Volunteers are the Heart of SMART

Educators agree that reading aloud with a SMART volunteer reinforces reading and language skills learned by students in the classroom.

Take it from Irene who shared this experience with us: "One afternoon the boy I was reading with suddenly looked up at me as I was doing one of the character voices, pointed to the quotation mark, and said, 'That means you're reading what he said!' All at once, the concept of 'punctuation' made sense to him. He was bouncing off his chair and demanded that I explain every punctuation mark from then on."

SMART volunteers are passionate about helping Oregon children read and succeed. Join our statewide network of volunteers and start making a reader today!

Position Descriptions

SMART Reader
Help kids discover the joy of reading. Read one-on-one with two different children for 30 minutes each (1 hour total) from October to May.  If you are not able to commit to a weekly session, apply to be a substitute reader. 6,000+ positions statewide.

SMART Site Coordinator
Lead in the coordination of SMART program delivery at one 200+ SMART sites. Schedule, train and monitor 10-100 volunteer readers (depending on the site), and submit monthly reports. This vital role provides the link between the teachers, volunteers and students. Some schools have teams that share these tasks. 200+ positions statewide.

SMART Site Team Members
Lend a hand to Site Coordinators as part of a Site Team. Help with data entry, set up/tear down the SMART space, contact volunteer readers, decorate bulletin boards, oversee the program 1 session per week, etc.  Time commitment varies from site-to-site.

Application Processing

The safety and security of children and all volunteers are of the highest priority to SMART. All new volunteers age 18 and over pass a national criminal background check regardless of duplication by other organizations and prior to any volunteer involvement with SMART. Returning volunteers undergo a national criminal background check refresh initiated by SMART every three years. Processing takes between two days and up to three weeks during our busiest time of year.

Training

Volunteer training ensures program consistency and integrity, a key factor in children’s success. All volunteers receive training in the fall before the program starts. Makeup sessions are provided for those who are unable to attend, or who start later in the program year. See Training Resources page for additional info.

Download and mail a paper application.