The mission of the R.E.A.D.® program is to improve the literacy skills of children through the assistance of registered therapy teams as literacy mentors.
The Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) program improves children’s reading and communication skills by employing a powerful method: reading to a dog. But not just any dog. R.E.A.D. dogs are registered therapy animals who volunteer with their owner/handlers as a team, going to schools, libraries and many other settings as reading companions for children.
Today, hundreds of registered R.E.A.D. teams work throughout the United States and Canada. R.E.A.D. is one of those ideas that, in the words of Bill Moyers, “pierces the mundane to arrive at the marvelous.”
Intermountain Therapy Animals, a nonprofit organization, launched R.E.A.D. in 1999 as the first comprehensive literacy program built around the appealing idea of reading to dogs, and the program has been spreading rapidly and happily ever since!
Other R.E.A.D.® News and Information
The R.E.A.D. Brochure
Download the R.E.A.D. brochure here (Adobe Acrobat, 117 KB)
R.E.A.D.® Training Package a Success!
ITA's training video for R.E.A.D. with Fields Moseley as our host/narrator, is a success and we are ready to send copies to all those around the country who are so eager to start reading programs of their own.
The video is 25 minutes long and features Kathy McNulty & Kiyoshi, Dana Tumpowsky from the Salt lake City Library, and Lance Girton from Bennion School discussing and demonstrating what it takes to be a great R.E.A.D. team. Many other ITA teams were also shown during their R.E.A.D. sessions.
We are proud to add that the video was awarded the 2003 Crystal Award of Distinction from the Communicator Awards, an international competition honoring excellence in video communications. Congratulations not only to ITA but also to Fields Moseley, who narrated our video, and Kim and Steve Holmes of Mainframe Films, who did such a beautiful job putting it all together for us.
The R.E.A.D. video and training package is flying off the shelves to teachers, librarians and therapy teams all over the United States and in places as far afield as Israel, Japan, Canada and Singapore. ITA will be utilizing it during our R.E.A.D. orientations as well. Official R.E.A.D. registered teams and countless programs modeled after R.E.A.D. are popping up all over. Visit this link to get your copy of the R.E.A.D. Training Package.
Created: April 20, 2003 by Intermountain Therapy Animals
Other R.E.A.D.® press and articles
- Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D. ) Frequently Asked Questions
- Libraries and Schools that ITA R.E.A.D. Teams Visit
- "Tails for Tea"
- R.E.A.D. Program - 'Tails From The Field'
- READING IS FUN-DOG-MENTAL
- R.E.A.D. Presentations
- R.E.A.D. Featured on Westminster Dog Show Broadcast
- R.E.A.D. Associate Programs and Regional Workshops
- ITA Wins Major Award
- Purchase a Lucinda pin and support the R.E.A.D. program!
Press and Articles
A page of references to recent press and articles about Reading Education Assistance Dogs.
Links
Links to other Reading Education Assistance Dogs and literacy resources on the Internet.
R.E.A.D. Photos
Photos of Reading Education Assistance Dogs at work.
R.E.A.D.® Program Contacts:
For more information about R.E.A.D., please contact Intermountain Therapy Animals at 801-272-3439.