Pets in the Classroom is an educational grants program that promotes responsible pet ownership in young people.
The program has most recently gotten 10 aquariums for Green Chimneys, a non-profit that helps kids with emotional, behavioral, social and learning problems.
All with the help of animals!
Sponsored by the Pet Care Trust, Pets in the Classroom wants to get to kids as early as possible (pre-K) and make sure that children are able to develop good relationships with animals and learn responsible pet care.
Because kids can often relate to animals much easier than they can to people, especially if they have social disorders, the animals can play an integral role in helping these children.
Ryan Johnson, a therapeutic specialist at Green Chimneys, talked about their new aquariums, saying:
“My mission was to create a calming and therapeutic environment for the children of Green Chimneys. In my experience with our young people, an unspoken intervention often has more of an impact on a distressed student. Fish tanks create a calming environment without use of words.”
To learn more about the Pets in the Classroom grant program you can check it out HERE.
We definitely think more pets in the classroom is a great idea!
