Teaching a child how to read is no easy task, especially if they are shy or reluctant to do so out loud.
However, the Dorothy Alling Memorial library in Williston, outside Burlington, VT, has come up with a genius way to encourage kids like Oli Cassini to become more confident and comfortable readers.
The "Read to a Dog" program partners reading-age children with therapy dogs, giving kids someone non-judgmental to practice reading on.
Although Oli opens the video being very excited about reading, he wasn't always that way. It wasn't until Oli's mom heard about the program and a dog who shared Oli's name that he actually began enjoying books.
Ollie, the fluffy, white dog helped to relax Oli, the 7-year-old, who now he likes to read all sorts of books. His mom thinks the combination of letting him pick what he reads and reading to Ollie the dog have helped transform him.
Library staff can't say enough good things about this program and its results. They've noticed that people of all ages like to read to the dogs, and that doing so really helps their confidence in general.
Even little Oli says, "It's very fun. You might try it this time and like it, you might not. Just try it." I have a feeling that Oli and the rest of the team at the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library are onto something.
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