Lawrenceville Elementary School

Lawrenceville, New Jersey, USA

C.A.R.E. Kids: Developing Empathy in Young Children through Service Learning

The C.A.R.E. (Children Acting Responsibly Everyday) Kids group has grown to be a school-wide initiative establishing connections within the community and solving real-world problems. Their service-learning projects team curricular objectives with volunteerism and conclude with a reflective celebration. Third-grade students act as leaders in a wide range of service-learning activities. C.A.R.E. Kids make regular connections in literature to “teach” the lower grades about the agency they are helping. For example, I Wish I Were a Butterfly by James Howe was the kick-off to making and decorating over 500 patient tags to support Lawrence High School’s Operation Smile Club’s trip to Kenya. Through an Operation Smile volunteer, children learned about living conditions in Kisumu, Kenya and what it is like to try to speak and be understood with a cleft lip and palate. Students also collected toothbrushes, hairclips, crayons, coloring books, and soccer balls for the children waiting for facial reconstructive surgeries. Service projects continue throughout the year, making this a community that takes pride in the many kind deeds they perform.

CONTACT

Mrs. Kathy Jensen
School Counselor
kjensen@ltps.org