From Amy Cooper, who will be teaching “Roots of Empathy” at Alki Elementary, which is introducing the program this year:

Are you the proud parent of a 2- to 4-month-old baby? You and your baby could be a Roots of Empathy family!

Roots of Empathy is an award-winning program for elementary-school children which has been bringing the wisdom of parents and babies into classrooms since 1996 and is currently in nearly 100 classrooms in the Seattle area. The program helps children learn about a baby’s needs and development, and lets children see a loving relationship grow between parent and baby.

The heart of Roots of Empathy is the neighborhood parent and infant who join the Roots of Empathy Instructor in the classroom for Family Visits. There are 9 visits during the school year, approximately once a month, and each is about 30 minutes long.

The program celebrates the power of the family in the development of the baby as a person. Classes are taught by a certified Roots of Empathy Instructor trained to give lessons on how a baby grows, naming and talking about feelings, and thinking about the feelings of others. The Instructor will ask you to share with the students how it feels to be a parent and to talk about how your baby is growing and learning.

Your baby will be loved by every student and be a star in the school and your family will be helping to build caring, peaceful, and civil societies.

We are currently looking for Roots of Empathy families to join Alki Elementary’s three kindergarten classrooms in their first year of offering the program at Alki. If you are interested, please contact Amy Cooper at 206-390-6065 or by e-mail at akcooper07@yahoo.com. You can also read more about the Roots of Empathy program at rootsofempathy.org.