Imagination Library provides children with a free new book every month through their fifth birthday. Dolly Parton started Imagination Library in 1995, to fight illiteracy in her eastern Tennessee community. Research shows that disadvantaged children come to school years behind their peers in pre-reading skills, and rarely catch up and that the children still struggling to read in 3rd grade are the ones who eventually drop out. Evaluations indicate that Imagination Library is getting kids more interested in reading and getting their parents more comfortable reading to their children. Children are mailed an age-appropriate book directly to their homes to build their own private library. 25% of children in north-central Iowa are not reading at proficiency by fourth grade, making them 4X as likely to drop out of school.
The average sponsorship cost in north-central Iowa is $2.50 per month for one child to receive an age-appropriate book mailed to their home, to build their own private library. A $3,000 sponsorship provides 100 children with one book per month for one year. Each child receives one book per month up to their fifth birthday. Children must be under the age of 5 and reside in a project zip code area, which may be selected by the donors/sponsors.
DOLLY PARTON LIBRARIES ARE A COMPONENT OF “LET’S GROW. EVERY CHILD. EVERY CHANCE.” – A COMMUNITY INITIATIVE WORKING TO INCREASE EARLY LITERACY.
To register your child, please click on the county in which the child resides.* If you are outside of the United Way of North Central Iowa Coverage areas of Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Hancock, Kossuth, Mitchell, Winnebago, or Worth you can search for a DPIL Affiliate by visiting here: https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/find-my-program/
