National Preschool Teaches Kindness, Compassion Through Thanksgiving Outreach

Preschool and pre-K classrooms in every Primrose school participate in this unique take on a traditional food drive. During the week-long activity, children don't simply drop cans into a donation bin – they learn and practice positive character traits by experiencing what it means to give. Students are asked to earn donations by completing age-appropriate chores at home. In the classroom, they count their collective donations and develop a shopping list of healthy food items. The children then visit a local grocery store, purchase the foods on their list, and donate the groceries to a local shelter or food bank.

In the days that follow, the children and teachers discuss how food banks and shelters help people in their community. Some classrooms even visit their local community shelter to see how their gifts make a difference. Each activity supports the lessons at the heart of the Caring and Giving Food Drive: compassion, citizenship and giving without expectation.

"At Primrose, we believe who children become is as important as what they know," said Gloria Julius, Ed.D., vice president of education for Primrose Schools. "Our goal is to help children develop a love of learning, but also encourage them to be kind people who naturally show caring and empathy toward others."

A growing body of research shows that children as young as 6 months old can begin to demonstrate outward signs of budding empathy skills. However, in a recent national survey sponsored by Primrose Schools, more than half of parents indicated that they feel their child did not or will not acquire honesty, generosity and compassion (54, 54 and 62 percent, respectively) during their early education experience.

"We can nurture positive character traits earlier than many people think – that's why we incorporate character-building into daily experiences starting as early as our infant classrooms," said Dr. Julius.

The Caring and Giving Food Drive has been a part of the Primrose-exclusive Balanced Learning^® approach for more than a decade. Visit PrimroseSchools.com/blog to read more about the food drive and tips for encouraging empathy, selflessness and generosity in young children.

About Primrose Schools^®

Primrose Schools is the leader in providing premier early education and care to children and families in the United States. Founded in 1982, there are more than 350 Primrose schools in 29 states today. Each school is independently owned and operated by Franchise Owners who partner with parents to help children build the right foundation for future learning and life. Primrose believes who children become is as important as what they know. The Primrose-exclusive Balanced Learning® approach is created from the best early education wisdom and balances purposeful play with nurturing guidance from teachers to encourage curiosity, creativity, confidence and compassion. For more information, visit www.PrimroseSchools.com, connect with us on Facebook and Twitter, explore our blog, sign up for our Pointers for Parents emails and find a Primrose school near you.

SOURCE Primrose Schools