Educational and Related Programs
NOAH ELLIOTT STOWERS CENTER
FOR ANIMAL ASSISTED EDUCATION
A LESSON IN CARING
One of our primary missions is to educate both children and adults about disabilities and the role that service dogs play in society, in addition to the important health benefits, both physical and emotional, that they provide for our recipients. As part of the Noah Elliott Stowers Center, Canine Assistants' animals and representatives conduct educational presentations and recreational therapies for various schools, hospitals, assisted living facilities, and community organizations throughout Georgia and the rest of the country. Education presentations are tailored to each audience and range from a disability awareness program for students to a service dog demonstration for community organizations. Animal assisted therapies also serve to educate children and adults at special needs schools, assisted living facilities, and physical rehabilitation centers and include precious interactive sessions where the participants can experience the unconditional love that our dogs provide. With a growing trend towards mainstreaming in schools and the workplace for those with disabilities, it is absolutely essential for the public to have the knowledge to understand and accept individual differences. Our Animal Assisted Programs address these issues and the animals from Canine Assistants prove to be the most powerful of all educational tools a good example.
PRESENTATIONS, TOURS, THERAPY VISITS, AND INFORMATION TABLES
Presentations, tours and information tables are provided free of charge and offered by appointment. Presentations can be scheduled most anytime (pending availability of a speaker) at a location of your choice and are generally 30 minutes long; likewise for therapy visits. Tours are usually scheduled during the week (and occasionally on weekends) and last approximately an hour and a half. Information tables, like presentations, can be scheduled most anytime at a location of your choice for varying amounts of time. If you are interested in scheduling a presentation, tour or information table, please fill out the form at your convenience and someone will contact you within 48 hours to follow up and confirm the event if possible.
If you are interested in our education programs, please fill out the following form and you will be contacted via e-mail.
For additional information regarding educational programs, please contact:
Dr. Melissa Loree, Director of Education
770-664-7178, ext. 205
melissaloree@canineassistants.org
K-9 KIDS READING PROGRAM
limited to the atlanta area
Tails
are wagging at the success of K-9 Kids! As part of our motivational
reading program, Canine Assistants service dogs and representatives
visit several schools throughout the metro Atlanta area (and other select cities) each week during
the school year to listen to the children read. Children who are uncomfortable
reading in front of their peers for fear that they might make a mistake
are quite at ease reading in front of a dog. Dogs are both supportive
and nurturing and give children the confidence to overcome challenges
in reading. In addition to overall academic achievement, motivation,
self-esteem, and confidence in reading skyrocket with the help of the
dogs.
The public has also taken a keen interest in K-9 Kids, with segments airing on NBC News with Tom Brokaw and CNN. Canine Assistants is proud to utilize our service dogs as academic ambassadors for children in the Atlanta area and beyond, and we look forward to expanding K-9 Kids to other schools in the near future.
For more information about our K-9 Kids Reading Program, please contact:
Dr. Melissa Loree, Director of Education
770-664-7178, ext. 205
melissaloree@canineassistants.org
If
you are interested in bringing K-9 Kids to your school,
CLICK HERE for application.
THERAPEUTIC HORSEMANSHIP
Canine Assistants conducts therapeutic riding programs several times each week at our facility in Alpharetta, Georgia. Most participants use riding as an adjunct form of exercise in addition to their regular physical therapy. Therapeutic riding is a wonderful way for mobility impaired individuals to develop strength, balance, and muscle control. Working and interacting with the horses also serves to enhance emotional well-being. (Currently, there are no available slots for new riders. Yet, please check our website for updates and possible openings.)