The Roots of Empathy Programme in Schools

A very special celebration event has taken place to thank the 28 '˜baby teachers' and their parents who participated in the 2015/6 Roots of Empathy Programme in Primary Schools across the Southern area.
By The Newsroom
Published 4th Dec 2016, 12:36 BST
Updated 6th Dec 2016, 11:44 BST
Baby Joshua David with his mum Rosaleen and his big sister Sheena with Iwona Obuchowska, one of the two new Roots of Empathy Instructors in the school and Maureen McSorley, Roots of Empathy Key Point Person at an event held in Armagh to thank all the families who made the Roots of Empathy programmes happen in each of the schools.Baby Joshua David with his mum Rosaleen and his big sister Sheena with Iwona Obuchowska, one of the two new Roots of Empathy Instructors in the school and Maureen McSorley, Roots of Empathy Key Point Person at an event held in Armagh to thank all the families who made the Roots of Empathy programmes happen in each of the schools.
Baby Joshua David with his mum Rosaleen and his big sister Sheena with Iwona Obuchowska, one of the two new Roots of Empathy Instructors in the school and Maureen McSorley, Roots of Empathy Key Point Person at an event held in Armagh to thank all the families who made the Roots of Empathy programmes happen in each of the schools.

The babies were all aged between two and four months at the start of the programmes in October and all celebrated their first birthdays in the summer. Armagh Teachers Centre where the event took place was transformed into a play area and a special moment was when the babies stopped playing to listen to the Roots of Empathy song. The Roots of Empathy programme was founded in Canada in 1996 by Mary Gordon and has reached more than a million children worldwide.

During the 27 week classroom based programme, a specially trained instructor guides the children to observe, share and celebrate the development of their special baby.

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The programme promotes social and emotional understanding, giving pupils a unique opportunity to observe the relationship between the baby and parent while becoming more attuned to their own feelings and feelings of others.

Baby Cara Strain with her mum Kathryn, Instructor Frances Kerr and Class Teacher Joanne Currie at the Baby Celebration event in Armagh Teachers Centre to acknowledge and thank all the families who made the programmes possible by sharing the very special first year of their babys life with the Primary 5 Class.Baby Cara Strain with her mum Kathryn, Instructor Frances Kerr and Class Teacher Joanne Currie at the Baby Celebration event in Armagh Teachers Centre to acknowledge and thank all the families who made the programmes possible by sharing the very special first year of their babys life with the Primary 5 Class.
Baby Cara Strain with her mum Kathryn, Instructor Frances Kerr and Class Teacher Joanne Currie at the Baby Celebration event in Armagh Teachers Centre to acknowledge and thank all the families who made the programmes possible by sharing the very special first year of their babys life with the Primary 5 Class.

A recent evaluation of Roots of Empathy by Queens University provides strong evidence that it leads to a positive effect on behaviour and showed that it is a cost effective programme, complementing the current curriculum and has been well received in schools.

The parents were thanked for sharing the precious first year of their baby’s life and for the valuable contribution their presence made to the lives of the children in the class and to the school.

A class teacher commented that the Roots of Empathy was: “An excellent programme and fantastic experience for the children. As a teacher I can see the benefits of the programme throughout the year. I was able to integrate the themes focused on throughout the year structurally in lessons and incidentally by supporting the children to reflect on their actions. We look forward to running the programme again next year.”

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A parent who participated in the programme with her son expressed how she and her whole family had benefited: “Roots of Empathy has highlighted each special stage of his development and we were all able to savour every minute. We are delighted that we have been able to be part of this programme.”

Baby Cara Strain with her mum Kathryn, Instructor Frances Kerr and Class Teacher Joanne Currie at the Baby Celebration event in Armagh Teachers Centre to acknowledge and thank all the families who made the programmes possible by sharing the very special first year of their babys life with the Primary 5 Class.Baby Cara Strain with her mum Kathryn, Instructor Frances Kerr and Class Teacher Joanne Currie at the Baby Celebration event in Armagh Teachers Centre to acknowledge and thank all the families who made the programmes possible by sharing the very special first year of their babys life with the Primary 5 Class.
Baby Cara Strain with her mum Kathryn, Instructor Frances Kerr and Class Teacher Joanne Currie at the Baby Celebration event in Armagh Teachers Centre to acknowledge and thank all the families who made the programmes possible by sharing the very special first year of their babys life with the Primary 5 Class.

Gerard Rocks, Assistant Director of Promoting Wellbeing for the Southern Health and Social Care Trust said: “This programme is a great example of how early intervention can help young people to better cope with their emotions and learn how to build positive, healthy relationships in preparation for the challenges they may face in adulthood.”

The Roots of Empathy Programme is funded by the Public Health Agency as part of their commitment to give every child the best possible start in life and is coordinated and led by the Southern Health and Social Care Trust in partnership with the Education Authority, Southern Region.

Related topics:SchoolsPrimary SchoolsCanada