Douglas County Libraries is excited to put great books into the hands of children across Douglas County through its new partnership with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Through the Imagination Library, children from birth to age 5 receive high-quality, age-appropriate books every month — for free — that they get to keep.
"We are thrilled to bring Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to DCL and to provide even more literacy-rich experiences to children in Douglas County," said Mary Lanni, Youth Literacy Outreach Specialist at Douglas County Libraries. "This program is the perfect complement to our early literacy programs and our broader vision of inspiring a love of reading, discovery, and connection in our community."
Parents and guardians may register their children from birth to age 5 to start receiving books every month, delivered directly to them. Every child in a family may participate, including twins, and receive their own age-appropriate book when registered individually. There is no charge for participating in the program.
"We know that reading to children builds strong foundations in literacy and increases the potential for learning success in school," said Lanni. "By reaching the 19,000-plus children under age 5 in Douglas County through this program, we are aiming to support school readiness as children and their caregivers are offered even more opportunities to read together."
Funding for the program in Douglas County is currently provided equally by the State of Colorado's Imagination Library program funds and Douglas County Libraries.
Visit DCL.org/imagination-library to learn more and register for the program.
Douglas County Libraries elevates our community by inspiring a love of reading, discovery, and connection.
About Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library has become the world's preeminent early childhood book-gifting program. The flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has gifted over 200 million free books in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and The Republic of Ireland. This is achieved through funding shared by The Dollywood Foundation and local community partners. The Imagination Library mails more than 2 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to enrolled children from birth to age five. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading and inspiring children to Dream More, Learn More, Care More and Be More.
The program has been widely researched, and the results demonstrate its positive impact on early childhood development and literacy skills. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. For more information, please visit imaginationlibrary.com.
