Slater Elementary School has some SMART students and volunteers.

SMART is an acronym for Start Making A Reader Today. This nonprofit organization pairs caring community volunteers with students for one-on-one reading sessions and sends each participating student home with as many as 14 new books a year.

“Learning to read is one of the most important steps in a child’s life, laying the vital foundation for future knowledge and education,” the program’s website states. “Research proves that shared book reading and access to books in the home during a child’s first, formative years are the strongest predictors of early literacy skills.”

The SMART program was launched in 1992 with a vision of creating an Oregon where every child can read and is empowered to succeed. SMART started in two Oregon cities, serving 585 children in eight schools. It continued to grow and currently has 270 programs serving 9,702 students with the help of 5,180 volunteers statewide. Since its inception, SMART has organized more than 134,000 volunteers to serve more than 211,000 children who received more than 2.7 million books and accumulated more than 4.2 million reading hours.

Boasting 13 volunteers and two coordinators, the local program got started at Slater Elementary in November 2018. Stephanie Volle, who is one of the coordinators, said she volunteered with SMART when she was in college and has been wanting to start a local program for quite some time.

“I have had it on my heart to start it in Harney County for years, and all the pieces finally came together,” Volle said. “It takes a lot to get to where we are.”

Getting the right people in place is an important part of the process, so Volle recruited co-coordinator Katherine Doverspike — a former kindergarten and special education teacher with a passion for reading — to help get the ball rolling.

“She couldn’t say no,” Volle said with a laugh. “She’s so good.”

Erin Jenks, who taught first grade at Slater, was also instrumental in getting SMART started in Harney County.

“She saw the need for a program that could bring our community and students together through books and reading,” Volle said regarding Jenks.

Volle also saw a need for such a program.

When asked why she wanted to bring SMART to Slater, Volle said, “When I spend time in the classrooms, I notice that the kids are not getting the reading minutes. Many children are not reading at home.”

Children who participate in SMART get at least 30 minutes of reading with a volunteer every week and take two books home every month.

Volle said, “We are finding that several of the kiddos did not have books at home or had very, very, very few books at home, and they’re so excited to get a book.”

She added that, upon receiving a book, one program participant said, “I get to keep this book? It’s so great because I already have two books at home, and now I’m going to have three.”

Volle, who has a large collection of books at her own home, said she was struck by the student’s reaction.

Twenty-six second graders are currently engaged in Slater’s SMART program, which is about one-third of the school’s second-grade population.

“We’re just targeting second grade to start,” Volle said, adding that the program could expand to other grades in the future.

Teachers select participants who could use a few extra books at home or benefit from some one-on-one time with a volunteer.

“It’s not a tutoring program, so we’re not necessarily targeting struggling readers,” Doverspike said.

Volle explained that, instead of teaching reading, the program aims to build relationships and create a love of reading.

“The relationship between the adult and the student has been really meaningful,” she said. “The kids want to come.”

Doverspike said, “They look forward to it every, single week,” adding that, “They won’t ever miss P.E., assemblies, or anything that would potentially not make this exciting.”

The hourlong program is held once a week on Thursday afternoons in the Slater library. Each student gets 30 minutes with his/her volunteer, and volunteers serve two students per session.

“Every time we get a new volunteer, we can add two new students,” Volle said.

Dr. Dick Evans, Savanna Cate, Tina Mello, Anna Huber, Rolleen Reed, Doug Furr, Mary Furr, Julia Clark, Sandy Volle, Stephanie Radinovich, Rachel Beaubien, and Tara Thissell are the adult volunteers who offer their time and attention to program participants. Slater’s SMART program also includes a junior volunteer, fifth grader Ashlyn Fulton.

Volle noted that the volunteers are “super excited” to share their time with students each week.

“They can’t wait for it to be Thursday again,” she said.

Volle and Doverspike both said that making connections with students and volunteers has been the most meaningful part of participating in the program.

Doverspike also acknowledged that Slater’s administration, teachers, and staff have been very supportive.

Volle agreed, stating, “They’re really accommodating to us. Just seeing it all unfold has been really great.”

SMART is still seeking volunteers. Anyone who is interested can visit https://www.getsmartoregon.org/volunteer/ to get started. In addition to completing SMART’s online application, potential volunteers will need to pass a background check and apply to be a volunteer with Harney County School District No. 3. SMART volunteers must be available every Thursday from 2-3 p.m. October through May.

“We can also take substitute readers. So if somebody couldn’t commit every week, they could be on the substitute list,” Volle said.

You can also support the program by making a donation. A $40 donation will provide one year’s worth of books for one child for the entire school year (14 books total). Donations can be made online (https://getsmartoregon13490.thankyou4caring.org) or by mailing a check to: SMART, 101 SW Market St., Portland, OR 97201.

Additional information about the SMART program can be found online at https://www.getsmartoregon.org