Dogs are always there to listen.
Molly and Leo, both 10-year-old Havanese dogs, have been helping children read as a part of non-profit organization JCC Manhattan's Gift of Literacy program at P.S. 163 for seven years according to DNA Info.
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Reading to Dogs! Helps kids at PS 163 with their reading. #uws pic.twitter.com/Iv7mNvCL94— Emily Frost (@efrost1) February 25, 2015
The after-school program assists second graders who have reading-confidence problems, and offers a judgment-free zone where they can practice reading out loud to the dogs.
"They have total freedom. They can really relax," program director Judy Gross told DNA Info.
Reading to dogs helps kids relax while reading, educators say. #uws pic.twitter.com/lH2gReB0vi— Emily Frost (@efrost1) February 25, 2015
"Most of the students chosen for the program are English-language learners whose families speak another language at home, and need additional individual support to acquire the basic skills necessary to succeed in school," the program's website explains.
Gift of Literacy, which runs from October to May, allows the kids to spend an hour with Molly and Leo every Wednesday, and judging by the videos, it's an after-school program that children want to attend.
The reading session is one piece of a larger initiative that provides kids with an after-school meal, one-on-one time with tutors and instruction from Gross. However, reading with the dogs is the highlight.
The books the kids read are dog-themed. @JCCManhattan literacy program. #uws @ps_163 pic.twitter.com/jKG712AiKR— Emily Frost (@efrost1) February 25, 2015
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