Story Dogs Program

M.P.S. STORY DOGS PROGRAM - starting in 2022!

M.P.S. is really, really (EXTREMELY!) excited to announce that we are exploring the possibility of running the Story Dog program at our amazing school, beginning this year...

Story Dog volunteer teams (made up of a volunteer handler and their accredited dog) visit participating schools to help children improve their reading skills by listening, not judging, and having fun with the child. 

Animal assisted programs, such as Story Dogs, have been shown to positively impact on student outcomes. 

Not only does it encourage children to practice reading fluency in an engaging way, Story Dog teams ask questions about texts and involve students in meaningful conversations about their reading. 

The program has been shown to improve children’s focus and reading skills, as well as their general engagement and motivation at school. 

As you can understand, coming to school and being able to see a furry friend is really special and treasured by students who are lucky enough to be a part of this program, and many schools have also seen a boost in school attendance amongst these children. 

Story Dogs is primarily directed towards Year 2 children, who need help for a variety of reasons with their reading skills, as this is a pivotal year in development of literacy skills and confidence. 

To this date, Story Dogs helps 2705 children; they have 541 dog teams and work in 349 schools across Australia each week. 

THIS IS WHERE WE NEED YOUR HELP, PLEASE!

If you have a calm, gentle dog who loves children and being patted, and you would like to join a passionate team of volunteers who help children become enthusiastic about reading, Story Dogs maybe the answer! 

Please note that this program requires a time commitment from you, ideally of a couple of hours a week. During these times, you would come to M.P.S. and assist small groups of students or individual students.

For more information, please get in contact with me (Mrs. Caitlin Brennan, Wellbeing Coordinator at M.P.S.) via caitlin.callanan@education.vic.gov.au.

Also, check out Story Dogs website - https://www.storydogs.org.au/

Please read this fantastic news article all about the program - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-24/story-dog-program-amazing-improvements-child-literacy/10404292

Caitlin Brennan