Key Takeaways
- Michigan expanded its successful school therapy dog program—founded by NEA member Storey—to 52 counties, thanks to the American Rescue Plan.
- The emotional and educational benefits of the therapy dogs were immediately evident.
- Nationwide, 82% of districts planned to use ARP dollars to expand programs that foster social, emotional, mental, and physical health and development.
Karen's Story
In Michigan, American Rescue Plan funds were used to address long-standing student mental health needs that grew during the pandemic.
“There’s no question our students need a strong support system at school, starting with a team of mental health professionals,” says Karen Storey, who leads the Brighton School District’s multi-tiered system of support. “And there’s a special role that therapy dogs can play to keep students’ day-to-day stressors in check.”
When Storey launched the program in 2009, long before the pandemic, students benefited immediately. Students who were too anxious to leave their buses eagerly rushed down the stairs to greet the dog at the curb. The emotional and educational benefits of the therapy dogs were immediately evident. “Even the most reluctant readers will read to the dogs,” Storey says. “There’s no judgment there.”
There’s no question our students need a strong support system at school, starting with a team of mental health professionals.
After the school lost a student to suicide in 2015, Brighton’s canine staff expanded to 15. Then, as student mental health suffered during the pandemic, Michigan districts used ARP funding to expand the Pack of Dogs program to 52 counties. Colorado, Oklahoma, and Virginia used ARP resources to launch therapy dog programs of their own.
Since ARP funds became available, mental health has been one of the top three school spending categories nationally. A 2022 survey by the School Superintendents Association found that 82 percent of districts planned to use ARP dollars to expand programs that foster social, emotional, mental, and physical health and development.
“Some of our locals are writing support for therapy dogs into their contracts to make sure their programs live on,” Storey says. “Everyone wraps their arms around this once they see the benefits.”
