Pets in the Classroom Program Awarded $5,000 Grant by Crazy Pet Foundation

BEL AIR, MD, February 03, 2011 (Press-News.org) The Pet Care Trust's Pets in the Classroom program was selected by the Crazy Pet Children's Foundation to receive a grant of $5,000. The Crazy Pet foundation offers grants twice yearly to other non-profit organizations that operate pet-child programs.

Pet Care Trust Executive Director Steven King expressed appreciation for the funding from the Crazy Pet foundation, "We are honored to have our program recognized as a deserving non-profit by the Crazy Pet Children's Foundation. We hope to build on the incredible growth our program experienced in 2010, and reach even more teachers and classrooms in 2011. Support from organizations like the Crazy Pet foundation will allow us to serve even more teachers and students nationwide, providing the educational and psychological benefits of having a classroom pet."

The Crazy Pet Children's Foundation awards grants to educational programs that are consistent with the organization's "Back Bones of Character " criteria. The Back Bones of Character, "Be Caring, Contribute, Have Courage, Be Dependable, Be Fair, and Have Respect" are character values developed by children in the process of caring for pets, and become a part of their values for life.

Crazy Pet Foundation founder Tony de Vos explains that the goal of the organization is to raise awareness of the benefits that interacting with pets has on the development of a child's character and capacity to empathize with and care for others. As part of its mission, the foundation is dedicated to promoting the child-pet bond both in the home and at school. The Pets in the Classroom program clearly supports this mission.

The Pets in the Classroom program, an educational grants program, was established by the Pet Care Trust in 2009 to assist teachers in obtaining or maintaining classroom pets. In 2010, 2,066 grants were awarded to teachers. The ultimate goal of the program is to reach 30,000 classrooms and impact one-million children. The Pets in the Classroom program benefits students by teaching them responsible, long-term pet care at an early age and providing the psychological and developmental benefits associated with the human-animal bond. Studies have shown that caring for pets has a positive effect on children, improving school attendance and teaching children responsibility, as well as encouraging nurturing and building self esteem.

The Pet Care Trust recognizes that teachers often have limited resources to enhance their classrooms and curriculum. Through a simple, online application process at http://www.petsintheclassroom.org teachers can become eligible to receive grants of $50 to support existing classroom pets, or $100-$150 to purchase or adopt a new pet and required equipment. The program has responded to over 2,000 teacher requests in the past year, and will continue to fund grants on a rolling basis.

The Pet Care Trust is a non-profit, charitable public foundation established in 1990. The Trust's mission is to promote humane and responsible care and treatment of companion animals; to focus national attention on the important and vital role which responsible companion pet ownership places within society; to provide funding for pet research, special projects and education programs; to improve animal health and welfare; to support the human animal bond and interactions; to assist the public understanding of the role of the pet industry.