SMART is an early literacy program that engages volunteers to share their love of reading and books with children from preschool through grade 3. Participating children receive books each month that they can keep and share with their families.
This fall, SMART was the recipient of the 2014 Library of Congress Literacy Prize, a national honor. For more information, visit: http://www.getsmartoregon.org/
Volunteer needs at the Gladstone Center for Children & Families
To support the SMART reading program at the GCCF, the program seeks more volunteer readers who can commit to helping two hours per week reading to small groups of Head Start preschoolers or kindergarten students during the school year. We also need a few substitute readers who can fill in on days readers are absent.
To volunteer, call Nathan Buck at 971.634.1607 or email nbuck@getsmartoregon.org
SMART Program Overview
The third grade reading level is widely recognized as a key indicator of a child’s future educational success. A student who can’t read on grade level by third grade is four times less likely to graduate by age 19 than a child who does read proficiently in third grade.
Add poverty to the mix, and a student is 13 times less likely to graduate on time than his or her proficient, wealthier peer. Currently, about one in five Oregon children is living in poverty.
Research proves that shared book reading and the availability of books in the home during a child’s first, formative years are the strongest predictors of early literacy skills. SMART provides both.
PreK Delivery Model
SMART offers a PreK delivery model that serves the entire Prekindergarten classroom. Students read one-on-one with volunteers in 15- or 20-minute sessions. Each volunteer reads with three or four students per hour. Students choose two books per month to take home.
PreK SMART is scheduled as part of the curriculum. Students are divided into three or four groups and rotate every 15 or 20 minutes, depending on the site’s preference. As one group reads with SMART volunteers, the other groups can be engaged in other classroom activities.
