National Preschool Teaches Kindness, Compassion Through Thanksgiving Outreach

Primrose Schools^® Holds Annual Caring and Giving Food Drive to Nurture Good Character

ATLANTA (Nov. 15, 2017) – ABCs and 123s aren’t the only skills today’s preschoolers should be practicing for kindergarten. This month, more than 24,000 children in Primrose^® schools across the country are learning the value of altruism, kindness and generosity as a part of the annual Primrose Schools Caring and Giving Food Drive.

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.

@PrimroseSchools nurtures good character in children through its Caring and Giving Food Drive!  Tweet

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.