Educator News
Pets in the Classroom Grant Program
Pets in the Classroom provides grants to teachers to purchase and maintain small animals in the classroom.
Pets in the Classroom is an educational grant program that provides financial support to teachers to purchase and maintain small animals in the classroom.
About the Program
The Pets in the Classroom Grant Program was established by the Pet Care Trust to provide children with an opportunity to interact with pets—an experience that can help to shape their lives for years to come.
Do You Qualify?
- Are you a pre-K through 9th grade public or private school teacher in the US or Canada?
- Is this your first time applying for a Pets in the Classroom grant this school year?
- Are you aware that if you’ve previously received a store or rebate grant, you are now ONLY eligible for the Sustaining Grant?
If you can answer “yes” to these questions, you are eligible to apply!
How to Apply
The Pet Care Trust, in partnership with their industry retailers and pet product suppliers, offers three different types of Pets in the Classroom grants:
- Store Grants (choose one of 6 participating retailers)
- Rebate grants ($75 for small animal; $125 for fish/reptile/amphibian)
- Sustaining ($50 yearly for maintenance of current pet)
Before deciding which grant to choose from, review their ”Is Your Class Ready for a Pet in the Classroom?” article.
Pets in the Classroom will be accepting applications for the 2017-2018 school year from August 1st, 2017 until June 1, 2018.
Learning With a Classroom Pet: Notice and Wonder
How can you turn a snail, worm, or roly-poly into an object of inquiry for a young learner? Simply ask a few questions! Check out this activity for grades preK-1 from the California Academy of Sciences where you can help guide students in making observations of a living thing and asking relevant questions about its characteristics or behavior.
Photo: Tim Dutton