Mark Van Wye, who has collaborated on the creation of many of the afterschool educational programs for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and served as an educational consultant for children’s museums and educational television programming. Our Ruff Reading program was developed by Zoom Room C.E.O. Now with the advent of our Ruff Reading Therapy Dog Program, once clients complete therapy dog training, they can come right back to the Zoom Room to share their dog with young, struggling readers.Įvery Zoom Room features a children’s area complete with comfy seating, books and toys – in fact, the entire wall in our children’s area serves as a gigantic chalkboard, and plenty of big fat sticks of colorful sidewalk chalk are always at hand. Traditionally this has meant looking for placements in the local community among retirement homes, hospitals, and so on. Our clients adore the idea of training their dog to bring love and comfort to those who need it most. The Zoom Room has offered therapy dog training since its inception, helping clients receive Pet Partners certification. The format could not be any simpler: the children pick out a favorite storybook, get comfortable, and then read to dogs. All of the anxieties and frustrations that children encounter when asked to read aloud simply melt away when their audience is a good-natured, overgrown teddy bear of a dog.Ī few cities across the country have experimented with children reading to dogs in special weekend programs, and have met with wonderful results. Reading to dogs, it turns out, is easier for many young learners than reading to grown-ups. But with the introduction of our new Ruff Reading Therapy Dog Program, the Zoom Room is ready to leap to the next level: teaching your dog to help children learn to read. Teaching a dog to jump through hoops and ride a skateboard is incredibly fun and satisfying. Reading to Dogs Ruff Reading ® Therapy Dog Program

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