Purpose
The objective of the McAuliffe Support Dog program is to safely use a highly trained dog in a broad range of instructional and non-instructional areas to increase student engagement, decrease anxiety, increase student motivation, reinforce existing skills and provide unique experiences.
Some of Zoe's jobs...
- Greeting students as they arrive, increasing positive school climate
- Provide a calming presence while participating in sessions with School Social Worker or during testing
- Being a non-judgemental listener while students read
- Provides motivation for students working on gross and fine motor skills
- Participating in classroom lessons, for example, by demonstrating good listening skills and following directions when given commands
- Providing an incentive for students who meet individual goals in behavior, social skills, school attendance, and academics
- Providing stress relief to both students and staff