. To learn more about the ways our 140,000+ volunteer network is helping to make every kid healthy, active and ready to learn, visit us at www.actionforhealthykids.org