Realising Potential: Equality, Diversity And Inclusive Practice In .
Barnardos PublicationRealising Potential: Equality, Diversityand Inclusive Practice in Early YearsThis book seeks to challenge, to inform and tosupport early years educators in addressingequality, diversity and inclusion issues. Throughthis book, which supports the Diversity, Equalityand Inclusion Charter and Guidelines for EarlyChildhood Care and Education, current policy andthe national frameworks, educators will find supportand tools to develop high quality inclusive practicesthat will endure in the lives of the children withwhom they work.ISSUE 2 2017Purchase now at www.barnardos.ieBarnardos Training and ConsultancyUpcoming Public Training Events include: DesignatedLiaison Person Training for Early Years Professionals Dublin (2nd Nov) Reflective Practice for Early Years Professionals Dublin (11th Nov) Children First, Child Protection Training Limerick (17th Nov) Children First, Child Protection Training Dublin (21st Nov) Designated Liaison Person Training Cork (30th Nov)All courses can be booked at Barnardos online shop at www.barnardos.ie.Please email training@barnardos.ie if you would like to discuss your training needs.Early Years eNewsThis newsletter covers news anddevelopments of interest to theearly childhood care and educationsector. It also includes updates onpublications, training and eventshappening around Ireland.To sign up go to www.barnardos.ieInternet Safety & CyberbullyingBarnardos provides interactive workshopsfor children, teachers and parentsthat deliver up-to-date information onpreventing and responding to cyberbullying.For further information in relation toavailability and costs please contact us onT. (01) 453 0355BARNARDOS Christchurch Square, Dublin 8 Tel: 01 4549699 Fax: 01 4530300E-mail: resources@barnardos.ie CHY 6015 /RCN 20010027CHILDLinksEMPATHY
Roots ofEmpathyEmpathy CHILDLINKS Issue 2, 2017Developing Empathy,Reducing AggressionCheryl Jackson, Director,Communications and Marketing,Roots of Empathy 12
CHILDLINKS Issue 2, 2017The InnovationSocial entrepreneur and Roots of Empathy founder, MaryGordon, understood that empathy grew in the first yearof life through the secure attachment relationship of ababy and parent. Her ground-breaking idea was to createan evidence-based programme, Roots of Empathy, thatfocused on this attachment relationship between babyand parent to help to build empathy in children in aclassroom. Gordon realised that empathy could not betaught in traditional ways but could be ’caught’ throughexperiential learning. This experiential learning is guidedin the classroom by a certified instructor using an agespecific curriculum.Ms. Gordon began her career as a kindergartenteacher in Toronto, Canada, where she recognised thepower of education as an equaliser. She realised thatthe common denominator in all forms of violence andcruelty, including bullying, is the absence of empathy.Young children need to have a secure attachment inorder to thrive. Marginalisation, poor parenting andfamily violence have devastating impacts on thelives of children. Ms. Gordon wanted to find waysto break the cycle, and thus Roots of Empathy wasborn. She questioned whether it was possible tohelp develop empathy, teach emotional literacy andbreak intergenerational cycles of violence and poorparenting by bringing a baby into the classroom. Theattachment relationship between a baby and parentis the first and most powerful model of empathy thereis. By leveraging this relationship, Roots of Empathydevelops empathy.In Roots of Empathy we believe that empathy is innateand flourishes or fades in the first year of life. Theparent-child attachment relationship is where empathydevelops. If it goes awry, a child suffers from an empathydeficit, which may be transmitted generationally. Theabsence of empathy underlies war, genocide, neglect,racism, abuse, bullying and marginalisation of all kinds.Without empathy, there is insufficient traction for conflictresolution and altruism is not possible.Empathy is the developmental mechanism that iscorrelated most highly with altruistic behaviour. It isthe ability to take the perspective of the other and tofeel with them. Empathy cannot be successfully taughtthrough traditional instruction, but it can be ‘caught’experientially, changing the architecture of the brain. Ifwe develop empathy in children, they will be inclusive andchallenge cruelty and injustice, creating more peaceful,caring and civil societies. In Roots of Empathy, childrenfind the humanity in the baby and see the baby’s rightto be included, which is the beginning of understandingthat we