Smart Reading Interview
Kids across Oregon aren’t getting into reading books. But reading is an essential skill that every child must learn. Without the ability to read, everyone losses. Reading is an early gateway skill that proves the pathway for future success.
Smart Reading is on a mission to spark joy and opportunity through the magic of a shared book.
Find out how Smart Reading is encouraging kids to learn by spending as little as an hour each day.
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March 27, 2022
Smart Reading Gives Children Access To Books And Encourages Reading
#332 Great.com Talks With... Smart Reading
Literacy is important for any community, city, or state. The more literacy is up, the more the state benefits. Literate students have options later in life. Helping kids discover the love of reading and books is the goal of today's guests. In today's episode, we talked with Alayna Herr from Smart Reading.
Smart Reading is a nonprofit organization that has been reading to kids for more than 30 years. They have a revolutionary concept called SMART reading that connects kids, books, and volunteers with their love for the activity.
A Cost-Effective Model Powered By Volunteers
Alayna says that Smart Reading uses a cost-effective model to help children get into reading. The model works through the power of volunteers who help create relationships with children and deliver long-term benefits. The benefits not only apply to the children but the entire state of Oregon by improving the literacy rate.
Smart Reading has 290 programs and more than 5,000 volunteers. This year alone, they've given 138,000 books to more than 11,700 children. Over the past 30 years, Smart Reading has served more than 250,000 students and has had more than 146,000 volunteers. The total volunteer reading hours are 4,525,430. The program is simple. Smart Reading volunteers are paired with two children to read for half an hour with each student.
Alayna says that a SMART program is a tool that helps kids develop a love for reading. The Smart Reading volunteers go to their local schools and teachers consider them as valuable resources to troubled kids. Every kid that has trouble learning can be paired with a volunteer to rediscover their love for reading.
Listen to the whole interview to find out why reading matters. The organization relies on external help, so one way to help is to volunteer. You can also donate to help kids meet reading benchmarks.
Want to know more about Smart Reading? You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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