CAP Children's Program Teams visit schools,libraries,residential facilities, colleges, and community support programs where children and young adults have the opportunity to interact with our therapy dogs. Visits help to ease the stress in their lives. The children find much joy and happiness in the acceptance and love that our therapy dogs provide.
Becoming a qualified Children's Program Team is a process that starts with gaining experience as a visiting CAP team in adult care facilities. Continued and spontaneous "life" exposure to children in the home and community will also help to set a foundation.
Visiting as a Children's Program Team presents challenges that are unique. Children smell, act, and move differently from adults. The schools, libraries, and other venue settings, while often noisy, crowded, and active, are all different from each other. Often the only consistent and predictable factor is the happy, quiet, content, and tolerant therapy dogs and their ever vigilant handlers.
CAP's Tales to Tails Children's Program capitalizes on the bond between children and dogs to improve literary skills of children while enhancing self-esteem and reducing self consciousness. This helps the children look forward to reading. The children read at their own ability to a patient CAP dog who listens attentively and is not judgmental. The dog must enjoy close contact and the voices of the children. If you would like a One Time visit from the Children's Program, please click here to complete an application. For more information,contact Susan Hunt, Director of the Children's program.
Children's Program Visit Sites
Brewster Ladies Library
Brooks Library - Harwich
Cape Cod Community College -Barnstable
Cape Cod Community College Protect Forward
Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School-Harwich
Centerville Public Library
Dennis Public Library
Eastham Public Library
Falmouth Public Library
Forestdale School-Sandwich
Hyannis Public Library
Jonathan Bourne Library-Bourne
Lawrence Jr. High-Falmouth
Snow Library-Orleans
Teaticket Elementary School,The Bridge Program,The Learning Center-Falmouth
Truro Public Library
Weldon Memorial Library - West Barnstable
Yarmouth Public Libraries
All CAP Rules of visitation apply at the Children's Program visits. In addition,the dogs must be comfortable, engaged,and remain quiet while sharing a space with a child or a group of children. Dogs must be able to be non-reactive to the noisy and active environments of the Children's Program visits. Handlers must be vigilant that the dog, child and environmental interactions are safe and enjoyable.
Certified CAP teams with at least 6 visits at an Adult visit site can apply to be a part of the Children's Program. Please go to the Members page for more information and to complete a Children's Program application form.