A good book and a reading buddy 01/29/2012
 _Noel may not seem like your usual library patron or storytime buddy, but she is a regular at the Sun Ray Branch Library. The Paw Pals program in the St Paul Public Library has been going strong for 4 years. Published in the East Side Review News January 29, 2012.  Jolene Jackelen and her Golden Retriever Noel visit with Rachel, a second-grader who used to be deathly afraid of dogs. The Paw Pals at Sun Ray Library gives children the opportunity to read to a dog in a relaxed environment. R.E.A.D. in Rush City 11/30/2011
 The hope is man’s best friend can make a difference in young Rush City students who lack confidence, have short attention spans and are struggling with reading scores for their age and grade. Through a program called Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) Minnesota, dogs and their owners can become therapy teams and help out on a monthly basis beginning this school year. Parent contacted the program after hearing many positive reviews about it from other schools and libraries. Click here to read the full article. R.E.A.D. A New Generation of Therapy Dogs 09/08/2011
 The latest issue of the magazine Just Frenchies has a great article about R.E.A.D. See the attached file for the full story. For more information about the magazine go to www.JustFrenchies.com. 
Study shows reading to dogs helps kids 08/25/2011
According to a pilot study published by the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, a group of second-graders who read aloud to a dog experienced a slight gain in their reading ability and attitude toward reading, while another group of second-graders who were paired up with veterinary school volunteers (all adults) experienced a decrease on both measures. Other findings: * No second-grade readers who were paired up with canine-counterparts left the group, while one third of those readers paired up with humans, failed to complete the study. * Reading to a dog is a great way to build confidence and reading skills in a child. The study found the lowest level of stress for a child was when he was reading to a dog, while the highest level was when reading to one of his peers. Click here to read the full article on how reading to dogs helps kids R.E.A.D.ing with Tufts' Paws for People 08/23/2011
 Dogs not only provide people with companionship and love, but can assist us in daily tasks. Now “man's best friend” is taking on an even bigger role. Through a Tufts University Veterinary School pilot program they are actually helping kids who struggle to read. Click here to watch the video of R.E.A.D.ing with Tufts' Paws for People. More Than Man's Best Friend 08/15/2011
 On a weekday evening inside a Baraboo library, a little bit of magic is happening. Seated on a snuggly fleece blanket between a fortress of books, a child is learning to read—by reading aloud to a dog. To read the full article open the attached file.
Reading to dogs boosts kids’ confidence 08/11/2011
 The Rum River Library hosted Read to a Dog Day. Children had the opportunity to share their favorite books with a therapy dog for 15 minutes. The goal of the event was to increase children’s reading confidence, according to Library Assistant Ava Larsen. Click here to read the full article. Doggy Do-Gooders 08/01/2011
 Nancy Brooks is crazy about two things: dogs and books. She never imagined she'd be able to combine the two until she heard about Reading Education Assistance Dogs, a program where volunteers and their pets visit schools and libraries, mentoring kids who need help with reading and communications skills. The R.E.A.D. method is simple: Instead of reading aloud to a teacher or classroom, which can be intimidating, the child reads to the dog. This makes kids less self-conscious and creates a fun and rewarding opportunity for everyone. "I thought it was the coolest idea ever," Nancy says. So in 2005, Nancy and her Shetland sheepdog, Sassy, started a R.E.A.D. group in their hometown of Minneapolis. To read the rest of the article published in Reader's Digest Fresh Home magazine, open the file below.
 This Lawrence University blogger summarized the benefits of R.E.A.D. and applied them to a setting involving a child with Down Syndrome. "To sum up, past research suggests that children with Down Syndrome often experience the same challenges typically developing children face while reading aloud. The R.E.A.D. program provides a nonjudgmental audience in a trained therapy dog and an exciting incentive to practice reading. Simply petting a dog has calming effects that can reduce anxiety children may experience while reading aloud. Utilizing the R.E.A.D. program for children with Down Syndrome can potentially increase reading grade level, practice time, cognitive skills and positive emotional response to reading sessions." Click here to read The Benefits of Reading Education Assistance Dogs for Children with Down Syndrome  "Preliminary results show children who read to dogs are progressing three times faster in words per minute read then their counterparts in control groups without dogs." Click here to read more about how Dogs Unleash Elementary Students' Reading Skills. Note: R.E.A.D. program results are beyond anecdotal; see the R.E.A.D. Headquarters' website for a few of the document results. | News & UpdatesThis page highlights media, resources, and events featuring R.E.A.D. CategoriesAll ArchivesJanuary 2012 | ||||||
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