At SMART Reading, we hold to one simple truth: Reading matters. It’s an early gateway skill that paves the pathway for future success. Without it, kids are simply less likely to graduate high school, find employment, or successfully avoid hardships like poverty, homelessness, hunger, and other injustices.
SMART Reading comes alongside Oregon’s highest need schools and marginalized communities to support kids and build brighter futures through books and reading. Because the simple magic and joy of a shared book can change a child’s life trajectory.
Here, you will find resources, research and statistics on childhood literacy and how to set children on the pathway to realizing their full potential through reading.
To read the the first installment of Randall’s story, click here. For the second installment, click here. Today, reflecting on his experience in SMART Reading, Randall credits the… Read More ›
To read the first installment in Randall’s story, click here. After his volunteer would retrieve Randall from class, they’d walk together down the long hallway to the SMART… Read More ›
For Springfield second-grader, Randall, the classroom wasn’t a friendly place to be. His classmates teased and bullied him for being gay, and he looked for any opportunity to… Read More ›
At SMART Reading, our mission is to spark joy and opportunity through the magic of a shared book. Each child in our program receives 14 new books of… Read More ›
“I own this,” Annie Teav remembers thinking the first time she got to choose a book to keep from SMART Reading. It was one of the first books… Read More ›
By Bija Gutoff, Writer & Editor Creighton Helms brings a sailor’s perspective, steady-eyed and focused on the horizon, to his post as principal of Gervais Elementary. Though he’s… Read More ›
Posted by: SMART
As many who volunteer know, volunteering feeds the soul of the volunteer as much as those who are on the receiving end. At SMART, we hear time… Read More ›
SMART Reading Tips for the Holidays Winter break is right around the corner, and holidays can get pretty hectic! Routines can fly out the window with celebrations, travel… Read More ›
10 Ways to Spark Engagement with Books and Reading from SMART Reading Reading is the gateway to learning, opening doors to faraway adventures, new possibilities and a promising future…. Read More ›
