Our unique school programs, linked to California State Standards, help students learn about animal welfare, human rights, environmental protection and social justice, and SEL, while providing memorable interactions with our shelter animals.
Bark Program
A six-week, intensive after-school program focused at giving both youth and canines a voice.
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The Bark Program is a six-week, intensive after-school program run by East Bay SPCA in collaboration with Oakland Unity High School in East Oakland. Its aim is to give youth and canines a voice. The program teaches persistence, empathy and respect for all living beings through a combination of dog training and humane education. During the program, students learn about social justice, community issues, public speaking, conflict resolution, animal welfare, and positive reinforcement dog training.
Read an ABC7 News – KGO story about our program >
With the guidance of the program staff, students work in a group to train East Bay SPCA shelter dogs. The students work together to teach their dogs basic commands such as sit, watch, down, touch, and even fun agility tricks like jumping through hula hoops. The dog’s new manners and familiarity with commands help them become better candidates for adoption with most dogs in the program quickly adopted after graduation.
PAWS Experience
Take a tour of East Bay SPCA at our Oakland or Dublin adoption centers to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what we do. Perfect for groups of any age!
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East Bay SPCA offers educational visits to our Oakland and Dublin Adoption Centers, to give visitors a behind-the-scenes glimpse of our services and teach an appreciation for all living beings.
The Providing Animal Welfare at the Shelter (PAWS) Experience is perfect for any group wanting to visit our facility (age 5 to adult), including school groups, scout groups, community service clubs, and more.
What does the PAWS Experience include?
This is a 90-minute program, including a 60-minute behind-the scenes tour (with one dog meet-and-greet). The tour will be preceded by a 30-minute guided project for your group to give back to the shelter animals (making adoption posters, making toys for our dogs/cats, etc). This program is a great way for your group to learn about the mission of our shelter, as well as give them the opportunity to lend a helping hand.
The program fee is $150. We can accommodate a maximum of 30 participants. If you have a larger group wishing to attend, we may be able to offer two separate programs at the same time to accommodate. SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE!
Cancellation Policy
For cancellations made more than a week prior to the program date, a refund (minus a $25 administrative fee) will be granted. For cancellations made less than a week prior to the program date, no refund will be issued and the entire program fee will be forfeited.
School Scholarships
Schools applying for scholarships will be automatically awarded a scholarship that matches the percentage of students at the school who are eligible for the Free and Reduced Price Meal Program (FRPM). FRPM percentages are determined using the most recently published statistics provided by California Department of Education.
Presentations & Workshops
East Bay SPCA will come to you! Humane Education staff and an animal visitor would love to join you to teach more about companion animals and how we can make a positive difference for pets in our community!
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We will come to you! Humane Education staff and an animal visitor would love to join you to teach more about companion animals and how we can make a positive difference for pets in our community!
Presentations
Our Presentation teaches about what we do at East Bay SPCA, ways youth can get involved with animals in their community, and a visit from a furry friend! Our Presentation content can be tailored for any age, preschool through adult!
The fee per Presentation is $150. Presentations are approximately one hour long and can accommodate a maximum of 60 students. For larger groups, please inquire about multiple Presentations.
Workshops
Our interactive Workshops cover many topics and are directly tied to state standards and curriculum. We offer workshops on animal body language, how we learn and positive reinforcement training, shelter diversion programs, animal careers and more! Each workshop can be customized to fit in with your curriculum or specific topic and includes a visit from an animal.
The fee per Workshop is $200. Workshops are approximately one hour long and can accommodate a maximum of 30 students (or one class).
School Scholarships
Schools applying for scholarships will be automatically awarded a scholarship that matches the percentage of students at the school who are eligible for the Free and Reduced Price Meal Program (FRPM). FRPM percentages are determined using the most recently published statistics provided by California Department of Education.
CARE Program
East Bay SPCA educators visit the classroom to teach about commitment, awareness, respect and empathy through a series of lessons that include animal meet and greets.
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The CARE Program is a series of three workshops that our Humane Educators facilitate in your classroom!
Elementary School Programs
- Commitment (responsible pet care)
- Awareness (human impact and spay/neuter)
- Respect & Empathy- (pet body language/safety and respect for all living things)
Middle School and High School Programs
- Compassion (shelter diversion programs)
- Awareness (how we learn and positive reinforcement)
- Respect & Empathy- (pet body language/safety and consent)
The above workshops are facilitated with fun and engaging lessons and activities, and include a safe, educational animal interaction with each visit.
The cost for the CARE Program is $350 for the series of 3 visits to your classroom (maximum of 30 students per program).
If you are looking for less of a commitment, check out our individual Presentations and Workshops!
School Scholarships
Schools with over 75% of their student body eligible for the Free and Reduced Price Meal Program (FRPM) will be automatically awarded a full scholarship. Schools with less than 75% of their student body eligible for FRPM will be automatically awarded a partial scholarship that matches the FRPM percentage. FRPM percentages are determined using the most recently published statistics provided by California Department of Education.
