Sit. Stay. Read.

R.E.A.D. - or Reading Education Assistance dogs- are helping children with literacy skills by listening to the kids read in libraries and schools.

The philosophy is simple. Children who are just learning to read often feel judged or intimidated by classmates and adults. But reading to a dog isn't so scary. It won't judge, it won't get impatient, it won't laugh or correct if the child makes a mistake. In a nutshell, dogs are simply excellent listeners. And for shy kids or slow readers, that can make all the difference. via cnn

Volunteers say that the program helps students build confidence, resulting not only in improvements in reading level by multiple grade levels in one school year, but areas like class participation and homework.