PREBLE COUNTY — United Way of the Greater Dayton Area, Preble County District Library, and The Dayton Foundation partnered with the Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library to bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Preble County nearly two years ago.
“The program puts more books in the hands and hearts of our children and is available to all children in Preble County from birth to age five, regardless of income status,” Kirstin Weaver, PCDL Marketing Coordinator said in a recent press release.
”Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library books are specially selected, age-appropriate, high-quality books that are personalized with each child’s name and mailed directly to the home each month. This gifting experience makes books exciting and shows the child someone is thinking of them. Best of all, it is a free gift to the family, too!” Weaver continued.
The press release noted, “The early years are the learning years, and early investment in a child matters to everyone. Access to books and educational materials is one of the biggest barriers to literacy development. By solving the problem of access to age-appropriate books, we can do something that can truly make a difference in our youngest children one book at a time.
“We know that children who are exposed to language and reading — starting when they are born — have higher literacy rates and greater academic achievements when they are older compared with children who don’t have that early benefit. A child enrolled in the Ohio Imagination Library Program at birth can receive up to 60 books by the time he or she turns five years old, setting them up for success in kindergarten and beyond. It’s a simple but a very important thing we can do for our kids.”
With funding from local partners and community members, the Imagination Library is available to all children from birth to age 5 in Preble County, at no cost to the family. Since its adoption in March 2020, more than 17,500 books have been mailed out to children in Preble County.
“Currently, we have over 1,000 active children signed up, and over 300 children have graduated from the program,” Weaver said. “Our goal is to register 50 percent of eligible children in Preble County by the end of Spring 2022.”
Families can enroll online at www.ohioimaginationlibrary.org/enroll. It takes between 6-9 weeks to receive the first book. All children will receive “The Little Engine that Could” as the first book, regardless of their age. Their second book and thereon after will be based on their age. “Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come” is the final book children receive upon their fifth birthday. Following their fifth birthday, children will be graduated from the program.
If a child will turn five in the next two months, they should not enroll as it can take 6-9 weeks to receive their first book.
The Preble County District Library offers a special “thank you” to local businesses and individuals for their generous investment and support into this program.
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