Dolly Parton Imagination Library pushes for early literacy

     For a second time since 2015, Cedar/Jones ECI (Early Childhood Iowa) is able to offer Jones County families free books for young children, courtesy of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.

     The program is the perfect fit with ECI’s vision: “Every child, beginning at birth, will be healthy and successful.”

     The Imagination Library “puts books in the hands and hearts of children across the world.”

     ECI Director Sherri Hunt said one of their goals is to connect local families with the resources they need, and free books through the Imagination Library is now one of those resources.

     Those who sign their child up for the program via ECI will receive one book every month from the time their child is born until the age of 5. At that time, they would enter kindergarten.

     ECI’s mission is quite the same. “To provide services to children 0 to 5 and their families through community resource providers, blending resources and expertise to enable and empower these families to make choices that will strengthen their children and our community.”

     In order to offer the program, Hunt said ECI received several generous donations and grants. The cost to register for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is $25 per child per year, for a total of $12 books.

     “The grants help with the cost,” said Hunt. “You can’t buy a book for that amount of money.”

     Donations to ECI are tax-deductible.

     Hunt said they also received a substantial donation from the JCCF (Jones County Community Foundation) “to help this program sustain and grow.”

     Other grants were received from Theisen’s, the Anamosa Rotary Club, and the Jones County Family Council.

     “ECI didn’t have the funds to buy the books, so this service supplements our mission to connect with early childhood partners,” she said.

     Hunt said in today’s society, a large percentage of both parents work outside of the home more so than ever before.

     “People maintain busy lives,” she said. Aside from working parents, kids are busy with afterschool programs as well.

     Hunt said it can be hard for parents to get their children to a local library before it closes or a bookstore for that matter. The Imagination Library mails a personalized, age-appropriate, high-quality book to your doorstep/mailbox.

     “This is just another way to have books within the home,” she said. “Kids get so excited when they receive their books in the mail.”

     Almost like Christmas every month. “It’s great to them excited about reading,” added Hunt.

     Hunt said she would like to see parents/guardians reading to their children every night. “Some make it a part of their nightly routine,” she shared. “They read before they go to bed.”

     Since starting Imagination Library in Jones County, Hunt said she’s been able to sign almost 300 families up, a target she’s pleased with.

     “The goal is to get kids signed up early,” she said.

     Literary experts work with the Imagination Library to pick out just the right books for each age group. The themes include: love of reading and learning; regard for diversity, culture, and the environment; promotion of self-esteem and confidence; and appreciation of art and aesthetics. The first book every child receives in the mail is “The Little Engine That Could.” The final book received is “Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come.”

     To sign up your child for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, stop in the Monticello or Anamosa libraries and ask for the registration card, or contact Hunt herself to help sign your child up (319-462-6968).

     “The first five years of a child’s life are so important,” stressed Hunt. She said elementary schools across the state are carefully monitoring children’s third-grade reading levels, and early literacy is a huge part of that.