Roxy™ Reading: Elementary School Reading Inspiration
Roxy Makes Reading Paw-some!
Our Flagship Program Builds Confident Readers
Roxy™ Reading: Elementary School Reading Inspiration uses the calming effects of a therapy dog to help young students who struggle with fluency or are uncomfortable reading aloud in front of their peers. With a nonjudgmental canine friend by their side, students practice reading aloud and gain much-needed confidence in this skill. Our trustworthy therapy dogs provide an invaluable service to these young students on their path to becoming confident, life-long readers.
This widely popular program began in 2005 with one certified therapy dog (the original Roxy!) in one classroom at Gayman Elementary School with Roxy’s Founder, Diane Smith.
Today, we support 136 classes. Of those, approximately 20-25% are specialized support classes that may range from enhanced reading/math support to emotional, learning, and autistic support classes. Our teams cover the elementary, middle, and high school levels, depending on what support is needed and the frequency of visits.
Interested in volunteering? Learn more ➜
Atticus helping his friend to read more fluently.
“Over nine years of working with Roxy, I have noticed many benefits for my students. They look forward to their weekly visit with Atticus and have learned so much about empathy and caring for a pet. Another thing my students have voiced is their increased confidence to read aloud because petting Atticus eases their anxiety and allows them to grow in fluency.”
—Jennifer Regec, Mill Creek Elementary, Fifth-Grade Teacher
Roxy™ Reading: Elementary School Reading Inspiration
Benefits to Children
Children build their self-confidence
Children experience decreased anxiety
Children gain a friendly, non-judgmental ear to listen
Children learn valuable speaking skills
Children enjoy reading more
Locations
All 15 elementary schools in the Central Bucks School District: Barclay, Buckingham, Butler, Bridge Valley, Cold Spring, Doyle, Gayman, Groveland, Jamison, Kutz, Linden, Mill Creek, Pine Run, Titus, and Warwick.
Director
Phyllis Mikolaj, Director of Schools
Did You Know?
Most Roxy teams that visit elementary schools commit to a classroom for the entire school year, reading with students weekly or as arranged with the classroom teacher.
Roxy teams visit 130 CBSD classrooms each week.
Teams are all volunteers and do not get paid by the school district for visits.
About 50 teams volunteer for the Roxy Reading program in any given school year.
Some teams visit two or more classrooms each week.
Roxy Reading Fast Fact: There Was a Real Roxy!
During a visit to a nursing facility, Diane Smith saw how a therapy dog brought her grandmother, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s, out of her shell and into the present in a way Diane had not seen in a long time.
Those moments inspired Diane to adopt Roxy, a Boykin Spaniel, and train as an emotional therapy dog team. In 2005, Roxy’s extreme love of children prompted Diane to visit Gayman Elementary, her son’s school, encouraging children with reading challenges to read aloud to Roxy.
The organization got its name when learning support students surprised Diane and Roxy with a banner proclaiming, “Reading Rocks with Roxy Reading!” And the rest, as they say, is history.
Roxy Reading
Volunteer Story
by Phyllis Mikolaj
“One little boy struck up a bond with Anya. He struggled in his reading and wanted so badly to read ‘Go Dog Go’ together without needing help.
By the middle of the school year, he was able to improve his reading and, before the holiday break, read the book to Anya and the entire class.
It's the bond and unconditional acceptance the dogs have with the kids that I am always in awe of.
Being able to have an impact on the students with our visits is a real feel-good moment each and every week."
Roxy Reading FAQs
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Once you have met with the Welcome Team and have all of your clearances, contact the Director of Schools, Phyllls Mikolaj, and she will work to place you with a class. We will match you with the appropriate class based on class openings and your class preferences, such as type of class, location, etc.
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The team and teacher will work together to finalize the frequency of visits. Depending on the need, visits can be weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly.
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The teacher will be alerted based on our Parent Permission Form. If a student in the class has an allergy to the dog, the teacher will determine, based on guidance from the parent, whether the student remains in the class during the team visit.
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You should always work with your teacher and take their guidance on how to proceed.
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A team can volunteer in any of the programs that are supported by Roxy Therapy Dogs. In addition, there are numerous volunteer opportunities throughout the year.
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The handler will visit a class with an experienced team for their first visit. The second visit will be with the new team and the experienced handler in the experienced handler's class. Then after two successful class visits, the new team will visit their new class with the experienced handler joining for that first visit.
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Yes, if you are invited by the teacher, you can participate and your dog should be within your control at all times.
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As a therapy dog handler, you will need to work with the teacher and student who has a fear. Most times, taking it slow and allowing the student to make progress at their own pace and comfort level is most successful. Often, the dogs do the work and have a unique sense of a child’s comfort.
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When a Roxy Therapy Dog team arrives at a school, they go through the sign-in and clearance process. Then an escort is called to walk the team to their class. Once in the class, the team will usually read with the children in a designated area of the classroom.
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A good practice is to email the teacher before each visit to confirm the visit and ensure there are no changes that week.
