OUR LOCAL CHARITY PARTNER

Story Dogs enables a child and a dog with their volunteer handler a weekly one-on-one reading session held at the child’s reading level throughout the course of a school year. The literacy program is based on the Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) model. The READ program has successfully proven the educational benefits of reading to dogs since 1999.

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Story Dog Volunteers are guided on working with children to go at the child’s pace and use the calming presence of the dog to support comprehension during each 20 minute reading session. Books are chosen to be fun and interesting, and are matched to the literacy level of the student. During a session, the volunteer handler often speaks through the dog. Adapting the learning environment by involving the dog such as “Simba doesn't understand what is happening on this page, could you help him out?” encourages the child’s confidence to navigate ‘teaching’ the dog in a trusting and shared learning environment.