Media Advisory: Minister to Attend Ceremony
Honouring Roots of Empathy Babies, Parents

The Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Education, will attend a ceremony today (Tuesday, May 28) to acknowledge and thank this year’s participants in the Eastern School District’s Roots of Empathy program. The event takes place at the District School, 116 Strawberry Marsh Road, beginning at 3:30 p.m.

“Roots of Empathy is an internationally-recognized program that focuses on building empathy by engaging children in positive social interaction with a baby,” said Minister Jackman. “Studies show that children who are part of the program develop increased social and emotional skills. It reinforces what their parents and teachers want to instill in them – to respect each other’s feelings.”

As part of the program, an infant and parent visit a classroom to engage students in discussing their feelings and experiences as they get to know the baby over the course of the school year. An instructor guides the children as they observe the relationship between baby and parent, and learn to understand the baby’s intentions and emotions. Through multiple classroom visits, students see how the baby grows and develops over time. Through this model, the baby is the teacher, helping children identify and reflect on their own feelings, and the feelings of others.

The Department of Education announced earlier this year that it had provided Roots of Empathy with $75,000, over a three-year period, to help expand the organization’s programming into more schools throughout the province.

Roots of Empathy delivers 110 programs in 76 schools located in 56 communities throughout the Newfoundland and Labrador. By the end of this school year, the programming will have reached more than 13,000 students.

To learn more about Roots of Empathy, visit: www.rootsofempathy.org/ . 

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Media contact:
Heather May
Director of Communications
Department of Education
709-729-0048, 697-5061
heathermay@gov.nl.ca 

2013 05 28             9:25 a.m.