The Pets in the Classroom grant program invites pre-kindergarten through 9th grade teachers with classroom pets to enter the Pets in the Classroom Habitat Contest. Now through November 18, teachers can submit pictures of their classroom pet’s habitat. All accepted entries will be featured on the Pets in the Classroom website from November 21 through December 9, and people are invited to vote for their favorite habitat during that time. The teacher whose entry receives the most votes when the contest ends will be selected as one of the contest winners and one additional teacher will also be selected as a winner based on random selection. Each winner will receive a $100 Visa Gift Card.
The Pets in the Classroom grant program provides grants to Pre-Kindergarten through 9th grade teachers in both private and public schools for the purpose of purchasing and maintaining classroom pets. Classroom animals are wonderful resources for teachers that, when incorporated into lesson plans, can have a profound impact. According to several studies as well as thousands of teachers’ experiences, classroom pets provide a variety of benefits to students as they: aid in improving school attendance, encourage nurturing, build self-esteem, promote empathy, teach responsibility, stimulate learning, enrich the classroom experience, and become friends. One little pet can help shy kids open up, slower readers build confidence, rough children become nurturing, and uninterested students have a new desire for learning.
“Studies and experience prove that having a pet in the classroom can help with students’ educational and personal development,” said Matt Coffindaffer, Executive Director of the Pet Care Trust. “The classroom pet experience is also a wonderful way to teach future generations of pet owners about proper pet care, and our Habitat Contest provides teachers with the opportunity to share the love they and their students have for their pet through the creativity and care that is put into the pet’s habitat.”
For more information on the Pets in the Classroom grant program or the Habitat Contest, visit www.PetsintheClassroom.org.
