Students at Fulton Early Childhood Center just gained a fuzzy new classmate.
Therapy dog-in-training KC, an 8-week-old West Highland white terrier, was introduced to the school in an assembly last week.
"We want her to grow up here," FECC Director Jen Meyerhoff said. "We want her to see this place as her home, and these kids as her people."
KC will head to obedience training this summer, and therapy dog training after that. For now, she's still working on the basics: going to the bathroom outside and not nibbling on little fingers. Her classmates are practicing the basics of classroom behavior as well, and Meyerhoff hopes they can learn together.
"Basically, (having a puppy around) creates empathy in the kids," Meyerhoff said. "During our assembly, we talked a lot about being gentle and thinking about how KC feels."
According to an article from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, a nonprofit supporting education professionals, therapy dogs can help calm distraught students and improve school morale. Other research indicates they may also increase attendance, Meyerhoff said.
With a little prompting, students in Abby Quick's classroom rattled off the rules of interacting with KC.
First, give her "cute little hugs" and gentle touches only. Second, use inside voices.
"She's adorable and really nice," student Mila Copez said about KC. "She doesn't like loud noises."
Both rules are also useful for interacting with classmates.
Classrooms and individual students may earn visits with KC by demonstrating good behavior. During her first official day on the job, Monday, two students turned in "Puppy Passes."
"What earns a pass depends on what the student's working on," Meyerhoff explained. "One little guy is working on respecting people's personal space, and he got to come in and pet KC."
Another student, who's prone to big emotions and occasional meltdowns, came in to see KC when she was feeling worked up.
"Her teacher brought her in here, and just like that it was over," Meyerhoff said.
A little puppy love was just the thing to help the student calm down.
KC was donated by preschool aide Mary Schneider. She and husband Bob Schneider own Cardinal Hill terriers. Westies have a friendly nature and are low in allergy-triggering dander. The Schneiders' dogs often sell for more than $1,000 and sometimes end up as therapy dogs in hospitals.
After Meyerhoff's son met KC and fell in love, Schneider decided to make KC her Christmas gift to the school.
"I believe a therapy dog is needed here, and at all schools," she said. "There are a number of students and staff here who have dealt with trauma, and a dog can really help."
Quick and Meyerhoff said they've already seen KC's positive effects on the school. Students are working hard to earn KC time.
"They've all really taken to her," Quick said. "When she barks, they think she's talking to them."