Child and Family Services of Western Manitoba exists
so that children are safe and nurtured in strong, loving families
within a community of caring people. 

Roots of Empathy (ROE) is an inter-active, classroom-based program for children ages five to 14 that teaches students about their own feelings and those of others (empathy).

A certified ROE instructor visits a classroom 27 times during the school year to discuss how the students can recognize feelings, express them appropriately and how they can determine how other people might feel in different situations.

Once a month, the class is joined by a parent and two-to-four-month-old baby from the community. The baby essentially becomes the “teacher” and the students watch and learn how the baby grows and changes every month, how the baby tells the parent what they want, and how the parent learns what the baby is feeling and what they need. Learning that babies are non-judgmental and about the baby’s growth, feelings and developmental changes helps the students become better at talking about and understanding their own feelings.

Research shows that when children know and understand how others feel, they are less likely to hurt each other through bullying. It also shows that children who participate in the ROE program know more about emotions and feelings, are kinder to their friends, are less aggressive, and bully other children less than those who have not been in the program.

CFS Western has been involved in the ROE program for over five years in partnership with Brandon and rural school divisions and Healthy Child Manitoba.