The R.E.A.D. Program Comes to Winnwood

Winnwood Elementary will welcome two new members to its staff next year: a collie named Jonah and his handler, Amy Skeels. Both are volunteers with the organization, Pets for Life. Jonah is a trained Reading Education Assistance Dog (R.E.A.D.) dog. He will listen to children read in the school’s reading room next year. Prior to that, the school will begin talking to students about Jonah the last week of April. He and Amy will then visit Winnwood a number of times to walk the halls, giving students the opportunity to learn the appropriate way to approach and interact with Jonah.

The R.E.A.D. program is a national program partnering a registered pet therapy team with a child. Dogs are used because they have the ability to reduce anxieties and fears about reading. They are great listeners, do not judge, can cross all racial, ethnic, and language boundaries, permit children to work at their own pace, and promote a sense of relaxation.