Babies in Classrooms Aim to Increase Empathy, Decrease Bullying

A new program called Roots of Empathy brings babies into classrooms to cut down on bullying by teaching empathy. Baby Finn visits third-graders at Meridian Park Elementary near Seattle every month. The students’ interactions with the baby helps reduce aggression among students while increasing their empathy for others, ultimately cutting down on bullying. The students study the baby’s every move, watching him change and grow, and are asked about what they think the baby is feeling. “That’s like the starting point to them being able to do that with their peers,” said Suzanna Fix, one of the school’s counselors. “If we just had more empathy in our world there are so many issues that just wouldn’t be there. If we are just able to see each other for the human beings that we are.”

Contact the attorneys at Grant & Eisenhofer if your child sustained emotional or physical injuries or died as a result of bullying at school.