An innovative program is being used to stop bullying and violence by teaching the very young how to care for others. Roots of Empathy has been introduced into 450 classrooms across the country.

The program, in part, educates kindergarten and elementary students for their future role as parents. One aspect of the program involves a visit by a baby and parents once a month for about a 10-month period.

Mary Gordon, the founder of Roots of Empathy, believes that newborns are best at teaching kindness. CTV's Steve Chao accompanied five-month-old Jonas as he visited a classroom at Balmy Beach Elementary School in Toronto, to see how the program works.

Jonas was greeted by a curious crowd of pre-schoolers. Gordon says the class will learn to take care of Jonas in the hopes that, as they grow up, they'll think twice about hurting others.

Maureen Dunn, a teacher at Balmy Beach Elementary, says the program "teaches the kids to be able to label how they're feeling and to then start to think how someone else might be feeling or to help a person."

The Roots of Empathy program began seven years ago in two downtown Toronto schools. The newborns were introduced into the program with the hope they would help break the cycle of violence in the inner city.

The organization's website says that empathy is an essential part of responsive, caring parenting and leads to less aggressive behaviour.

Gordon says the answer to reducing crime is prevention rather than harsher punishments or more prisons. Roots of Empathy is designed to create a more caring society.

A series of disturbing and high-profile bullying cases have captured headlines in cities across the country in recent years.

Victoria teen Reena Virk was killed after being swarmed by a group of teens. Witnesses testified that Kelly Ellard bragged she calmly smoked a cigarette while holding the head of the badly-beaten Virk under water until she drowned.

Ellard and Warren Glowatski were convicted of second degree murder. Six other teen girls were convicted of assault causing bodily harm. Virk was 14 years old.

In another B.C. case, a teenaged girl was convicted of criminal harassment for bullying Dawn-Marie Wesley shortly before the girl committed suicide. Once again the victim was 14.

Over the summer, a Halifax girl was charged with extortion and assault after a 14-year-old boy she allegedly bullied killed himself with a gun. The death revealed a growing concern among parents about the torment their children endure.