A PIONEERING baby project run in Island primary schools featured on the ITV current affairs programme Tonight in January.
The programme, one of three on Britain's children and the pressures of childhood, focused on the Roots of Empathy project where parents take newborn babies into classrooms to help teach six and seven year olds about feelings and behaviours.
Parents Sarah and Dean Hitchen were filmed taking their 19 week old daughter Aurelia into Auldyn Infant's School for a Roots of Empathy session led by Emma Kinrade a nursery nurse and Roots of Empathy trainer.
Filming for the programme took place in December 2010.
Head teacher Chrissy Callaghan said: "The Roots of Empathy programme has been very successful within our school. We ran the programme last year (2010) as a trial and were so pleased with it that we extended it into all three of our year two classes this year.
"As well as Emma Kinrade we now have two parents Tania Cowan and Vickie Heavey who have also become Roots of Empathy trainers. We also appreciate the time given by the parents and babies involved in the programme as without them the programme couldn't run.
"Roots of Empathy supports our strong personal, social and emotional programme within school. It encourages children to reflect on their own thoughts and feelings and to develop empathy for others. Our hope is that they will take these skills with them through their school lives and into adulthood. The programme is unique in that it allows the teacher to observe the children's reactions during the session.”
As well as filming the session the children were also filmed playing together and sharing and helping each other in the playground.
Sarah Hitchen, who is a teacher at the school, said: "I was pleased to be asked to join the Roots of Empathy programme. My friend's children were part of it in previous years and found the experience valuable.
"Roots did not end after the year but the class continued to take an interest in the baby for a lot longer keen to play with them at the park, swimming pool, and I could see them applying what they had learnt in the classroom by how they played with and spoke to the child. It made me feel like we were part of a very close community. I hope that this is the case for Aurelia.
"The children have been incredibly welcoming and Aurelia has enjoyed the calm and caring atmosphere the class provided. There is a magical feeling of awe and wonder when we visit and we feel part of something very special.
"We were happy for her to be filmed as we find Roots of Empathy so valuable that if this feature on TV means that even more schools bring it into their classrooms it’s been more than worth it."
This story is part of isleofman.com's Review of the Year 2011.
