Center for Holistic Education

What Center for Holistic Education does

The Center for Holistic Education is an academic center within Southern Oregon University's School of Education, established in 2017 by Dr. John King and led by Dr. William Greene. It is headquartered at 1250 Siskiyou Blvd, Ashland, Oregon, with a staff of 5 and operates on university resources. The Center's purpose is to advance holistic and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) approaches in teacher preparation and K-12 practice, anchored by three programmatic pillars: the SEL Micro-Credential and Holistic Certificate (each requiring 12 credits via academic coursework or community workshops); the biennial International Holistic Teaching & Learning Conference (HTLC), held at SOU with the 2024 edition drawing presenters from Thailand, Ireland, Korea, Canada, Israel, and Japan; and the peer-reviewed Holistic Education Review (HER) journal, published twice yearly on the Public Knowledge Project's open-access OJS platform and formed by merging three prior publications.

The Center's core technology is academic programming rather than software: 1-credit workshops priced at $60 (undergraduate) and $75 (graduate), free community workshops with optional e-certificates, conference registration tiers ranging from $100 (student) to $380 (late), and digital badges for micro-credential completion. Distribution channels include SOU academic registration, a Google Forms-based community registration, the CashNet payment portal for conferences, and remote/virtual Zoom programming that has hosted bi-weekly Holistic Education Discussions since the partnership with Andrea Laubstein's Education and Being platform. The customer base is segmented into SOU education students (primary), in-service K-12 teachers seeking Oregon SEL-compliance professional development (secondary), and international holistic education scholars and practitioners (tertiary).

Revenue is generated through workshop tuition, conference registration, and academic credit fees, though figures are not publicly disclosed. Marketing and community-building rely on a quarterly newsletter mailing list, the @htlc.sou Instagram account, a Spotify-hosted Holistic Teaching & Learning Podcast, and the OEA/NEA-affiliated HTL-Club for students. The Center operates without external venture or private equity backing, functioning as a university-embedded programmatic unit rather than a standalone commercial entity.

Name

Center for Holistic Education

Legal name

Center for Holistic Education

Website

https://centerforholisticeducation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Center for Holistic Education is an academic center at Southern Oregon University that offers SEL micro-credential and holistic certificate programs, a biennial international conference, a peer-reviewed journal, and workshops for SOU students, K-12 educators, and global holistic education practitioners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education and Professional Development Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral/SEL-Integrated Academic Tutoring (Self-regulation, anxiety-informed study support) (EDANAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Wellbeing Digital Curriculum (EDAFACAM), Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), Health & Wellbeing Curriculum (EDAGAAAF)

Keywords

• Holistic education programs
• Social emotional learning
• Teacher professional development
• Academic credential programs
• Education conferences

Headquarters

HQ city

Ashland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Workshop Fees and Academic Credits: The Center charges tuition for 1-credit academic workshops: $60 USD per undergraduate credit and $75 USD per graduate credit. Community members may attend workshops for free and receive an e-certificate of attendance. SOU degree-seeking students can apply workshop credits toward the SEL Micro-Credential or Holistic Certificate.
2. Conference Registration: The Center generates revenue through conference registration fees. Full registration rates for the 2024 International HTLC Conference were: Early Bird $300, General $350, Late $380. Single-day (Saturday) registration was $150. Student registration was $100. Guest dinner add-ons were $35 per person.
3. Holistic Certificate and Micro-Credential Programs: Students earn the Certificate in Holistic Education or SEL Micro-Credential by completing 12 credits through academic coursework or community-based workshops. The micro-credential awards a digital badge upon completion. Revenue is generated through associated course tuition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Center for Holistic Education operates as an academic center within Southern Oregon University's School of Education, delivering credit-bearing academic programs (SEL Micro-Credential, Holistic Certificate, one-credit SEL Workshops), publishing the peer-reviewed Holistic Education Review journal, hosting a biennial international conference and bi-weekly virtual discussions, and supporting the HTL-Club student organization. Its core products are educational credentials, professional development workshops, and scholarly/community programming in holistic education and Social Emotional Learning.

Product overview

The Center for Holistic Education at Southern Oregon University operates as a community-focused educational center offering credential and certificate programs, publications, conferences, and student engagement opportunities. The core offerings include the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Micro-Credential and Holistic Certificate programs for academic recognition, the Holistic Education Review academic journal for scholarly publication, the annual International Holistic Teaching & Learning Conference for professional development, and the Holistic Teaching & Learning Podcast for community engagement. Additional programs include Holistic Education Discussions (virtual bi-weekly discussions), SEL Workshops for K-12 educators, the HTL Club for student involvement, and a quarterly newsletter. The Center functions as an informational and educational resource rather than a technology product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Micro-Credential

