The Pets in the Classroom grant program supports teachers in enhancing students’ educational and personal development through interaction with pets in their classroom.
Pets in the Classroom is an educational grant program that provides financial support to teachers to purchase and maintain small animals in the classroom. The program was established by the Pet Care Trust to provide children with an opportunity to interact with pets—an experience that can help to shape their lives for years to come. The Pet Care Trust also established the Dogs in the Classroom program, which provides teachers with the opportunity to bring animal-assisted therapy to their classroom – an experience that also can help shape the lives of children for years to come.
Through these programs, teachers can enhance their students’ educational and personal development through interaction with pets. According to studies and teacher feedback, interacting with a classroom pet can:
See for yourself
Dear Pet Care Trust,
Please accept my sincere thanks for granting us money to have bearded dragons in our classroom. My students and I are extremely grateful and excited to care for these animals. These pets have already brought us such joy each and every day! We really appreciate the financial help in obtaining the pets themselves as well as helping us purchase the habitat and other necessities that go along with bearded dragon care…Continue Reading
Jennifer Rescigno, & her 6th grade math/science classesStudents enjoyed visiting the pets as they checked out their library books. The pets help make our school library a warm, happy place. Some students were given special time observing the pets as a reward for good behavior. In particular, this was very helpful for one of our students with severe ADHD. He could earn hamster time at the end of class by working hard to stay on task and get his work done.
Jill Delaney, Teacher/LibrarianI teach in an inner city school, where there are many kids suffering from academic, social and emotional difficulties. Having a classroom pet for the students to take care of and love has helped many of these children. I think that the biggest benefit of having [Ruby the rabbit] is that she teaches empathy. My students often remind each other to keep the noise level down, because rabbits scare easily and the noise may be upsetting her. They have learned to be gentle and responsible when caring for the pet. When I was gone for a few days on a medical emergency, I did not have to worry at all about the well-being of Ruby. The kids carried on with their responsibilities and the substitute teacher was extremely impressed with their maturity and knowledge!
Meg Basker, Mishawaka, INWe at Pets in the Classroom received this letter that we just had to share with you. What an incredible learning experience for these students!I wanted to thank you for the grant that has allowed me to have a bearded dragon in my classroom. I was very excited to get the grant and to go learn all about a new creature. My students were even more surprised and amazed by this generous gift…Continue Reading
Karry Walgamott, 4th Grade TeacherI cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am for the grant to establish an aquarium in my kindergarten classroom. Young ones love class pets, and this grant will provide fish for them. It will also provide an opportunity for the children to learn pet care first hand. Thank you for your generosity.
Kathy Dillon, Dowd Carter Elementary
