Volunteer program uses dogs to help students with reading anxiety

Everyone at this Perth primary school knows Bijou. Austin and Henry are the envy of their schoolmates. They get to miss class to hang out and read with their fluffy friend. They're signed up to the National Story Dogs program. Children who become nervous reading in front of teachers and parents read to dogs instead. The children sit and and read to her, and she helps them to feel calm and confident. And yeah, they just enjoy patting her while they're reading. Bijou's handler Debbie Martin said the program makes a real difference, lowering children's reading anxiety. Going from reading, you know, just one or two words to reading like a, you know, a whole sentence. And then of course, whole sentences turn into paragraphs and then the paragraph turns into reading the whole book. And teachers notice it too. Some kids just aren't confident in reading. And you see them grow that confidence throughout the year with the story dog, which is incredible. A recent Grattan Institute report showed 1/3 of Australian students can't read properly. And educators are thinking outside the box in an effort to turn that around. Miss Sharp said anxious children benefit the most. I send a lot of my anxious children so they can be a little apprehensive at first. Watching their confidence grow and how excited they are grow is such an awesome thing. This four legged volunteer helping the next generation of young minds.