Quantifiable outcome

• Oregon SEL compliance: As of 2024, the Oregon Department of Education requires all schools to implement SEL and all educator preparation programs to ensure new teachers have SEL skills.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Big Picture LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBig Picture Learning is a co-presenter and collaborator with the Center. Dennis Littky and Elliot Washor co-founded BPL in 1995 with a mission to put students at the center of their own learning. The Center has collaborated with BPL on conference programming, including a 2020 workshop on wellness in education during COVID, and BPL is listed as a key community partner on the Center's Collaborations page.
• Education and BeingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Andrea Laubstein, Education and Being is a blog and platform that offers Holistic Education Discussions. The Center hosts these bi-weekly free Zoom discussions on its website in partnership with Education and Being. The platform documents schools visited and learnings from travels, serving as a content and community collaboration.
• Holistic Education Initiative (HEI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHEI is a non-profit organization that works to spread and integrate holistic education by creating connection opportunities for people and schools. The Center lists HEI as a community collaboration, and HEI's network supports the broader holistic education ecosystem that the Center operates within.
• Oregon Education Association (OEA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Center's HTL-Club operates as an OEA Chapter on SOU's campus. HTLC leaders (including Julissa Taitano and Mindy Welsh) were elected to the OEA executive board and participate in the NEA Aspiring Educators Conference. The OEA Chapter enables student advocacy and professional development pathways for aspiring educators.
• National Education Association (NEA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe HTL-Club is a recognized chapter of the NEA through its OEA affiliation. SOU HTLC student leaders have served as delegates at the NEA Representative Assembly and NEA Aspiring Educators Conference, connecting the Center's programming to the national education association's professional development ecosystem.
• Roong Aroon International School (Bangkok, Thailand)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Center organizes study abroad trips for SOU students to Roong Aroon International School in Bangkok, Thailand. Students collaborate with teachers, experience the school's holistic culture, and participate in excursions. Robin Martin, a Center committee member, previously worked at Roong Aroon for 3 years. The school is a reference model for holistic education practice.
• Edcamp CommunityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Center partnered with the Edcamp Community to host the 2020 Holistic Teaching & Learning EdCamp: A Teacher's Unconference. EdCamp provided the unconference platform and community framework, while the Center curated content around SEL wellness, mindfulness, multiculturalism, inclusion, and holistic community building.
• Public Knowledge Project (PKP)coreTechnology or IntegrationThe Holistic Education Review (HER) journal is hosted on the Public Knowledge Project's Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform (her.journals.publicknowledgeproject.org). PKP provides the open-source software infrastructure that enables the HER journal to publish peer-reviewed academic content freely accessible to the global community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Search Institute: Long-established nonprofit researching developmental assets and youth thriving, with K-12 practitioner resources. Comparable as a broader-incumbent SEL/positive-youth-development organization producing research, frameworks, and educator tools similar in scope to the Center's HER journal and SEL training.
• CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning): The leading U.S. organization defining SEL frameworks, competencies, and district adoption. CASEL is the dominant incumbent in the SEL policy/training space the Center is also addressing through its SEL Micro-Credential and SEL Workshops for Oregon educators.
• Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA): Membership organization supporting Waldorf/Steiner holistic education schools across North America. Overlaps with the Center's holistic philosophy (mind-body-spirit integration, experiential learning) and educator-training orientation, but operates at much larger scale as an established school network.

Direct peers

• Mindful Schools: National nonprofit that trains educators in mindfulness and SEL practices for K-12 classrooms. Directly comparable to the Center's SEL workshop and credential programs in target audience (in-service teachers), content domain (SEL/mindfulness), and delivery model (online + in-person PD).
• Antioch University: Private nonprofit university system with explicit holistic education programs and educator preparation tracks. Directly comparable as a higher-education institution offering holistic teacher preparation, including SEL and contemplative approaches, similar in mission and offerings to SOU's Center for Holistic Education.
• Garrison Institute: Nonprofit applying contemplative approaches to social challenges, with a long-standing K-12 contemplative education initiative. Comparable to the Center's contemplative/holistic orientation, educator PD, and integration of mind-body practices into academic contexts.
• Big Picture Learning: Network of student-centered, holistic-focused schools co-founded by Dennis Littky and Elliot Washor. Listed as a core mutual partner of the Center for Holistic Education (collaborated on 2020 'Sustaining Wellness and Hope in Education' workshop), with an overlapping philosophy of whole-student and whole-teacher development.
• Edcamp Foundation: Community-organized, participant-driven 'unconference' model for educator professional development. The Center partnered with Edcamp on the 2020 HTL EdCamp, and the participant-led PD philosophy and free community workshop format are directly comparable.
• Greater Good in Education (UC Berkeley): UC Berkeley's free educator resource hub for SEL, mindfulness, and well-being practices in K-12 schools. Comparable as a free, research-based practitioner resource that translates scholarship into classroom practices, similar to the Center's workshops, journal, and podcast.
• Center for Contemplative Mind in Society: Higher-education-focused organization advancing contemplative pedagogy and holistic teaching practices. Closely parallels the Center's contemplative, holistic, and whole-teacher orientation, including professional development for educators and integration with academic programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/htlc.sou
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-holistic-education

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Holistic Education