Building a more humane, kinder, and better future
Through a variety of school-based programs and community outreach, our team of humane educators reaches people all over southern Arizona, from school age to adulthood. Our school-based programs bring humane education right into the classroom, providing interactive lessons on a variety of topics, including:
- Humane Society of Southern Arizona’s mission and services
- Basic pet care
- Bite prevention
- Wildlife awareness
- Importance of spaying and neutering
- Animal cruelty prevention
- Animal-related careers
Classroom Education for Your Students
Our school-based education programs are designed for your classroom, for elementary, middle or high school.
School-based education programs are offered during the regular school year on weekdays during school hours. We do not accept requests for May, June or July because of scheduled summer programs.
How to Apply for our school-based Humane Education Program
If interested, complete the online Education Request Form below. All requests for education programs MUST BEGIN with this application. Please DO NOT call to request outreach.
Due to the popularity of these programs, request must be made during the application period between July 15 - August 7.
This application process helps us assess which schools are best suited for our programs. The application process takes about five minutes to complete. You will be contacted August 14 as to the status of your application. Please be aware that we may not be able to accommodate all requests due to staff, time and resource limitations.
Elementary programs include:
Kindergarten - 2nd grade
Caring Kids; Gentle Hands
This course is a series of four visits which include a pet care presentation, a bite safety presentation, humane education themed story time and ambassador animal visit.
3rd - 5th grade
Your Local Humane Society Overview
This course offers a frank discussion on topics such as overpopulation, euthanasia, cruelty and neglect as well as HSSA's mission and services. Your Local Humane Society is a mandatory prerequisite course for all classroom visits.
A New Friend for Life
Designed as the first step in a child's animal care education, this course offers simple information and tools on the basics of animal care, including the need for food, water, medical care and loving companionship for life.
Bite Prevention and Safety Around Animals
Dog bites are considered an epidemic in the United States, with the vast majority of victims being children. This course will teach kids how to recognize animal body language and behavior in order to keep themselves and their non-human friends safe and sound.
How Many Is Too Many?
This course examines pet overpopulation and uses a simple mathematics lesson to teach kids how companion animals can quickly reproduce. Participants will then learn about the importance of spaying and neutering to combat this societal problem.
Living with Urban Wildlife
This course offers advice to young pet owners on how to limit unwanted and potentially dangerous confrontations between their pets and the wildlife of southern Arizona. The material emphasizes humane, non-lethal solutions and encourages young people to understand and appreciate the unique environment we all live in.
Juvenile Animal Cruelty
Developed with the help of the Tucson Police Department and the Pima County Sheriffs Department, this course is designed to help end violent behavior at one of its earliest points: cruelty towards animals. This course includes an interactive presentation geared specifically towards children and young adults.
Animal Ambassador Visit
As part of our hands-on learning, we invite teachers participating in three or more classroom visits to request a live animal visit with one of our ball python ambassadors or a Pet VIP therapy dogs. These animals are very docile and provide safe learning opportunities for children. Please consult with your school's animal policy prior to requesting a live animal visit.
Middle & High School programs include:
6th - 12th grade
Your Local Humane Society Overview
This course offers a frank discussion on topics such as overpopulation, euthanasia, cruelty and neglect as well as HSSA's mission and services. Your Local Humane Society is a mandatory prerequisite course for all classroom visits.
A New Friend for Life
Designed as the first step in a child's animal care education, this course offers simple information and tools on the basics of animal care, including the need for food, water, medical care and loving companionship for life.
Bite Prevention and Safety Around Animals
Dog bites are considered an epidemic in the United States, with the vast majority of victims being children. This course will teach kids how to recognize animal body language and behavior in order to keep themselves and their non-human friends safe and sound.
How Many Is Too Many?
This course examines pet overpopulation and uses a simple mathematics lesson to teach kids how companion animals can quickly reproduce. Participants will then learn about the importance of spaying and neutering to combat this societal problem.
Living with Urban Wildlife
This course offers advice to young pet owners on how to limit unwanted and potentially dangerous confrontations between their pets and the wildlife of southern Arizona. The material emphasizes humane, non-lethal solutions and encourages young people to understand and appreciate the unique environment we all live in.
Juvenile Animal Cruelty
Developed with the help of the Tucson Police Department and the Pima County Sheriffs Department, this course is designed to help end violent behavior at one of its earliest points: cruelty towards animals. This course includes an interactive presentation geared specifically towards children and young adults.
Wild vs. Domestic
This course discusses the world of exotic animals that are kept as pets and the effect that it has on wild animal populations, world ecosystems and local native animal populations.
Caring Careers
Participants will be challenged to think outside the box when it comes to animal-related careers. Kids will be provided with information on what type of education is required for certain animal-related careers, as well as given professional information.
Animal Ambassador Visit
As part of our hands-on learning, we invite teachers participating in three or more classroom visits to request a live animal visit with one of our ball python ambassadors or a Pet VIP therapy dogs. These animals are very docile and provide safe learning opportunities for children. Please consult with your school's animal policy prior to requesting a live animal visit.
Field Trip Opportunities at HSSA
Visit the HSSA for a behind the scenes tour, Ambassador Animal meet and greet and enrichment opportunities.
Field trips are not intended to be petting zoo-type experiences. As part of our larger humane education program, field trips are designed to give kids an understanding of the daily challenges faced by animal welfare professionals, volunteers and the animals in our care. Coordinators are encouraged to discuss animal welfare and prepare their children for the possibility of seeing ill or injured animals, or recommended to take our school-based education class series.
Field trips are designs for 1-2 classes total in grades 3-12.
Field trips run 9:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Cost $10.00 per child, chaperones are free
Bring your own bagged lunch
Each student and chaperone will need to present a completed liability waiver upon arrival.
Field trip Application Opening August 2023!
Community Service Project
Making a Difference Now
As part of our education program for school-age kids, we strongly encourage completion of a community service project to make a difference now for the pets in our care.
There are endless ideas for a project – limited only by the kids’ imaginations! You are invited to create your own benefit to help the Humane Society’s pets whether you sign up for our humane education classes or not.
Need some help getting started? Download our service project booklet to see dozens of do-it-yourself projects or scroll down for more ideas!
Where are the HSSA Classrooms?
If you are visiting HSSA's Education Department, you will want to go to the coral Education building.
