Roots of Empathy

Roots of Empathy is a school-based curriculum designed for students in grades K-8. The program is centered around a parent and infant that visit the classroom every three weeks for a total of 27 visits over the school year. Lessons are tailored to both the age of the infant, and the age of the school children.

The children observe the infant, and describe the infants emotions. Students learn how to identify and discuss emotions, thereby increasing emotional literacy. Students develop a sense of social responsibility for each other. Nine values underly the curricula: empathy, culture of caring, respect, power of parenting, participatory democracy, inclusion, diversity, infant safety, and non-violence/anti-bullying.

The program has five main goals: foster the development of empathy; develop emotional literacy; reduce levels of bullying, aggression and violence, and promote children's pro-social behaviors; increase knowledge of human development, learning, and infant safety; and prepare students for responsible citizenship and responsive parenting.

In a randomized controlled trial, researchers found that students participating in the roots of empathy program had reduced agression and improved pro-social behavior immediately following the intervention. These changes were maintained or further enhanced in the three years following the program's completion. A program evaluation conducted by the Isle of Man found a significant increase in prosocial behaviors, empathy, peer acceptance, and social skills, and a significant decrease in aggressive behavior in children who received the Roots of Empathy curriculum compared to children who did not.