Two of my greatest passions are reading and animals, so when I heard about the R.E.A.D. program, I was absolutely ignited. R.E.A.D. stands for Reading Education Assistance Dogs. With this program, kids have the opportunity to further their reading confidence and skills by reading to trained therapy dogs. The idea was originally created for children who were behind their peers in literacy levels. Since these kids are more likely to get intimidated and anxious when reading aloud to their peers or adults, reading to a dog provides them with a more relaxed atmosphere. The dog calms the child down and allows the youngster to have fun with it, instead of feeling humiliated when he or she stumbles over a word or mispronounces it. This comforting environment gives the child a boost in confidence as well as a boost in reading level. Don’t have a program in place at your local library? Create your own! Before going to bed, have your child sit down and read “Duckey and the Ocean Protectors” out loud to the family pet. It’s fun for the child and educational, too!

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