Every time slot was filled for our week-long School Vacation Reading Buddy Program at The Eric Carle Museum in South Amherst, Massachusetts. Many of the spaces were filled by children who had participated in our Bright Spot Summer Reading Buddy Program that ran July and August at The Carle.
Last June 2014, Bright Spot Therapy Dogs entered into a partnership with The Eric Carle Museum. Since both organizations share a common goal of fostering a love of reading, the partnership seemed a perfect fit. We kicked off this joint venture by participating in The Museum’s Family Fun Day, where children and their families got to meet several of our Bright Spot dogs and learn about the different things Therapy Dogs to do help people of all ages.
Every Monday afternoon in July and August, children who had signed up ahead to reserve a time slot, joined one of our Reading Buddy Teams in the Museum’s library where these specially trained dogs listened attentively as readers on all levels read aloud to them.
The Reading Buddy Program at The Carle was so well-received that the plan was hatched to run our special Program during both February and April school vacation weeks. I’ve been told that many of the children who participated in last week’s program have already reserved their spots for April vacation.
The Reading Buddy Program is a win-win for everyone. The children love it. The parents love it. The dogs love it. And, our volunteers love bringing their dogs to The Carle to inspire a love for books. Bright Spot and The Carle couldn’t be happier about this highly successful partnership.