Kids practice reading to shelter dogs and cats in Johnson County
FRANKLIN, Ind. (WISH) — Elementary school students in Franklin just gained a new set of reading tutors – of the animal variety.
A new partnership launched Friday between the Johnson County Animal Shelter and Webb Elementary School.
The students practiced their reading for shelter animals to give them some attention.
This type of program is becoming somewhat of a national trend as well.
When Jennifer Bartram, literacy specialist at Webb Elementary, saw a news story about a similar program in Missouri, she knew it needed to happen here.
“We’re just trying to build the love of reading,” Bartram said.
So she brought out the big guns: puppies.
“We’ve got a long standing relationship with the Johnson County Animal Shelter,” she said.
She worked with shelter director Michael Delp to launch this “reading to animals” program for her second to fourth graders.
“It gives the kids an opportunity to practice reading in front of an audience that’s not going to judge them and then they’re also learning the importance of volunteering and giving back to the community,” Bartram said.
“Allows the kids to hone their reading skills and also help socialize the animals and get them used to human contact and interaction,” Delp said.
When the kids arrived at the shelter, six-year-old puggle Jasper couldn’t sit still.
But after about ten minutes of the kids reading, he calmed down and listened.
The same went for 14-year-old Maxine, who was scared when the kids first arrived, but a calm audience once she got used to them.
Delp said even after one day, he’s already seeing the benefit.
“I’ve seen some animals that are really normally agitated and anxious settle down, lay down in their kennels, and listen to the kids and watch the kids as they read to them,” he said.
Some of the kids read to the cats as well.
Delp said kids this age have restrictions in ways they can volunteer at an animal shelter.
So he’s already seeing promise in this program as a way to get young kids involved.
“(It) gives them something to do and allows them to interact with the animals here,” he said.
This will be a weekly program for the Webb Elementary students at the Johnson County Animal Shelter.
Bartram hopes to increase the volunteer hours during summer break.