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Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.)

An Effective Practice

Description

The R.E.A.D. program uses therapy dogs as reading companions for children. Children read to registered therapy animals in school, the library, or other settings. Often, reading for children involves overcoming fear. The dogs offer a method to help alleviate the fear associated with reading by serving as non-judgmental, attentive listeners.

Goal / Mission

The mission of the R.E.A.D. program is to improve children's literacy skills through the use of literacy mentors.

Results / Accomplishments

Over 300 articles have been published about the R.E.A.D. program. Children participating in the R.E.A.D. program have experienced improved literacy and communication skills. Improved performance in other subjects and even personal hygiene has been observed. There are thousands of R.E.A.D. teams in the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom, as well as teams in other locations.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Intermountain Therapy Animals
Primary Contact
Intermountain Therapy Animals
4050 South 2700 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84124
801-272-3439
http://www.therapyanimals.org/
Topics
Education / Literacy
Education / Student Performance K-12
Organization(s)
Intermountain Therapy Animals
Date of implementation
1999
For more details
http://www.therapyanimals.org/R.E.A.D.html
Target Audience
Children
Submitted By
LS

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An Effective Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success and/or promise in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures of improvement in outcome of interest (i.e. increase in voter registration, not just delivery of voter registration drive) and/ or the outcome measure is increased or improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant.