Members of Go Team Therapy Dogs and their pups visited the FCPS Central Office Building.
There was no whimpering or whining, only happy tail wags as Frederick County Public Schools and Go Team Therapy, Crisis, and Airport Dogs, Inc. (Go Team Therapy Dogs) declared an official partnership.
Objectives of this new partnership include having well-trained, certified Go Team Therapy Dog teams placed in FCPS programs that provide comfort and caring through a canine-human bond. Volunteers with Go Team Therapy Dogs will provide support for students and families who may benefit from specialized learning opportunities such as Learning for Life programs, Expressions programs, Pyramid programs, Rock Creek School and crisis visits.
FCPS will provide opportunities for organizational representatives to speak in appropriate schools for identified students based on requests by counselors. The partnership is intended to create a common sense of purpose by setting mutually agreed upon objectives relative to FCPS’ Strategic Goals. For example, Aspirational Goal 4 says FCPS will nurture relationships with families and the entire community, sharing responsibility for student success and demonstrating pride in all aspects of our school system.
Other provisions of the partnership indicate visits by the organization will be prioritized with crisis meets first, followed by specialized programs and then various events. Crisis visits can be conducted one class at a time or the volunteers could meet with students one-to-one or in small groups with the dogs. Specialized programs are for small groups of students to visit with the dogs. These visits typically last around 15 minutes.