Teaching Values in the Real World!

Teaching Values in the Real World
By Aleksa Overby, Director of the Kiddie Academy of Bothell

The children at the Kiddie Academy of Bothell are all fortunate enough to have families, homes, and food. Unfortunately this is not the case for many children in our community. Our weekly curriculum for every class beginning with the Infant Program addresses not only academic subjects to help them build skills they need to be successful, but also teaches values to help children understand what it means to be a good member of the community. November’s Character Education value is compassion and is simply explained as the ability to acknowledge other people’s feelings, thoughts, experiences and helping when they are able. The children worked on understanding this concept not only among their fellow students, but also by learning about children in our community that need help. In the spirit of compassion, the Kiddie Academy held their second annual Northwest Harvest Food Drive. Seeing the foods being donated daily ensured that all of our children had conversations with their friends, teachers, and parents as they walked down the hallways. In the end, the families had donated 2,071 items! When we collected all of the food from the classrooms and put it into one area, the parents were shocked and the children were so proud! We all felt that we are making a difference and we hope that this feeling of generosity and compassion stays with the children their whole lives.