Cole and his fellow third graders are working on confidence when reading to others- with the help of a dog named Ernie.
"Whenever I read to him, I think of him as a normal person," he said.
The students attend the Atlanta Speech School .
They are part of the read program, designed for children who are struggling readers.
Read stands for Reading Education Assistance Dogs.
For five years, Ernie and his owner have helped dyslexic kids conquer their reading disability.
Any child doesn't want to let down his or her parents or some other audience, they can become very nervous.
And so they feel safe with Ernie.
Third graders are going from learning to read.
Learning the mechanics of reading to now reading to learn.
They're reading more complex text and reading stories to be able to understand and share those stories.
The kids say the program is a hit.
The Reading Education Assistance Dogs Program
LINK: www.therapyanimals.org/R.E.A.D.html
LINK: www.therapyanimals.org/Find-Local-READ-Programs-and-Regional-Workshops.html
East Norwalk Library
LINK: www.eastnorwalklibrary.org
