Throughout the 2016/2017 school year, Penelope Korska had her little uniform put on her, a fresh diaper and her teeny, tiny shoes for her frequent trips to Blacklock Elementary.
In her Roots of Empathy uniform that says 鈥榯eacher鈥�, she got to work with the elementary school students, gurgling, giggling and sometimes crying.
By just being a baby, she鈥檚 working her magic on the students.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e the world鈥檚 tiniest teachers,鈥� said Adrianna Austin, the Roots of Empathy regional coordinator.
Penelope was one of the babies taking part in the school鈥檚 Roots of Empathy program.
Throughout the school year, her mom took her to sessions with the students.
Penelope鈥檚 mom, Kayla, found out about the program through a cousin, who is a teacher.
鈥淚 thought it was really great,鈥� Kayla said. 鈥淭he kids were so respectful.鈥�
And Penelope enjoyed the experience, mesmerized by all the attention.
鈥淚 would like to see her take this program [when she鈥檚 older],鈥� Kayla said.
About 89 per cent of B.C. school districts have Roots of Empathy. There are eight programs at 91原创 schools, including two at Blacklock. Surrey has two dozen programs while Vancouver had about 45 and North Vancouver about 27.
The parents, babies, school and district representatives, and Roots officials gathered May 31 for an end of session celebration to thank the families for taking part.
Kelly Rutherford, a Blacklock resource teacher, has been actively involved for 12 years and the program was offered here in this district before that.
In her time at Blacklock, she鈥檚 seen about 150 kids go through the program.
鈥淭his is a curriculum program so it is heavily researched through UBC,鈥� Rutherford explained.
In her own experience, the baby is a way for the students to connect with their own feelings and gives permission for the child to act with compassion.
Over the course of the school year, the baby and parent go to the school several times so the students see how the baby grows and changes.
Austin said the organization wants to expand its programs, specifically to include schools with higher proportions of newcomers, and First Nations students.
Austin noted that since baby鈥檚 aren鈥檛 speaking, language wouldn鈥檛 be a barrier with newcomer kids.
鈥淭hese children have seen a lot of toxic stress,鈥� she said.
As well, she would like to have some immigrant moms take part in the program so they feel more connected to the school and community.
Austin said sometimes dads accompany the baby to sessions and sometimes grandparents. There is always an instructor trained through Roots of Empathy to guide discussions during the session.
Schools must demonstrate support for the program in order to take it on but Austin noted that while the program is often handled by teachers, community volunteers can also introduce it. She started out as a community volunteer.
Research by the non-profit Roots of Empathy shows reduced aggression and bullying by children who have taken the program, and increased compassion and empathy.
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