Launching in time for World Kindness Day, this free program aims to inspire a generational change in kindness by helping K-12 students learn about its many benefits

To help inspire generational kindness by providing students with the opportunity to learn about and encourage its practice, Kaplan has launched The Kindness Curriculum, a free program designed for K-12 students, in the U.S. The program, designed by Kaplan in partnership with The Kindness Factory, was first introduced to 69 pilot schools across Australia in May 2020. Since then, the program has been adopted by nearly 3,000 schools across Australia and is now being introduced to the U.S.

Available for free, the Kindness Curriculum focuses on twelve core attributes: collaboration, compassion, empathy, gratitude, honesty, humility, humor, mindfulness meditation, perspective, positivity, self-acceptance, and trust. More than 60 age-appropriate learning activities have been designed to easily fit into teaching routines and are made to be adaptable for any type of learners. Activities do not rely on assessments, but rather encourage students to reflect on the personal and collaborative positive outcomes that come out of focusing on the core attributes.

Developed by Kaplan academic experts in collaboration with The Kindness Factory, the Kindness Curriculum is broken up into five age groups: Prior to school, Grades 1-3, Grades 4-6, Grades 7-10, and Grades 11-12. To ensure the curriculum matches up to U.S. educational standards, all Kindness Curriculum activities are aligned with the CASEL (The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) core competencies of: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

“So far, we’ve learned young people, in particular, are supporting themselves and each other more than ever,” says Kath Koschel, The Kindness Factory Founding Director. “That kindness to themselves and one another isn’t just a nice to do. It’s a need to do, especially given the toll this past year has had on our young generation.”

The benefits of kindness have been well documented, in addition to lowering blood pressure and decreasing stress levels, it can even be life-saving. A recent study, commissioned by Kindness Factory in Australia, found that 3% of respondents say kindness saved their lives.

“After seeing first-hand the profound positive impact the Kindness Curriculum is having in Australia on students, teachers, families and their communities at large, we wanted to be a part of bringing this movement to the U.S,” said Isaac Botier, Kaplan North America’s Executive Director of Pre-College and member of The Kindness Curriculum Academic Board. “During a time when we see so much divisiveness in public discourse in this country, our hope is that this curriculum can help communities come together around the benefits and power of kindness.”

The Kindness Curriculum is being introduced to the U.S. in time for World Kindness Day -- November 13, 2021 -- a global day promoting the importance of being kind to one another.

Following its U.S. launch, The Kindness Curriculum is being developed for introduction to the United Kingdom in early 2022. In addition to the curriculum, a professional development module for teachers is also being designed. Kaplan and The Kindness Factory hope to grow The Kindness Curriculum school network to an excess of 25,000 schools by 2025.

To find out more information about The Kindness Curriculum, visit the website here.

To schedule an interview about the launch of the Kindness Curriculum in the United States, contact Alison Kurtzman at alison.kurtzman@kaplan.com or 518-956-0704.

About Kaplan

Kaplan is a global educational services company that provides individuals, universities, and businesses with a diverse array of services, including higher and professional education, test preparation, language training, corporate and leadership training, student recruitment, online enablement and other university support services. With operations in nearly 30 countries, Kaplan serves nearly 1.1 million students each year and has partnerships with 2,000-plus universities, colleges, schools/school districts and more than 4,000 businesses globally. Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC). For more information, please visit www.kaplan.com.

About The Kindness Factory

The Kindness Factory™ started from one person’s incredible story of courage, hope and adversity and has now become a global kindness movement, touching the lives of millions of people from all walks of life. Started on World Kindness Day in 2015, Kath Koschel started The Kindness Factory as a vehicle for a global movement for kindness. What started as a goal to have strangers log one million acts of kindness in its first year, has now blossomed into a movement, with people having logged more than three million acts of kindness in the last year.

The Kindness Factory™ is a Not For Profit Registered Charity based in Australia and the USA. The funds we raise go towards educational programs in schools and universities, ensuring the next generation grows up with a foundation of kindness.

The Kindness Factory's mission is bedded in action, small acts of kindness, and hopes to inspire all humans to play kind, have fun, stay connected with others, know when to reach out for help, exercise resilience and treat themselves, and the planet with dignity and respect.

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC)

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211110005395/en/

In advance of World Kindness Day on Saturday and to help inspire generational kindness, Kaplan has launched The Kindness Curriculum, a free program designed for K-12 students, in the U.S.