The saying goes, “never work with children and animals” but, done right, it can actually be a perfect match.
Story Dogs is an Australian national charity dedicated to helping children grow their skills and confidence in reading. The program utilises volunteers, who visit participating schools with their dog and sit one-on-one with selected children while they read.
In just ten years, the program has gone from a small trial in regional NSW to 520 volunteers, now helping 2600 children nationally each year. In the Brisbane area alone, approximately 30 schools are participating in the program and around 100 have signed up across the greater Queensland area.
Story Dogs began in 2009 when Janine Sigley was searching for volunteering opportunities for her daughter.
“I Googled ‘volunteering with animals’, and up popped two sites in the USA; READ (Reading Education Assistance Dogs) and Sit, Stay, Read. I thought the concept was brilliant and saw how it could work for children who were struggling with their reading,” Janine said.
She spoke about the idea with her friend Leah Sheldon, who has a background in teaching and experience working in a correctional centre, so she knew first-hand the consequences of poor literacy in young people. Leah was quickly onboard and together they developed the program (with blessing and assistance from the USA programs) and put forward a trial at their children’s school. It was an immediate success.
“The teachers loved the program so much they asked if they could have more dog teams,” Janine said.
“They could see the children’s attitudes towards reading start to change. We aim to make reading fun, so children seek out books and want to continue to read in the classroom and at home. The program also has the effect of flipping around the whole notion of the ‘dumb’ kid going out of the classroom for remedial reading, as now all students want a turn to read to the dog and thus the students chosen for the program are now the
lucky ones.”
From here, Story Dogs has continued to expand across the country. Each area has a Regional Coordinator who is the key support for the Dog Teams. Volunteers can be anyone with a passion for their community but are often retirees who can set aside a couple of hours a week and enjoy spending time with children. The dogs are carefully assessed by both a vet and an independent dog behaviour and training expert to ensure their temperament is suitable and they will be comfortable in a school environment.
“Our volunteers gain a sense of purpose to see a young child lacking confidence who then becomes a good reader confident in their abilities… and our dogs love going to school and being the centre of attention. It is a win/win for all involved,” Janine said.
Participating children are selected by the classroom teachers to spend 20 minutes each week one-on-one with a dog team. Reading becomes special, fun and without pressure as they enjoy working through the books with their new furry friend. Positive outcomes for the children have been incredible across the board.