Millions of Ukrainian children have experienced learning loss due to war, disrupted schooling and prolonged remote learning. Many lack foundational skills in literacy and numeracy, while teachers do not have practical tools to address these gaps in crisis conditions. CATCH was created to provide a structured, trauma-informed solution that helps children recover learning while supporting teachers with ready-to-use methodologies.
Catch for Primary School is a structured offline learning program for grades 2–4, focused on recovering foundational skills in mathematics and language.
In practice, the program includes:
20 ready-to-use lesson plans per subject, designed for rapid learning recovery
gamified learning tools (characters, stickers, progress trackers) to increase engagement
formative assessment tools to identify and track learning gaps
structured teacher training (offline and online)
integration of digital support tools, including national online learning platforms
The program is implemented directly in classrooms, allowing students to learn through interaction, collaboration and play. It also actively involves teachers, school staff, parents and local communities, creating a supportive learning environment.
This approach ensures not only academic recovery, but also improved emotional stability, confidence and motivation among students.
The innovation has already demonstrated strong scalability and adoption.
Since its launch:
the program has reached over 4,000 primary school students
313 teachers from 127 schools across multiple regions have implemented it
over 70% of students improved their academic results
The program spreads through a train-the-teacher model, where educators receive practical training and immediately apply the methodology in their classrooms.
In addition, all materials are designed to be easily replicable and adaptable, enabling expansion to new regions, including low-resource and crisis-affected areas.
The integration with national digital platforms further supports scalability and accessibility.
The program has been continuously refined based on feedback from teachers, students and field implementation.
Key improvements include:
adapting content for different learning levels within one classroom
strengthening the trauma-informed approach to better support emotional needs
adding gamification elements to increase engagement
integrating digital tools to complement offline learning
improving assessment tools for more precise tracking of progress
We also expanded the program to align with national education priorities and ensure compatibility with broader recovery strategies.
To implement the Catch program, schools or organizations should:
train teachers using the provided methodology and materials
conduct initial assessments to identify learning gaps
implement structured lessons in the classroom using the program toolkit
track progress through formative assessment tools
engage students through interactive and gamified learning methods
All materials are designed to be practical, easy to use and adaptable to different contexts, including low-resource environments.
Partnership with local education authorities or organizations can further support implementation and scaling.
