Bergen County Department of Parks

Bergen County Zoo Links

• Education Programs
• Education Program Reservation Form
• Education Programming Fees
• Tips for a Successful Class Trip
• Bergen County Zoo Docents
• Bergen County Nursing Homes
• Zoo Camp
• Birthday Parties
• Story Time
• Volunteering at the Zoo
• Back to Bergen County Parks Listing

Bergen County Zoological Park

Bergen County Nursing Homes

In 1997, the Bergen County Zoo's Education Department began a program called Animal Encounters. Each month, a team of docents (specially trained volunteers) visits their long-term care facility. The team goes room-to-room to visit each resident with one of the zoo's small, handleable animals. This is an on-going program. The facilities involved in this program receive the visits once each month. The purpose of the program is to spread a little sunshine into the lives of the residents by bringing a live animal from the zoo to visit. The program is offered free of charge to nursing homes (and similar long-term care facilities) in Bergen County. There is currently a wait list to join this program. If you are interested, please have your facility's Recreation/Activities Director call the Education Curator at (201) 262-3771 x 18. New docent teams are trained each year. Facilities will be included in the program in the order in which they joined the wait list.