NEA Business Notes: First Community Bank partners on therapy dog program
Talk Business & Politics
Business
Agriculture Education Energy Finance Health care Manufacturing Startups / Technology Retail Tourism / Heritage
Arkansas tax revenue more than $150 million above the forecast Fort Smith Board approves firefighter pay raise, tables waterpark expense payment Lockheed Martin expands in Camden with $420 million investment Nonstop XNA flights to Austin return in March
Agriculture
Education Energy Finance Health care Manufacturing Startups / Technology Retail Tourism / Heritage
Lockheed Martin expands in Camden with $420 million investment We still have a farm crisis U.S. Steel breaks ground on $1.9 billion facility in Osceola
Politics
Report makes case for nuclear plants, picks potential sites The next decade will define Arkansas’ economic future Gov. Sanders ready for fiscal session Report: Affordability, flexibility, mental challenges cited as barriers to improving childcare options US Rep. Hill’s housing measure enjoys major bipartisan support
Special Sections
Arkansas Transportation Report Compass Report State of the State The Supply Side Tourism Ticker
NEA Business Notes: First Community Bank partners on therapy dog program
News Briefs
Northeast Arkansas
by Chloe Ford
5 minutes ago | 0 views
Tags:
-
Arkansas State University
-
Black River Technical College
-
First Community Bank
-
NYITCOM at A-State
-
Pie festival
-
St. Bernards Hospice
-
Share:
- Facebook (Opens in new window)
- X (Opens in new window)
- LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
- Threads (Opens in new window)
- Print (Opens in new window)
- Email (Opens in new window)
First Community Bank has announced its partnership with Paws for Purpose and Snowy Pines White Labs to help bring specially trained therapy dogs into Arkansas schools. Through the Arkansas Therapy Dogs in Education program, the partnership is designed to support student well-being, encourage learning and provide schools with an additional resource for students.
The bank is a community partner for the initiative, helping identify schools that could benefit from a therapy dog, connecting program representatives with school administrators and supporting schools throughout the placement process. The goal is to expand the program so more Arkansas students and educators can experience the benefits of a trained therapy dog on campus.
During the 2026-27 school year, the bank has helped place seven therapy dogs in area school districts.
The program places therapy dogs with schools and provides training and resources to help school staff successfully integrate the dogs into their educational environment. Therapy dogs can work alongside counselors, special education teachers, classroom teachers and other school personnel to support a variety of student needs.
Interactions with therapy animals can help reduce stress and anxiety while promoting feelings of connection and well-being. Therapy dogs can also be particularly valuable in school reading programs. Paws for Purpose reports research showing students participating in canine reading programs can experience improvements in reading fluency, along with increased confidence and enthusiasm for reading.
Arkansas State University receives STEM designation for various programs.