Roots of Empathy, an evidence-based classroom program, has wrapped up another successful session in Cochrane.
For the second year, five moms and babies volunteered with the program, run through the town’s Family & Community Support Services, to teach empathy to students in Cochrane classrooms. The moms and infants made nine visits to multiple schools in the district over the past 10 months.
The baby volunteers have to be between the ages of two months and four months in October in order to participate and are then paired with an instructor trained with the Roots of Empathy organization and a classroom.
“A trained Roots of Empathy instructor coaches students to observe the baby’s development and to label the baby’s feelings. In this experiential learning, the baby is the teacher and a lever, which the instructor uses to help children identify and reflect on their own feelings and the feelings of others,” states the Roots of Empathy website.
“One of things in Roots of Empathy they say is love those brains because they want students to pay attention to when the baby’s brain is growing since you can actually watch the baby’s brain grow. So we have three little balls in our kit and as the kids start to realize their hands can grab, those balls are neat – we start by introducing one, then two and so on. Baby Wolfgang had one ball and a cookie in his hands and we were all watching him so I offered him the second ball and you can see him thinking. That’s when he put the cookie in his mouth and picked up the other ball,” said Carey Lee, a Roots of Empathy instructor who was paired with Wolfgang Bayona and his mom, Ivonne.
This year’s group of moms all agreed the program was a great opportunity to get involved with.
“I got involved because I knew one of the Roots of Empathy instructors. It just sounded like such a great experience to participate in these kids’ lives and for them to learn about the challenges and the growth,” said Erin O’Connor, who volunteered with program along with her daughter, Isla.
“I actually never heard of the program until I came to visit at the Parent Link Centre, and I was amazed by the facility itself and all the programs it has to offer. I liked the idea of being able to give back to the community and helping shape other children’s lives – and if my daughter can play a role in that, then why not,” said Marie-Claire Campbell, who volunteered along with her daughter, Kaia.
Aside from teaching students, it also gave the parents an opportunity to expose their children to different surroundings and people.
“I was shocked at how well Isla did in the classroom, how comfortable she was with all the kids. They just treated her like they were her friends, I thought that was really neat,” O’Connor explained.
Family & Community Support Services will begin looking for a new set of families to take part in the program’s third session during the 2016/2017 school year.
“The instructors get trained in September and then the program starts in about mid-October in the schools,” said Brenda Dennis with the Town of Cochrane’s Family and Community Support Services.
For more information about the Roots of Empathy program, visit rootsofempathy.org. Any parents and infants looking to volunteer for the next session can contact Brenda Dennis at 403-851-2252.