all have the right to be included. The best wayto change tomorrow is to work with the children of Empathytoday, creating a change from within that lasts. Rootsof Empathy does this by reaching children where theyare – in classrooms – changing not only the child, butinfluencing the teacher and the education system. This isRoots of Empathy’s theory of change – that this changefrom within the child spreads to the school, home andcommunity, breaking intergenerational cycles of violenceand, in the long term, creating responsible citizens andresponsive parents.How it WorksRoots of Empathy delivers two programmes – Roots ofEmpathy, which is delivered to primary school children,and Seeds of Empathy, which is designed for 3–5 yearolds in early childhood settings.Today, Roots of Empathy is delivered internationally ineleven countries around the world – Ireland, NorthernIreland, England, Wales, Scotland, Switzerland, Germany,US, New Zealand and Costa Rica, and in every provinceof Canada. In Ireland, Roots of Empathy is deliveredthrough Barnardos as the lead agency, and reached2,325 children in the 2016–2017 programme year. Sinceits Ireland launch in 2011–2012, 12,000 children haveparticipated. In total, Roots of Empathy has reached morethan 800,000 children since 1996 and has won numerousbest practice awards for innovation in education. Seedsof Empathy, which was introduced in 2005, is delivered inCanada and the US.Roots of EmpathyRoots of Empathy is an evidence-based classroomprogramme. In the short term, it has been shown toreduce aggression, including bullying, and to increaseprosocial behaviours such as helping, sharing andcaring. In the long term, the programme strives to breakintergenerational cycles of violence and poor parenting.Roots of Empathy relies on volunteers from thecommunity. At the heart of the programme are avolunteer neighbourhood parent and baby who visit aclassroom throughout the school year. A certified Rootsof Empathy instructor, using a curriculum, guides thechildren to label the baby’s feelings and intentions. Thechildren learn to take the perspective of the baby andto feel with the baby. Emotional literacy develops aschildren begin to identify and label the baby’s feelings,reflect on and understand their own feelings, thenthe feelings of others. Emotional literacy is a first andessential step in learning how to regulate emotions.Children gain further experience in self-regulation asthey observe the mother regulating the baby’s emotions.At the end of the year this change from within results inan increase in self-regulation, resilience, wellbeing andempathy. 13
Empathy CHILDLINKS Issue 2, 2017I arrive at my Grade Four Roots of Empathy classroom a few minutes early and wait in the hallway for the door toopen. Math class is almost over and Roots of Empathy is next. Smiling faces dart over to the window in the door –the students know I’m there and they can’t wait for their lesson with Baby Thomas, his mom Maureen, and me.Every three weeks, Baby Thomas and his momjoined me on the green blanket with 28 studentsand their classroom teacher. When Thomas firstbegan his work as a Tiny Teacher, he was just fourmonths old. He couldn’t sit or stand or walk. Hecouldn’t crawl. He could hardly hold his head upwhen laying on his tummy, a position he didn’tlike at all. He loved being near his mom and sheloved holding him. I remember all of this very wellbecause we talked about it in class.In our year together, the students learned aboutBaby Thomas’s temperament by watching him.He didn’t give up trying to grasp a small ball justbeyond his reach. We determined that he waspersistent. When he finally grabbed the ball, thestudents erupted with joy. When he was upset at being placed on his tummy on the green blanket, he fussed, hedidn’t scream. We determined that he had low intensity, with milder reactions. We saw that when offered new things,such as a food he had never eaten, he was willing to give it a try. We determined his first reaction to new things wasadventurous. Even so, Baby Thomas often looked back at his mom for reassurance. We talked about his attachmentto Maureen and how her loving and reassuring response helped him move out into the world. We learned that BabyThomas loved music, especially when mom Maureen would move his body to the songs. We asked Maureen aboutthat and she said she and Thomas attended a weekly neighbourhood music class because he loves music so much.One day Baby Thomas arrived asleep in his stroller. We imagined what it would be like for him to be awakened by aloud welcome song and instead sang quietly. He woke slowly and wide-eyed, ready for his