Welcome to Seeds of Empathy
Seeds of Empathy is designed for Early Childhood settings to foster social and emotional competence and early literacy skills and attitudes in children three to five years of age while providing professional development for their educators.
Click here to see the sites involved in the first year of the program. Or click here to read about the launches of Seeds of Empathy in Alberta and British Columbia.
Seeds of Empathy grew out of Roots of Empathy, a program for elementary school children from Kindergarten to Grade 8. It is the younger sibling of Roots of Empathy and brings the messages of that program to three-to-five-year-olds.
To learn more about Roots of Empathy, click here.
As Alberta's population grows more diverse and we attract more immigrants to our province, it's important to build communities where people of all backgrounds are valued. By teaching our children how to form positive relationships during their critical developmental years, we improve our ability to create safer and more welcoming communities. Empathy is the cornerstone of a compassionate and caring society."
- The Honourable Iris Evans
then-Minister of Alberta Employment, Immigration and Industry, 2007
The Seeds of Empathy program fosters the development of positive social and emotional behaviours in the critical early years of a child's life. The earlier we can help teach little ones about infant development, diversity and respecting and valuing others the better off we all are when those children enter the school system."
- The Honourable Linda Reid
British Columbia Minister of State for Child Care, 2007