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 2005/2006 school year, was running in nine provinces.

In the 2007/2008 school year in Canada:

• 55,000 children are participating in the program, a 10% increase over the previous year.
• 2,200 classrooms in 1,579 schools are involved in nine provinces across Canada (all except Saskatchewan).
• The program is offered in English, French and French Immersion classrooms, in both urban and rural communities. The program is offered in French in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Quebec. A total of 87 French-language programs are running in French school boards across Canada this year, as well as 62 programs in French Immersion classrooms.
• In the past few years, Roots of Empathy has expanded internationally, with program now running in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.

Since 1996, Roots of Empathy has reached 213,000 students across Canada

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