SMART Reading

Mission

To spark joy and opportunity through the magic of a shared book.

Bottom Line for Portland

For over thirty years, SMART Reading has helped kids become strong, confident readers by providing two research-backed literacy supports: reading practice time with trained volunteers and access to books. SMART volunteers read with kids weekly and help them select books to keep, and through our Book Bank, we restore and redistribute thousands of community-donated books. 

Ensuring that kids have the reading support they need to thrive is critically important. Children who are not reading at benchmark level by third-grade are four times more likely to not graduate from high school than their reading proficient peers, and that number triples for children in low-income households. In the 2024-25 school year, our organization will reach 21,000 students with reading support and more than 217,000 high-quality books to keep!

Quote

“SMART Reading is an amazing program. My students developed a true fondness for their reading volunteers. I have watched the students who participated grow in their reading significantly. For many of these children, there are not a lot of children’s books in their homes, so the gift of a book is very special. The books are high quality and wonderful. We love this program so much!” - Teacher

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

SMART Reading is an early literacy program focused on helping all children reach their full potential through reading. Advancing equity and inclusion are at the heart of our mission, and we’re committed to ensuring all children in our programs have access to inclusive, high-quality books that reflect their culture, experiences, and identity, and have a positive, culturally-affirming experience with reading.

Incentives

The first 100 donors to give a gift of $100 or more will be automatically entered to win an exclusive "Book Lover's Gift Basket" which includes popular books, gift cards to local businesses, and a few surprise literary treats - it’s our special way of saying thank you for supporting the campaign!

Partner(s)

KinderCare Learning Companies is generously matching $25,000 in Give!Guide donations to SMART Reading - double your impact today!

Thanks to our non-profit partners, Friends of Willamette Week and Street Books - show their pages some love!