class.We tracked Thomas’s development – how he grew, what he could do now and what he could not do ‘yet’. Welearned that we all develop at our own unique pace, just as Baby Thomas does.We looked for his emotional and behavioural cues. As instructor, I guided the children to identify and reflect onBaby Thomas’s feelings and then on their own feelings and the feelings of others. They learned that babies crybecause they are hungry, but also when they are lonely. They learned that babies smile when they are excited, andwhen they are included in activities. The children talked about how they feel when they are hungry or tired or lonelyor left out.Our close observations and reflections of Baby Thomas’stemperament traits helped us to get to know BabyThomas – what he needed and wanted. I guided thechildren to reflect on their own unique temperaments.Were they high or low intensity? Persistent? Did they tendto have cautious or adventurous first reactions? What didthey need or want? What, and who, helped them?All of this happened in a 30–40 minute lesson everythree weeks during a school year. Before and after eachvisit with Baby Thomas and Mom Maureen, I visited theclass with curriculum activities to prepare and reinforcethe learning. The children were given a safe place toexpress their feelings through stories, artwork, music anddiscussion. And they did.At the end of the school year, when the classroom teacherasked the students what Roots of Empathy meant tothem, one boy said ‘We are a classroom of caregivers.’This warmed my heart. 14
CHILDLINKS Issue 2, 2017The curriculum is comprehensive and divided intothemes, which are delivered over the school year. Thecurriculum is designed developmentally for four agegroups, three of which are offered in primary school inthe Republic of Ireland. Each visit offers opportunitiesfor learning related to the school curriculum – mathswhen the children measure the baby’s weight and height,literature when they listen to and reflect on stories,and art, which opens the children to perspective-takingand their feelings. Programme integrity is ensured byfollowing researchers’ gold standards for school-basedprogrammes – an accredited curriculum, a trainingprogramme with certification, a mentoring programme,ongoing professional development, evaluation andresearch.As children become more competent in understandingtheir own feelings and the feelings of others theyare less likely to physically, psychologically andemotionally hurt one other through bullying and othercruelties. Roots of Empathy is a universal programmewhere all children benefit, but children who may haveexperienced violence or who lack a secure attachmentsee with their own eyes what love looks like. Theexperiential learning with the parent and infant isbiologically embedded in the student’s brain. The brainis changed and each child, including those already atrisk, develops a new norm. The change spreads fromchild to classroom to home to community, impacting allinvolved. This is important because empathy transcendsrace, religion, culture and gender and is a prerequisitefor inclusion, building a more caring, peaceful andcivil society. Students are our future leaders and willinfluence their schools, families and communities.Seeds of EmpathySeeds of Empathy teaches pre-school children 3–5 yearsold about feelings – their own feelings and the feelingsof others. It takes place in early learning centres, such asdaycares and pre-schools and, unlike Roots of Empathywhere programme instructors are community volunteers,Seeds of Empathy instructors are centre staff – earlychildhood educators.Seeds of Empathy fosters social and emotionalcompetencies and early literacy skills and attitudesin the crucial pre-school years. Children learn how tobuild positive relationships by understanding their ownemotions and those of others. When children know howothers feel, they are less likely to use aggression tosolve problems and hurt each other through unkind acts. EmpathyAs with Roots of Empathy, at the heart of the programmeis a volunteer neighbourhood parent and baby who visitten, rather than nine, times during the year. The childrenare coached to observe the baby’s development and tolabel the baby’s feelings. In this experiential learning, thebaby is the ‘teacher’ and a lever, helping the children toidentify and reflect on their own feelings and the feelingsof others.In addition to these family visits, Seeds of Empathythemes such as “Baby and Me”, “Feeling Angry” and“Friends” are also introduced and explored throughquality children’s literature and an early literacyapproach that is based on relationships and