Brooke Hughes, first-grade teacher at Hanby Elementary School in Wilmington, Delaware, has found a perfect way to help her students improve their reading skills. She started bringing foster puppies to the classroom to hang out with the first-graders while they learned, and the method turned out to be a complete success.
Hughes came up with a Foster Tales Puppy Therapy program while fostering puppies several years back, believing the company of dogs could prove beneficial for her students. After a successful trial, the program was officially introduced to Hanby Elementary School in early 2023, and it has been ongoing since.
“It was amazing. It brought so much joy to the school,” Hughes told Good Morning America. “The puppies just lifted everyone’s spirits, and ever since then, we haven’t had many days without puppies in our school.”
The puppies that take a role in Foster Tales Puppy Therapy come from Rags 2 Riches Animal Rescue in Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania. Oftentimes, the dogs manage to win over the children and their parents and get adopted.
Besides students being happier in the classroom, there are other benefits that the presence of the puppies brings. According to Hughes, reading scores have improved by 32% since the Foster Tales Puppy Therapy program started compared to previous years.
“The puppies don’t care if you get stuck on a word. The puppies don’t care if you try to read one word for five minutes. They’re just happy to sit in your lap. So, so much confidence has come from this program as well,” Hughes added.
