Star, our visiting setting dog.
Since having Star visit our setting at the Gore, we have noticed improvements in communication and language, physical development, and personal, social and emotional development in some children. These changes can be subtle, and sometimes transient, but nonetheless there are many examples of how Star’s presence has impacted positively on the children:
Social development – Star’s positive relationships with the children help them to be confident and independent. One child has been identified as being on the autistic spectrum, and while he finds forming relationships with peers and adults difficult, he is keen to interact with Star.
Children at the nursery must learn to take turns to give Star a treat. They take account of one another’s ideas about how to organise their activity – for example, they organised their own rota for holding Stars lead and throwing the ball for her.
Emotional development – Star’s presence is calming, and has helped children to manage and understand feelings. For instance, having Star present has encouraged the children to talk about how they and others show their feelings. They are encouraged to be calm and quiet around Star.
Children are encouraged to be kind and gentle with Star, and to consider her needs as well as their own.
Physical development – Star offers opportunities to consider health and self-care – for example, children can consider how she needs daily exercise and a suitable diet to be happy and healthy.
The children are encouraged to manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs successfully, including washing their hands after playing with Star.
Cognitive development – Star’s presence at our setting also creates an enabling environment for learning – the children often invite Star into different areas in the enhanced provision. When this happens, the children engage and communicate with her creatively – for example, when recently ‘taking her shopping’ in the role-play area. This meant the chance to explore a real-life context – talking about food and money, and exploring the language and routines involved in going to the shops.
Star provides a focus for purposeful talk. Children are often very keen to talk to and about her.
Behavioural development – Thinking about Star has provided children the opportunity to talk about their own and others’ behaviour, and its consequences. The children learn to adjust their behaviour to different situations – for example, they know not to shout when Star is nearby.
The difference when Star visits is noticeable – the children are much calmer and will move alongside other children to pat Star – often leading to more consistent periods of interaction with peers.
Wider benefits
The impact of a visit from Star also lasts beyond the nursery day, with many parents reporting that their children are keen to chat about Star when they get home.
They are also excited when they know Star will visit, and are eager to get to the nursery to see her. Parents themselves are enthusiastic about the initiative, and come to talk to Lizzie and her team about Star – fostering positive communication channels between home and setting.
Star also has an important role in helping the children learn to be safe around dogs. There are over eight million dogs in the UK, and sadly not all interactions with them are positive.
Learning how to approach, interact and understand dogs is, therefore, a vital life skill. The children are taught how to approach a dog, basic canine body language signals and how they must never approach an unknown dog.
Conclusion
There is a growing body of research to suggest that interactions with animals can support a wide range of development.
Bringing an animal into our setting is an exciting, motivating and valuable approach to consider. Risk assessments are always carried out, Star has regular training sessions with a fully qualified trainer, our insurance covers animals in the setting. Our OFSTED inspector was really pleased with our visits from Star as are our local authority advisor who visits us every couple of months and is very supportive of us having Star visit us.
Lizzie is quick to point out that she watches Star carefully to ensure that she is relaxed and comfortable during her visits, and would not take her should she appear anxious or stressed in any way. Luckily for the staff and children, Star still appears delighted to be a member of the team, and is happy to make regular visits to the nursery – spreading a little tail-wagging magic wherever she goes.