interactiveactivities. Stories help children explore their own feelingsand take the perspective of others. This is crucial duringthe early years. Attitudes to reading are formed earlythrough trusting relationships, which is what makes earlychildhood educators, who read the stories and guide thechildren to reflect on their feelings, such powerful rolemodels.Goals for children in Seeds of Empathy are to fosterthe development of empathy and emotional literacy,to build social and emotional understanding, to reduceaggression, including bullying, increase prosocialbehaviours such as sharing, helping and inclusion, andto develop positive attitudes and competencies in earlyliteracy, all of which prepare pre-school children for thetransition to kindergarten.Very importantly, early childhood educators who aretrained to deliver the programme also benefit from Seedsof Empathy as they increase their knowledge of earlychildhood development and their skill sets, and cometo understand the importance of attachment-informedteaching.ResearchSince 2000, Roots of Empathy has been evaluatedacross three continents in comparative and randomisedcontrolled studies designed to measure changes in thebehaviour. Roots of Empathy’s model of change suggeststhat increasing empathy is connected to increases ininclusive and collaborative behaviour and increases inpositive characteristics (kindness, trustworthiness), whichfoster and support healthy relationships – all connectedto increased wellbeing.Specifically, these studies have consistently shown thatRoots of Empathy children perceive a more positiveclassroom environment by the end of the programmeEmpathy transcends race, religion, culture and gender and is a prerequisitefor inclusion, building a more caring, peaceful and civil society. 15
Empathy CHILDLINKS Issue 2, 2017The decrease in aggression consistently demonstrated by childrenwho have participated in Roots of Empathy programmes is particularlyimportant because aggression, including bullying, is the number one causeof emotional suffering and depression in childhood.(e.g. increased sense of classroom belonging and peeracceptance). Roots of Empathy children also exhibit: An increase in pro-social behavior (e.g. sharing,helping and including) A decrease in aggression. For example, whenapplied to all the children that will participate inRoots of Empathy, on average it is expected thatthe programme will reduce the number of childrenfighting by approximately 50%. This is particularlysignificant given that children in the comparisonclassrooms show increases in aggression across theschool year An increase in social and emotional understanding An increase in knowledge of parentingThe Roots of Empathy programme was recently evaluatedin Northern Ireland. The findings were completed in2016 (Connolly et al.) and will be published in 2017. Thecluster randomised controlled trial evaluation involved76 primary schools and tracked nearly 1,200 8-9 yearolds. Funded through the National Institute for HealthResearch (NIHR) Public Health Programme, the trialassessed the effectiveness and cost effectivenessof the schools-based social and emotional learningprogramme.The Centre for Evidence and Social Innovation’smajor longitudinal evaluation of the Roots of Empathyprogramme found that Roots of Empathy was wellreceived by schools, children and parents, and that it hada measurable and positive impact in increasing children’sprosocial behaviour and reducing the aggressive anddifficult behaviour. There was also evidence that theeffects in relation to reducing difficult behaviour mayhave been sustained for three years beyond the end ofthe programme. The Roots of Empathy programme wasalso found to be cost effective.A study commissioned by the Government of Manitobaalso showed lasting impact (Santos et al., 2011). Itmeasured prosocial behaviour, physical aggressionand indirect aggression. Results showed a significantimprovement in all three behaviours in Roots of Empathychildren immediately after the programme, withimprovements in behaviours maintained three years later,and some behaviours continuing to show improvement.The decrease in aggression consistently demonstratedby children who have participated in Roots of Empathyprogrammes is particularly important becauseaggression, including bullying, is the number one causeof emotional suffering and depression in childhood.Roots of Empathy addresses aggressive behaviour early,at its core, preparing children to take on life’s challenges.Through Roots of Empathy, children learn to: Understand their own feelings Understand the feelings of others which meansthey are less likely to