By C.J. Hirschfield
Last weekend was graduation day
for the kids in foster care who had completed Fairyland’s Junior Animal
Caretaker (JAC) program. To celebrate, we threw a little party with hot dogs,
lemonade, a cake and a visit from the Oakland Zoomobile.
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| Graduating Junior Animal Caretakers meet a snake from the Oakland Zoomobile. |
We started our grant-funded JAC
program five years ago, and have discovered its healing effect.
JAC is individualized, with
90-minute therapeutic sessions for children age 8 to 12 who have experienced
trauma. Participants are referred to us by local agencies (primarily court-appointed
special advocates); all have experienced abuse or other extreme stress.
In learning to care for our
animals, these kids learn empathy and responsibility. Most important, they
learn that they too are worthy of loving care.
