Bright Spot Therapy Dog Max and his handler Wayne Desroches are now a certified Bright Spot Reading Buddy Team. The pair just completed the 3-step training required of any Bright Spot Therapy Dog team wanting to participate in our Reading Buddy Program in elementary schools and libraries.
It is important to observe a dog in a setting with children to determine if the dog enjoys working with this age group. Not all therapy dogs are comfortable with young people and are better suited to visiting elders in health care settings. Each team is trained individually, allowing us to see that the dog and handler are at ease in the school setting. Through observation of a veteran team in action, the team-in-training is taught the skills and techniques needed to work one-on-one with each child in our Reading Buddy Program.
All teams-in-training are trained at the Westhampton Elementary School (WES) where the program first piloted as an After-School Program offered through the School’s librarian Karen Rousseau. Today, WES conducts the Reading Buddy Program during the school day as part of library period. Reading Buddies work with children in pre-school through sixth grade.
We now have nine, well-trained, certified Bright Spot Reading Buddy Teams working in eight elementary schools throughout western Massachusetts.