Children in Clarkstown School District Can Get a “Paw” Up On Reading, November 9th at New City Library; Program Offers Reading Assistance and Training Throughout The Year

Paws for Reading is a program of the Hudson Valley Visiting Pet
Program that help children learn to read through the use of therapy dog and
handler teams. On November 9th, New City Library will host a session
from 11:00 am through 12:30 with teams from the program. The children receive a
15 minute one-on-one time slot to read with the dogs which are all certified,
trained, tested and insured therapy animals. The November 9th
session is open to
children who are beginning or struggling readers who reside in the Clarkstown
Central School District. In-person registration begins October 28th at the Library.

The Hudson Valley Visiting Pet Program will also host a Reading
Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D. ®) training workshop on November 9th
from 9am until 2pm for those who want to learn how to work with their dogs in
this special literacy program. Individuals who wish to work with their animal
to help children learn to read are encouraged to attend this program. Librarians,
school teachers and school administrative staff who want to learn more about
the program and how it could enhance the reading curriculum in their library or
school, are also encouraged to attend. This workshop is for humans only;
training for pets is done separately and the program accepts dogs, cats, birds,
rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and even horses. The session will take place at their location in Valley Cottage. More information is available on the program website at www.hudsonvalleyvisitingpets.com

R.E.A.D.  was developed in 1999 by
Intermountain Therapy Animals in Salt Lake City Utah to improve the literacy
skills of children through the assistance of registered therapy teams as
literacy mentors. This unique educational approach was first introduced on CBS’s
“60 Minutes” more than 20 years ago. 

Today there are more than 20 R.E.A.D. team in the Hudson Valley
Visiting Pet Program and several area elementary schools have regular
R.E.A.D. teams who work with children on a weekly basis in Orange, Rockland and
Bergen. The teams do this work on a volunteer basis and are not paid for their services
which translates into a free literacy program for schools who are selected to
participate.

Teachers know that learning to read is often less about
intellectual limitation than about overcoming fears. 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; and are less intimidating than classmates, teachers,
parents, or tutors. Often the child’s dread of reading is replaced by eager
anticipation facilitating learning. While the child is primarily reading to the
dog, the handler provides support if necessary.

"This is an incredibly exciting program. We watch boys and
girls come into the library nervous and apprehensive until they begin to read
to the dogs, then their demeanor changes and they leave with a sense of
accomplishment and a big smile on their faces," states Risa B. Hoag, one
of only 60 licensed R.E.A.D. Instructors in the United States and a member of
the Hudson Valley Visiting Pet Program. She added, "I have stood in the
library with moms who begin to cry stating that their child has never wanted to
read and this was the only program that was able to motivate them."

Members of the Hudson Valley
Visiting Pet Program have been visiting nursing homes, assisted living
residences, day programs, schools, libraries, and hospitals since 1993. The group is also an
affiliate of Reading Education Assistance Dogs which operates in 49 states and
three countries with over 1800 teams.

For more information about Hudson Valley Visiting Pets and the
other work they do and facilities they visit, or to register for the workshop,
visit www.HudsonValleyVisitingPets.com or contact Dolores Schaub at
845-267-8795, or email Dolores@HudsonValleyVisitingPets.com . 

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