National Statistics

Roots of Empathy was first offered in 1996 as a pilot program in the Toronto Board of Education. In 2000, Roots of Empathy began to spread across the country and by the 2005-06 school year, was running in nine provinces.

In the 2008-09 school year in Canada:

• Over 56,000 children are participating in the program in 2,244 classrooms and 1,644 schools in nine provinces across Canada.
• There are 1,792 Instructors delivering the program. These Instructors are supported by 181 Key Point People (local program coordinators), 115 Mentors, 29 Trainers, five Senior Mentors and seven Provincial Managers.
• The program is offered in English, French and French Immersion classrooms. A total of 163 French-language programs are running across Canada this year; 94 programs in French school boards and 69 programs in French Immersion classrooms.
• Roots of Empathy is delivered to over 4,300 Aboriginal children across Canada, including over 85 programs that are running on-reserve.
• Roots of Empathy has expanded internationally, with programs now running in New Zealand, the United States and most recently the Isle of Man.

Since 1996, Roots of Empathy has reached 269,800 students in Canada

For more information on Roots of Empathy across Canada, click on a province below: