Complete with a parakeet named Grace, guppies, snails, dwarf frogs, ghost shrimp, sword tails, and a bristle nose pleco, Rodney Crouse’s first grade classroom at Vandalia Elementary School is brimming and bustling with activity. Specializing in science curriculum, Mr. Crouse originally heard about the Pets in the Classroom grant program while researching possibilities of financial support to help him bring an aquarium into his classroom environment to study living organisms and ecosystems.
With over 38,000 classroom grants issued to date and 1.9 million students impacted, Mr. Crouse’s class is one example of the opportunity provided to experience the stimulating experience, the joy, and love of uniting kids with a hands-on pet education.
To learn more about the Pets in the Classroom grant program that provides financial support to Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade teachers in both private and public schools for the purpose of purchasing and maintaining classroom pets, please visit www.petsintheclassroom.org.