We don’t have to hurt other people, just because we’re mad or sad, or because we want power, and if we just listen more to each other we don’t have to have wars or hurt or even kill one another. I think if the whole world was taught Roots of Empathy we could all get along, and have fun. I wish everyone would get along and have peace.”

 

– Grade 4 Student, Burnaby, B.C.

British Columbia was one of the first provinces in Canada to offer the Roots of Empathy program. In 2000, it began in ten classrooms in Vancouver. The program grew rapidly and to date Roots of Empathy has reached nearly 90,000 BC children.

Over the last 11 years, about 3,600 babies with the Roots of Empathy program have been the youngest teachers in B.C. classrooms, and many of them are now students themselves in these very classrooms. A similar number of volunteer parents have learned more about their babies and the key role they play in a child's development. Thousands of B.C. classroom teachers have learned about their students' emotional lives and witnessed first-hand the power of helping children to develop social and emotional literacy.

The Government of British Columbia is a major partner in supporting Roots of Empathy. In its early years, the government supported Roots of Empathy through both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Child and Family Development. In 2011, the B.C. government renewed its support and announced an expansion of the program, co-funded by both ministries. BC Hydro and the Vancouver Foundation have also been generous sponsors and partners of the Roots of Empathy program. 

In 2010-11, about 5,600 B.C. children are participating in Roots of Empathy in more than 230 classrooms. The program is delivered in English and French, and in urban, rural and remote communities, including many schools with high Aboriginal populations and schools in First Nations communities. The program has been warmly embraced by many Aboriginal communities and leaders including Assembly of First Nations Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo.  In 2008, the Assembly of First Nations passed a resolution to endorse Roots of Empathy calling it "compatible with traditional First Nations teachings and worldviews."

British Columbia is the epicentre of independent research about Roots of Empathy; researchers at the University of British Columbia took a lead role in early evaluations of the program under the direction of Dr. Clyde Hertzman with Dr. Kimberly Schonert-Reichl as principal investigator. Starting in 2000, the team has conducted a number of studies across different grades and populations.