Kindness project sees NSW children build personal values

Children in regional New South Wales are being supported by the Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation which has invested $50,000 in a pilot project which will support children in 650 early childhood education centres to build empathy and have a reduction in anxiety.

KIDS Foundation will deliver the six month project, known as SeeMore Kindness, to centres in the New England region, and other regional NSW communities including the Hunter, Mid North Coast, Northern Rivers, Central West and Central Coast. SeeMore Kindness uses age-appropriate and curriculum-aligned content and provides practical lessons and activities that teach kindness as a practice for building empathy and reducing anxiety among children between ages four and six years of age.

 

“This pilot will initially focus on 20 Early Childhood Education Centres however will go on to reach more than 26,000 parents with the delivery of a digital parenting book with practical tools for raising emotionally intelligent children,” Newcastle Permanent Head of Customer Retail and Charitable Foundation spokesperson, Jackie Connors, said.

 

“Instilling emotional skills like kindness and empathy from a young age sets children up for success as these are lifelong, invaluable skills that can be applied each and every day. We hope the children who receive the SeeMore Kindness training will go out into the world as more confident and understanding individuals.”

 

KIDS Foundation spokesperson, Dr Susie O’Neill OAM, said the organisation hopes to see the program form part of the preschool curriculum in a broader way in the future.

 

“We are delighted to deliver our new SeeMore Kindness module, which will benefit not only the children, but also their families and educators.” 

 

"The long-term goal of our project is to see the SeeMore Kindness program embedded into preschool curriculum as best practice for helping children build lifelong skills for understanding their emotions, themselves, others, and the environment.”

 

Dr O’Neill OAM hope the program will leave children healthier, more connected, active, resilient, mindful and kind.

 

“We are incredibly grateful for the support of Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation as this funding has enabled us to bring this important program to life, and we are excited to see the positive impact it will have on children,” she said.

 

To learn more about KIDS Foundation, please visit: https://www.kidsfoundation.org.au/

 

Image shows NPCF's Jackie Connors, with KIDS Foundation's CEO Susie O'Neill, Jackie Mulholland, educators and children.