The Dolly Parton Imagination Library- October Newsletter

 

Imagine the excitement on a child's face when they receive their very own book with their very own name and address on it!

The Dolly Parton Imagination Library provides children who might not otherwise have any books with the opportunity to explore brand new books with their parents while building school readiness skills. Newborns through 5-year-olds receive a free, age appropriate book mailed directly to their home every month.

Reading with young children improves language proficiency, the primary predictor of academic success or failure in kindergarten. This program is truly a gift to the at-risk children in our community.

Success By 6 staff and community partners recruit and sign up eligible children and the Dollywood Foundation manages the system that gets the books into the homes of the children. All sponsorship dollars go directly to purchase new books.

Current sponsors include Florida Natural Growers Foundation, Lakeland Chamber of Commerce, Bartow Rotary Club, GiveWell Community Foundation and Friends of the Bartow Library. 1,214 Polk County children received a book in fiscal year 2015/16, but there are over 42,000 eligible children in Polk County. Additional funding is needed to serve additional children.

The average cost is less than $2.50 per month for one child to receive an age appropriate book mailed directly to their home. An annual sponsorship of $3,000 provides at least 100 children with one book per month for one year or 1,200 books! Eligible project areas are currently Bartow, Fort Meade, Lake Wales, Winter Haven and Lakeland. A new project area can be opened up with a recurring gift of $3,000.

Research shows that disadvantaged children come to school years behind their peers in pre-reading skills. It is extremely difficult for those students to catch up and the children who are still struggling to read in 3rd grade are the ones who eventually drop out.

According to recent school readiness assessments, 43% of Polk County children entering kindergarten do not have the vocabulary needed to succeed in school. Evaluations indicate that Imagination Library is getting kids more interested in reading and getting their parents more comfortable reading to their children.

Making a difference in our community is an important role for local businesses and Success By 6. Together we can make an impact that none of us can accomplish alone.

For more information contact Jodi Miller at 863-648-1500 ext. 265 or jodi.miller@uwcf.org.