Digital inequality is locking children out of learning.

Our Programs
- Literacy programs
  Providing resources and support to help children living with disadvantage achieve the required reading standard.
- Technology programs
  Providing children and young people living with disadvantage with the critical skills, access, and equipment they need.
- Numeracy programs
  We support early years educators and community professionals in building foundational math skills in children under their care.
- Learning for Life
  Learning for Life is an innovative, evidence-based program that supports students throughout their education to achieve positive long-term outcomes for young people experiencing disadvantage.
- Mentoring programs
  Mentoring programs for students living with disadvantage that provide the encouragement they need to build aspirations for their future.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs
  Our work engages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in learning through education, life skills and role models, promoting culturally responsive practice.
Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
View all programs
Get Involved
- Ways to fundraise
  Learn about fundraising and give back to the community with The Smith Family.
- Volunteer with us
  Share your skills to help Australian children in need transform their lives through education.
- Corporate partnerships
  Corporate partnerships give young Australians in need the chance to change their futures through educational support. Discover how you can join forces with The Smith Family to create a mutually-beneficial, impactful partnership.
- Careers
  We aim to provide a working environment where staff and volunteers have the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally.
- Events
  Participate in events and activities that support young Australians experiencing disadvantage.
- VIEW Clubs of Australia
  Learn about VIEW, a leading women’s volunteer organisation and support network with over 13,000 members, across Australia.
Ways to Give
- Sponsor a child
  Through child sponsorship, you will be matched to an Australian child in need, helping to support the cost of their school essentials.
- A gift in your will
  Ensure that future generations of Australian children have the support they need to make the most of their education.
- Monthly donation
  Become a monthly donor and provide continual support throughout all stages of a child’s education.
- Philanthropic giving
  Through your philanthropy, you can ensure that young Australians impacted by poverty get the education that all children deserve.
- Single donation
  Your donation will help young Australians in need by providing access to our Learning for Life education support programs.
- Workplace giving
  Making small, regular donations to The Smith Family through Workplace Giving is an easy way to help change the lives of young Australians living in poverty.
Login
Child Sponsorship
Donate now

Literacy programs

Children experiencing disadvantage often have fewer books at home, which impacts the development of vital literacy skills.

This can mean children start school behind – and most children who start school behind risk missing key learning benchmarks throughout their education.¹ That’s why supporting early literacy for children experiencing disadvantage is so important.

Strong literacy skills are vital for all aspects of a child’s learning – and are essential in daily life.

Research shows that when parents and carers read to young children, their child’s reading and other cognitive skills are improved, which benefits them throughout their life.²

Mother and daughter sitting on the floor reading

The reading gap in primary school between the lowest socio-economic students (SES) and the highest SES is equivalent to almost 3 yrs of schooling.¹

The literacy foundations built by children during their primary and early secondary years are crucial to their ability to do well at school. Research identifies a clear link between the development of cognitive skills such as literacy and numeracy at an early age and higher levels of education achievement, greater employability, higher earnings and greater social participation.²

Literacy programs

student2student

Our student2student reading program matches students from Years 3–8 who are up to two years behind in their reading skills with Buddies who have good literacy skills, to help and encourage them.

Let's Read

Let's Read encourages parents and carers to read with their young children and helps them to develop their child's ability to name letters, play with word sounds, and love books.

¹ Department of Education Science and Training (2005)Teaching Reading: National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy. Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra.
² Australian Council for Educational Research Ministerial Council for Education (2010) National Assessment Program: Literacy and Numeracy Report. Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEEDCDYA) .