AAC joins TCSD for CREST Program

This January, the AAC Education Team returned to Teton County School District to participate in the CREST Program.   Each year we have the opportunity to spend three, full day sessions with small groups of children ages 5-7.  During these sessions we share our mission and the importance of both animal safety and animal compassion.

Through videos and photographs we teach children how to read a dog’s body language and how to safely approach a new dog. Following our presentation, Cobia, an AAC alumnus and ambassador, joins our outreach team to help the kids practice meeting a new dog with their recently acquired skills. In addition to learning about dog safety we also teach animal compassion. Through a brief story time and discussion, the children learn how much they have in common with dogs based on what makes them both happy and healthy (food, water, family, love, exercise etc.). This discussion creates a sense of empathy towards animals based on shared needs. Through these hands on experiences, children leave with a new understanding of dog safety and a newfound appreciation for an animal’s life experience. We are thrilled to continue working with the Teton County School District to share our mission through the CREST program.