Five school districts welcome highly trained facility dogs, receive copies of children’s book about mental resilience
(GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — October 8, 2026) As a new school year is underway, four in five parents say childrens' mental health is getting worse. Priority Health is continuing its mission of supporting student mental health with the placement of five highly trained working facility dogs at schools throughout Michigan.
The Priority Pups® Class of '26 includes:
- Archie supporting students at Newaygo Elementary School in Newaygo
- Beasley serving students at Grant Elementary School in Grant
- Jasper supporting students at Vanderbilt Charter Academy in Holland
- Lily serving students at Polk Elementary in Dearborn Heights
- Opal supporting students at Crossroads Charter Academy in Big Rapids
The facility dogs are part of Priority Health’s Priority Pups® signature program, which is a partnership with non-profit Canines for Change to help reduce anxiety and encourage learning for students. The program began in 2023 with a dog placed at Muskegon Public Schools. Since launching, there have been 28,000 meaningful interactions with students across 15 schools statewide.
“We’re seeing these facility dogs transform a child’s school experience by fostering a sense of comfort, security and belonging,” said Dr. Charletta Dennis, medical director of behavioral health for Priority Health. “By placing Priority Pups®, we are opening new doors for students to manage anxiety and embrace learning in a nurturing environment. Every student deserves the opportunity to thrive, and these hard working, highly trained canines are helping us pave the way.”
The impact can be seen in everyday moments at school. At Grant Early Elementary, Beasley has helped students experiencing anxiety or emotional distress enter the building, return to their classrooms and re-engage with learning.
“Beasley has already made a remarkable difference at our school,” said Carol Dawson, principal of Grant Early Elementary. “For our youngest learners, sometimes success starts simply with feeling safe enough to walk through the door, and Beasley has an incredible ability to provide that sense of safety and belonging.”
All five dogs were trained and certified with their human handlers by Canines for Change. As a team, each dog and their handler work together to support students in successfully developing social-emotional tools and incorporate each dog into the school’s positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS).
At Crossroads Charter Academy (CCA), Opal has quickly become a source of connection for students and staff. “Opal has filled a hole within our school family that we didn’t realize was there,” said Tiffany Balsitis, student services coordinator at CCA.
“Opal has a great sense of when she is needed. She’s alert to children when they are upset, and I often have staff members come in and cuddle with her when their days are a bit much.”
Along with welcoming a facility dog, participating schools received copies of Frida’s Fireworks, a children’s book created by Priority Health to help school-aged children build mental resilience and learn practical ways to navigate overwhelming emotions. A free, digital version is available in English and Espanol.
Dr. Nikki Brown, executive director of Canines for Change, said: “The animal-human bond has been proven to benefit a person’s mental and physical health in many ways. We’re excited to partner with Priority Health to place Archie, Beasley, Jasper, Lily and Opal to work with students with a variety of academic, social and emotional needs.”
Priority Pups® is a signature program of Priority Health for Good, Priority Health’s corporate responsibility initiative. For more information, visit priorityhealth.com/prioritypups.