Reading to Rover

One program operating in Chicago called SitStayRead uses this method to specifically help students in low-income areas. The average incoming student has more than 1,000 hours of reading time in the home when they start school. However, a low-income student only has about 25 hours. This is a hug-gap in literacy awareness, and, if not addressed, can negatively impact a student’s success for the rest of their schooling and beyond. In fact, because non-proficient students are four times more likely to drop out of school, lower-income students have an increased amount of anxiety around reading on top of their increased struggle to actually read.

How can something as simple as reading to a dog make an impact on a child’s literacy? Dogs have been scientifically proven to lower people’s blood pressure. When a student has reading-related anxiety, the dog’s presence can help make them calmer and more focused. Plus, they make reading fun. Kids involved in these programs are more excited about reading when dogs are part of the equation. One teacher in Chicago also vouches that she receives better behavior from her students when they know the dogs are coming to class that day. So what are the results of implementing a program that combines canines and reading? One study found a 48 percent increase in reading fluency after one year of working with a dog literacy program compared to similar schools that did not participate.

If you’d like to harness the power of a human-animal bond to improve literacy at your library, here are some suggestions on how to get started. The first step is to do some research to see if there is a library, school or third-party organization in your community already participating in something similar. If there is, you could either partner with them to make things easier on both organizations, or just simply receive some tips and advice on how to start your own program. Next, choose which grade levels you will focus on. Many existing programs focus on kids in grades 1-5 as those are the grade levels when literacy is most important. Kindergarten and younger kids can most likely not read yet, so their presence during the program could serve as a distraction. And children in fifth grade and above won’t find much value because of the way these programs are set up. There have been instances, however, where libraries opened up their program to adults with learning disabilities or for whom English is a new language.

When the dogs arrive at the library for the program, it might be a good idea to make an announcement as some people might be scared of, or allergic to, the dogs. We also suggest hosting the program in a low-key, more secluded area of your library. And it’s always a good idea to vacuum after they leave to prevent upsetting anyone’s allergies. During the duration of your program, feature a display of dog-focused book titles to stay within the program’s theme. It will also save time as participants might have to go look for age-appropriate titles otherwise.

It’s important to select dogs with the right personality to participate in these programs. Dogs shouldn’t get overly excited around new people, should never be violent and should be able to remain calm and focused during the length of the program. To find good volunteers, ask veterinarians in your community if they have any suggestions. They typically have a good idea whether or not a dog would be a good fit for something like this, as well as if it would be something their owner would be interested in allowing them to do or even take part in themselves.

It’s also important to conduct background checks on all human volunteers, check to see if the program will affect your insurance, and look into local ordinances to ensure the dogs are permitted in the libraries. And please make note that some children, particularly those from low-income communities, might only have had negative experiences with dogs at this point. They might be scared as a result or not know how to properly behave around the dog. The beginning of any session of this program should be devoted to educating the participants on the difference between strays and pets and how they should interact with the animal.

Canine Movies to Watch

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