School Outreach Programs
Youth Programs Mission
Our Youth Programs create impactful connections and nurture a healthy relationship between kids and animals. We envision a community where all children have the opportunity to engage meaningfully with animals and learn how to respect, advocate and show kindness for all living beings and the environment.
School Outreach
To ensure we reach communities and youth where our programs and services will be most impactful, our school outreach program is available to:
City of San Diego
Title 1 schools in the following zip codes: 92102, 92105, 92113, 92114 and 92154
Grades 2-12
Coastal North County
Grades K-12
If your class meets the above criteria, please email [email protected] to learn more and schedule a visit.
If your school is outside of these areas, please see below for other opportunities. You can also visit our Humane Education Resources page for educational videos, books, resources and other ways you can inspire compassion in your classroom!
Virtual Programs
Schools all over San Diego county are welcome to join us for virtual programming.
Join our Dr. Seuss Foundation Humane Educator each month to explore our shelter and learn about the animals in our care and the many different people who help them!
This virtual visit gives students a behind-the scenes look at our San Diego Campus and what it takes to care for thousands of animals each year! Students will learn age-appropriate lessons about responsible pet care, adoption and the programs and services we offer for pets and their people - all from the comfort of your classroom! These tours have been a great success and are an impactful way to reach students of all grade levels across San Diego County..
Please submit the Virtual Field Trip Request Form to schedule your 45-minute tour.
Kind Classroom
Classrooms that host a fundraiser for San Diego Humane Society will receive a certificate and an in-person visit with an animal ambassador. To get started with your fundraising project, please submit the Kind Classroom Interest Form.
Classroom Foster
Teachers can foster a small pet in the classroom! This program provides a small pet with a break from the shelter while they await adoption and allows teachers an opportunity to incorporate real world lessons about responsibility, kindness and respect into their classrooms. To get started, please complete the application and eLearnings here.
Additional Humane Education Resources and Programming
Kind News is an 8-page magazine that aligns with national teaching standards and encourages empathy and critical-thinking and teaches respect and kindness for animals and each other. Kind News is offered in two versions, K-2 and 3-6. A classroom subscription is delivered 5 times throughout the school year and includes 28 student copies plus a teacher's guide. This is a great way to easily incorporate humane education into your curriculum!
Lions, Tigers, and Bears, Southern California's only fully accredited rescue, sanctuary and educational facility for big cats, bears and other exotic animals, offers educational field trips to their beautiful property in Alpine, CA.
Free Flight Exotic Bird Sanctuary, located in Del Mar, is a sanctuary committed to the promotion and understanding of exotic birds and their complex mental, physical and emotional needs. They offer educational field trips, school visits and virtual presentations.
Farm Animal Refuge is a local farm animal rescue located in Campo, CA. They offer pre-recorded virtual tours of their sanctuary for K-4 and high school/college students.
Farm Sanctuary provides free age-appropriate live monthly webinars, pre-recorded presentations, virtual tours and free downloadable curricula that meet national teaching standards. Topics include kindness to animals, respecting the environment and understanding our food system.
Pasados Safe Haven, has free offerings for schools that include virtual tours of their animal sanctuary, Pasado's Pen Pals program with resident animals and a variety of K-12 downloadable lessons to promote compassion in students.
The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee is the nation’s largest natural-habitat refuge developed specifically for the care of African and Asian elephants. Their Elephant Educators provide free virtual tours and lessons specifically designed for grades PreK-12.
Please visit our Humane at Home page for videos, handouts, activity ideas and reading recommendations to inspire compassion in kids at school or home! The following organizations also offer free, downloadable lessons and activities:
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about our outreach programming or fostering in the classroom, please contact Staci Hurley at [email protected].
