Philippines Catch-up Clubs 2.0 Baseline Report

The Philippines Catch-up Clubs (CuCs) 2.0 Baseline Study examines the literacy skills, socio-emotional learning (SEL), and family engagement of Grades 4–6 learners in Maasim, Sarangani (rural) and General Santos City (urban). Conducted with 358 child–parent pairs, the study reveals significant foundational literacy gaps: 72% of learners are at the Letter Level, 23% at the Word Level, and only 3% at the Sentence Level. SEL findings show gender differences, with girls displaying stronger emotional control and empathy, and boys exhibiting higher persistence but varied emotional regulation. Family involvement strongly influences learning, yet parental engagement (particularly from fathers) remains inconsistent. Linguistic diversity poses additional challenges, especially for minority language groups. Key attendance barriers include illness and financial constraints issues. The study highlights the need for targeted literacy remediation (Teaching at the Right Level), gender-responsive SEL integration, multilingual instruction, and strengthened school–family partnerships. These strategies aim to create inclusive, adaptable, and sustainable learning (school and home) environments that improve literacy outcomes and socio-emotional competencies.