United Way of Central Georgia is excited to announce a new initiative designed to ensure that every child, regardless of income, will have access to books. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) is a book gifting program that provides free books each month to children from birth to five years old. Thanks to United Way’s partnership with Bibb County School District and The Literacy for Learning, Living and Leading in Georgia (L4GA) Grant, Imagination Library is now available to children from birth to five years old who reside in these Bibb County Public School attendance zones: Heritage, Union, Veterans, or John R. Lewis Elementary Schools. Children (0-5) currently enrolled in a Bibb Head Start program are also eligible to be enrolled in the program. Through the United Way of Central Georgia Imagination Library, United Way hopes to get books into the hands of children whose families might not otherwise be able to afford many.
“This program aligns well with our focus on quality education and our Parents as Teachers initiative that promote early literacy and kindergarten readiness as well as encouraging parent-child interaction,” said George McCanless, president and CEO of United Way of Central Georgia. “We know early reading is a foundation for a lifetime of academic success and we’re happy to bring this program to our community. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library makes reading exciting and fun, and has produced solid outcomes in communities around the country.”
How to enroll:
Parents or guardians wishing to enroll a child in this program can visit here.
How you can help:
According to Patterns of Book Ownership and Reading, 60% of kindergartners in neighborhoods where children performed poorly in school did not own a single book. Every child enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library receives one free book per month in the mail from birth to five years old. With a donation of $126, donors can provide a child in need in Central Georgia 60 books over the first five years of his or her life. That’s just $2.10 a book for a child that may not have a single book at home. To donate to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and help ensure children in Central Georgia can start an early library to help gain early literacy skills, click here.