Reading aloud helps your young child expand their vocabulary and improve reading comprehension. Learning to read can be scary; a friendly face, particularly one with a wagging tail, can ease reading anxieties and build confidence. Each child will be able to sign up on the day of the program and have a chance to read to one dog. Space is limited. READ to a Dog is an affiliate program of R.E.A.D.® (or) Reading Education Assistance Dogs® which is part of Inter-Mountain Therapy Animals of Salt Lake City, Utah. This program is made possible by funding through the Otto and Yvonne Mansfield Endowment for Pet Therapy at St. Vincent Healthcare Foundation and the Billings Public Library Foundation.
R.E.A.D to a Dog gives children the opportunity to practice their reading skills without fear of judgment. Children will share a book with a trained therapy dog; accompanied by the dog’s handler (the handlers do not correct a child's reading). Parents may sit quietly in the room with their child or take this moment to sit and relax just outside the program area.