The Allen County Public Library officially launched Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library following a successful fundraising campaign that began in June.
The Imagination Library sends free, age-appropriate books to children from birth until age 5. ACPL Executive Director Susan Baier said one of the main indicators for a child’s academic and future reading success is having access to books, especially in the home.
“All of this just means that they are coming to kindergarten armed with those skills that will serve them well as they learn to read and become students," she said.
Baier said the Imagination Library is unique because it sends a free book to childrens’ homes each month to help create that early-learning library. Books are developmentally and age appropriate.
The success of the campaign will fund the program for the first two years, but Baier said fundraising will continue through the ACPL Foundation to keep the programming going for years to come. Those funds go towards covering the cost of the books and the mailing.
There are already about 2,400 children signed up for the program, but Baier said there are 26,000 in the county that are eligible. To sign up for the Imagination Library, visit ACPL.info/dolly.
