Causes: Education, Educational Services, Literacy, Preschools, Primary & Elementary Schools, Remedial Reading & Encouragement
Mission: SMART's vision is "An Oregon where every child can read and is empowered to succeed". In order to realize our vision, SMART engages community volunteers to read one-on-one with PreK through third-grade children who need reading support. Participating children also receive new books each month to keep and read with their families.
Target demographics: children, education
Direct beneficiaries per year: 10,000 children
Geographic areas served: Oregon
Programs: Founded in 1991, SMART is a nationally recognized, statewide nonprofit organization with a network of volunteers, educators, donors, and advocates across Oregon who are banding together to empower children for more successful futures through books and reading. SMART's proven model engages community volunteers across the state to read one-on-one with PreK through third-grade children for one hour per week during the school year. SMART students also receive up to 14 new books to take home and keep each year. Funded overwhelmingly by private sources, the SMART program complements reading curricula and instruction, and is intended to build confident, lifelong readers who enjoy reading and use it as a tool for learning. Learning to read is one of the most important steps in a child's life, laying the foundation for future knowledge and education. Prevailing research proves that shared book reading and the availability of books in the home during a child's formative years are the strongest predictors of early literacy skills. SMART provides both. During the 2015-16 school year, SMART delivered one-on-one reading support to 10,100 children and gave away 163,557books. This was possible in part thanks to 5,000 volunteers statewide who together contributed over 126,000 hours of volunteer time. Over the past 24 years, SMART has served 188,000 children with the help of over 125,000 volunteers. Through SMART, children have taken home more than 2.4 million books and spent nearly 4 million hours reading one-on-one with trained volunteers. Most importantly, we know the program works. An independent study by the Eugene Research Institute found that fifth-graders who participated in SMART as first-graders were 60 percent more likely to meet state reading benchmarks than similar students who did not participate. In annual surveys, teachers, parents, and school administrators consistently say that SMART makes a significant impact on students’ reading skills, confidence, motivation, and enjoyment. Join us as a volunteer and make a difference in the life of a child in your community.
Mission: SMART's vision is "An Oregon where every child can read and is empowered to succeed". In order to realize our vision, SMART engages community volunteers to read one-on-one with PreK through third-grade children who need reading support. Participating children also receive new books each month to keep and read with their families.
Target demographics: children, education
Direct beneficiaries per year: 10,000 children
Geographic areas served: Oregon
Programs: Founded in 1991, SMART is a nationally recognized, statewide nonprofit organization with a network of volunteers, educators, donors, and advocates across Oregon who are banding together to empower children for more successful futures through books and reading. SMART's proven model engages community volunteers across the state to read one-on-one with PreK through third-grade children for one hour per week during the school year. SMART students also receive up to 14 new books to take home and keep each year. Funded overwhelmingly by private sources, the SMART program complements reading curricula and instruction, and is intended to build confident, lifelong readers who enjoy reading and use it as a tool for learning. Learning to read is one of the most important steps in a child's life, laying the foundation for future knowledge and education. Prevailing research proves that shared book reading and the availability of books in the home during a child's formative years are the strongest predictors of early literacy skills. SMART provides both. During the 2015-16 school year, SMART delivered one-on-one reading support to 10,100 children and gave away 163,557books. This was possible in part thanks to 5,000 volunteers statewide who together contributed over 126,000 hours of volunteer time. Over the past 24 years, SMART has served 188,000 children with the help of over 125,000 volunteers. Through SMART, children have taken home more than 2.4 million books and spent nearly 4 million hours reading one-on-one with trained volunteers. Most importantly, we know the program works. An independent study by the Eugene Research Institute found that fifth-graders who participated in SMART as first-graders were 60 percent more likely to meet state reading benchmarks than similar students who did not participate. In annual surveys, teachers, parents, and school administrators consistently say that SMART makes a significant impact on students’ reading skills, confidence, motivation, and enjoyment. Join us as a volunteer and make a difference in the life of a child in your community.
101 SW Market Street, Portland, OR 97201
971-634-1634
Education
Portland
