Pets can teach us so much, especially at a young age. When children care for pets, they learn about responsibility, empathy, nurturing, and acceptance. As a result, pet care is a character-building activity for kids. Yet some children don’t have opportunities to interact with, love, care for, and enjoy pets.

With this in mind, the Pet Care Trust started the Pets in the Classroom grant program. The ultimate goal of the Pet Care Trust is to introduce 5 million children in 100,000 classrooms to the joys of pet care. The Pets in the Classroom grant program is one BIG step toward that goal. To date, the Pets in the Classroom grant program has issued 76,475 grants, allowing just as many classrooms to experience classroom pets. Those classrooms have set the stage for 3 million children to learn about pets.

All pre-kindergarten through 8^th grade teachers in private and public schools across the country are eligible to apply for a Pets in the Classroom grant, which will provide them with financial support in the purchase and maintenance of a classroom pet. Through a simple, online application, teachers can apply to receive the grant of their choice (there are eight grant options) in order to enhance their students’ learning environment with a classroom pet. The Pets in the Classroom grant program will begin accepting applications on August 1^st.

We at Pets Add Life believe in the benefits of having classroom animals, which is why we support the Pets in the Classroom grant program—and would like to ask you to do the same! Please tell the teachers in your life about the grant program and how such a little creature can make such a big impact in the lives of their students!

If you believe in the work that the Pet Care Trust is doing through the Pets in the Classroom grant program as much as we do, consider donating to the program so that the Pet Care Trust can continue to provide financial support to teachers as they enrich their classrooms with exciting and educational animals!