Reading Matters - SMART Reading

Reading is the Gateway to Learning and Opportunity for Oregon’s Kids

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.

10 Kid-Approved Favorites for Young Readers

A row of children's chapter books on a shelf

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 ›

Meet SMART Reading Alumna Annie Teav

“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 ›

Meet Principal Creighton Helms

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 ›

Three SMART Generations

Posted by: SMART

Three generations of SMART volunteers, Peggy, Rose, and Catherine, posing together

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

Adult and child hands pointing at a picture in a board book.

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

An over-the-shoulder image of a SMART volunteer and student reading a picture book.

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 ›

Help Your Kids Connect to the Books They Read

Reposted from: Scholastic Parents

A SMART volunteer reading with a student

15 Reading Materials That Aren’t Books

Reposted from: Scholastic Parents

Stack of newspapers on a table.

The Two-Chapter Rule

Reposted from: Scholastic Parents

Parent reading a book with a child on a couch