Our 2024 Fall Program is one day a week for 6 weeks and includes private one hour specialized equine based literacy coaching sessions. Sessions are tailored to your child’s individual reading, writing and speaking needs. Each six week program fee is $500.00 which covers instructor and horse costs, materials, facilities, insurance, snacks, bottled water and you child’s culmination award. Limited scholarships are available for qualified families, contact info@islandhaven.org for information.

Topics covered include:
Decoding
Spelling
Vocabulary
Comprehension
Imaginative story-creation
Phonemic awareness
Listening and speaking
Sentence building
Concept development

Sessions are hands-on with safe and child-friendly horses serving as “the book”, “the guide” and “the teacher” guiding your child through independence, confidence building activities in a quiet, barn, stable, and farm environment. This Experiential Learning goes beyond the basic paper and pencil / online tutoring experience. No horse experience is necessary; just a positive attitude and willingness to soak in the love of learning that our equine “instructors” provide.

Sessions are facilitated by Julie Duke, Certified in Horse Powered Reading, Executive Director/Founder of Island Haven Animal Sanctuary, Specialist in Equine Behavior and Communication, Natural Horsemanship, Licensed Large Animal Massage Therapist and/or Braunti Cobb, PATH Intl. Certified Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning, Certified in Horse Powered Reading, Barn Manager at Island Haven Animal Sanctuary. They will be assisted by trained volunteers, and students and horses are supervised at all times. Parents are encouraged to watch the lesson, but are not permitted to enter the round pen/arena during the lesson and are encouraged not to interrupt or offer suggestions to the students, this is imperative to their learning process.

Parent or Guardian Name

First Name

Last Name

Student Name

First Name

Last Name

Email

Phone

(###)

###

####

Address

Address 1

Address 2

City

State/Province

Zip/Postal Code

Country

Emergency Contact Name

First Name

Last Name

Emergency Contact Phone

(###)

###

####

CHOOSE ONE OF THE OPTIONS BELOW

Tuesdays, September 24th - October 29th

Choose your preferred time

Or

Fridays, September 27th - November 1st

Choose your preferred time

Please answer the following questions about your child so we can custom design their experience:

Your child’s age and grade level (2024-2025 School Year)

Does your child have an IEP involving Reading / Language Arts?

If Yes, please email recent IEP to info@islandhaven.org

Yes

No

What specific literacy goal(s) is/are your child working on at school?

What is your child’s greatest strength and interest when reading / writing?

What is your child’s greatest challenge and fear when reading / writing?

Does your child have any vision, hearing, learning, speaking, behavior, social- emotional, physical, or motor skills challenges that require accommodations?

Does your child have any food, dust, animal hair / dander allergies we need to be aware of?

Is there anything else you want to share with us about your child to make this a wonderful, personalized experience for your child and family?

Registration and Payment Details: Once you have submitted your Registration Form we will email you our Equine Liability Waiver and Hold Harmless Agreement. The waiver and payment need to be submitted prior to the Program deadline. These Programs are offered on a First Come, First Served basis. Classes are limited to a maximum of one student per session, and are subject to cancellation for inclement weather. You must submit payment below when registering to ensure your child’s placement.

Submit Payment

Once we receive your Registration, Liability Form and payment, we will send you details for your scheduled sessions. No refunds for No Shows. Cancellations must be made at least 48 hours prior to your scheduled session in order to schedule a make up. Make ups are subject to availability. If we have no available session for your child to join, and you have cancelled at least 48 hours prior, you will be refunded.
Contact your accountant to see what part of the donation is tax-deductible.

Clothes To Wear:

1. Closed toed shoes appropriate for dirt in the weather (hiking / horse riding boots / shoes preferred) (no sandals / no tennis shoes with laces / loose floppy shoes)

2. Comfortable / weather-appropriate older clothes (The horses will be furry, dusty, and it may be a little muddy. – No loose / dangling jewelry or loose clothes that can get caught in fencing / on materials)

3. Accessories (summer hat / gloves permitted as pre-approved by the Facilitator for the lesson – no loose scarves / dangling sunglasses)

4. Long hair must be pulled / tied back for safety.

5. You may choose to bring your own bicycle / horse riding helmet. (We do not ride the horses.)

6. Jackets (must be zippered up while worn on cool mornings – loose clothes can get caught on horses / equipment – _you may prefer to have your child wear layers with a sweatshirt)

7. Face Masks – optional for outdoors (We do practice social distancing, and encourage CDC safety compliance with hand sanitizer / masks provided on site as needed)