SMART READING

SMART READING IS A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED, STATEWIDE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION (INCORPORATED IN THE STATE OF OREGON) 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. HEADQUARTERED IN PORTLAND, SMART READING ENVISIONS AN OREGON IN WHICH EVERY CHILD CAN REALIZE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL THROUGH READING. SMART READING ENGAGES COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS TO READ ONE-ON-ONE OR IN GROUPS WITH PREKINDERGARTEN THROUGH THIRD GRADE CHILDREN. PARTICIPATING CHILDREN ALSO RECEIVE NEW BOOKS EACH MONTH TO KEEP AND READ WITH THEIR FAMILIES.SMART READING PARTNERS WITH OVER 250 HIGH NEED SCHOOLS AND HEAD START PROGRAMS ACROSS OREGON. SMART READING IS OVERWHELMINGLY FUNDED BY PRIVATE SOURCES, AND ACHIEVES THIS WORK BY LEVERAGING PRIVATE DOLLARS AND PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE TO PROVIDE PROVEN READING SUPPORT AND BOOKS FOR THOUSANDS OF OREGON CHILDREN. THE INTENTION OF SMART READING IS TO PROVIDE A FUN, CHILD-GUIDED EXPERIENCE THAT BUILDS READING SKILLS, SELF-CONFIDENCE, AND A LIFELONG LOVE OF READING IN CHILDREN - AND ENSURES ALL STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY, INCLUSIVE BOOKS.DURING THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2025, SMART READING DELIVERED BOOKS, PROVIDED CLASSROOM READ-ALOUD OPPORTUNITIES, AND/OR ONE-ON-ONE READING SUPPORT TO APPROXIMATELY 15,000 CHILDREN AND GAVE AWAY APPROXIMATELY 125,000 BOOKS. THIS WAS POSSIBLE, IN PART, THANKS TO OVER 750 VOLUNTEERS, WHO TOGETHER CONTRIBUTED APPROXIMATELY 10,000 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER TIME.SINCE 1992, SMART READING HAS SERVED OVER 275,000 CHILDREN WITH THE HELP OF OVER 150,000 VOLUNTEERS, AND GIVEN AWAY OVER 3.2 MILLION BOOKS. TOGETHER, WITH SUPPORT FROM COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE STATE, SMART READING IS EMPOWERING OREGON CHILDREN FOR READING AND LEARNING SUCCESS.AND WE KNOW THE PROGRAM WORKS. AN INDEPENDENT STUDY BY THE EUGENE RESEARCH INSTITUTE REVEALS THAT FIFTH-GRADERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN SMART READING AS FIRST-GRADERS ARE 60 PERCENT MORE LIKELY TO REACH STATE READING BENCHMARKS THAN ARE SIMILAR STUDENTS WHO DID NOT PARTICIPATE.SMART READING STUDENTS DEVELOP READING ACCURACY, FLUENCY AND COMPREHENSION SIGNIFICANTLY FASTER AND MAINTAIN THESE GAINS EVEN AFTER COMPLETING THE PROGRAM.