The R.E.A.D Program
My Name is Zoe, I am a Certified Therapy Dog and a Certified Reading Education Assistance Dog
(R.E.A.D.)
I love to to hear a good story !
Reading with a friend like me can have PawsitivEffects !
The mission of the R.E.A.D.® program is to improve the literacy skills of children through the assistance of registered therapy teams as literacy mentors.
The Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) program improves children’s reading and communication skills by employing a powerful method: reading to a dog. But not just any dog. R.E.A.D. dogs are registered therapy animals who volunteer with their owner/handlers as a team, going to schools, libraries and many other settings as reading companions for children.
How Does It Work?
R.E.A.D. utilizes registered therapy animals who have been trained and tested for health,safety, appropriate skills and temperament. When these
special animals come to hear children read, it’s fun! And that makes all the difference.
R.E.A.D. utilizes registered therapy animals who have been trained and tested for health,safety, appropriate skills and temperament. When these
special animals come to hear children read, it’s fun! And that makes all the difference.
But Why Dogs?
Learning to read is often less about intellectual limitation than about
Learning to read is often less about intellectual limitation than about
overcoming fears. “Fear can destroy intelligence,” says educator William Ayers.
Animals are ideal reading companions because they:
• Help increase relaxation and lower blood pressure
• Listen attentively
• Do not judge, laugh or criticize
• Allow children to proceed at their own pace
• Are less intimidating than peers
• Listen attentively
• Do not judge, laugh or criticize
• Allow children to proceed at their own pace
• Are less intimidating than peers
When a R.E.A.D. dog is listening, the environment is transformed, a child’s dread is replaced by eager anticipation, and learning occurs. The handler is a skilled facilitator, too—shifting performance pressure off the child and providing support, while the child gets the supervised reading practice necessary to build vocabulary, increase understanding of the material, and gain fluency as a reader.