physically, psychologically oremotionally hurt each other Regulate their emotions, building the inner resiliencethey will need to cope better with stress throughoutlife. Establish and maintain relationships and friendships Become productive, happy, healthy global citizens,workers and family membersAs well as independent research, Roots of Empathyalso conducts annual surveys of each and everyprogramme. At the end of the programme, students,teachers, volunteer families, and instructors complete asurvey-based evaluation to identify programme impactin relation to outcomes, using open-ended questions orartwork. Data is collected, analysed and compiled intoan Annual Program Evaluation report. The results informour curriculum updates.For more information on Roots of Empathy go to www.rootsofempathy.org or contact Cheryl Jackson,Director of Communications and Marketing cjackson@rootsofempathy.org 647-339-0766.References Connolly, P., Miller, S., Kee, F., Sloan, S., Gildea, A., McIntosh, E., Boyer, N. & Bland, M. (manuscript submitted for publication). ‘Cluster randomised controlledtrial evaluation and cost-effectiveness analysis of the Roots of Empathy schools-based programme for improving social and emotional wellbeing outcomesamong 8-9 year olds in Northern Ireland’ Santos, R. G., Chartier, M. J., Whalen, J. C., Chateau, D., & Boyd, L. (2011). ‘Effectiveness of school-based violence prevention for children and youth: Clusterrandomized field trial of the Roots of Empathy program with replication and three-year follow-up’. Healthcare Quarterly, 14, 80-91. 16
Realising Potential: Equality, Diversity and Inclusive Practice in Early Years This book seeks to challenge, to inform and to support early years educators in addressing equality, diversity and inclusion issues. Through this book, which supports the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Charter and Guidelines for Early
Core 6 – Equality and Diversity . Status Core – this is a key aspect of all jobs and of everything that everyone does. It underpins all dimensions in the NHS KSF. Levels 1 Act in ways that support equality and value diversity . 2. Support equality and value diversity . 3. Promote equality and value diversity
public sector equality duty came into force on 5 April 2011. There are five England/GB guides giving advice on the duty: 1. The essential guide to the public sector equality duty 2. Equality objectives and the equality duty 3. Equality information and the equality duty 4. Meeting the equality duty in policy and decision-making 5.
CONTENTS 2 Realising potential through business viability 4 About this report 6 Group at a glance YEAR AT A GLANCE 16 Global food and beverage consumer context and trends 18 Realising potential through value creation 30 Realising potential through strategy implementation 38 Chairman's report 40 Chief executive officer's report 44 Financial review OPERATIONAL REPORTS
Opportunity Knocks: Realising the potential of partnerships in the Nepal earthquake response i Abstract Opportunity Knocks: Realising the potential of partnerships in the Nepal earthquake response Andy Featherstone and Subindra Bogati Humanitarian response is all too often characterised by large international responses; in contrast, the approach of
tion diversity. Alpha diversity Dα measures the average per-particle diversity in the population, beta diversity Dβ mea-sures the inter-particle diversity, and gamma diversity Dγ measures the bulk population diversity. The bulk population diversity (Dγ) is the product of diversity on the per-particle
AFMC Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Training 2 2 Diversity in BusinessDiversity in Business 3 Minutes 3 The Importance of Diversity The Importance of Diversity3 Minutes 4 The Power of Diversity 4 Minutes The Power of Diversity 5 The Threat of Diversity 2 Minutes The Threat of Diversity 6 Diverse Teams Deliver Results 1 Minute Diverse Teams Deliver Results
diversity of the other strata. Beta (β) Diversity: β diversity is the inter community diversity expressing the rate of species turnover per unit change in habitat. Gamma (γ) Diversity : Gamma diversity is the overall diversity at landscape level includes both α and β diversities. The relationship is as follows: γ
Aliens Love Underpants We have provided here six aliens, 12 kinds of underpants in sets for collecting and smaller versions that can be stuck on two big dice. We have also provided “Mum” cards. Some possible ways to play in addition to pairs or bingo. Please send your suggestions to add to these. 1. For up to four players. Each player becomes an alien and has a card with a flying saucer .
