Nurturing young children through reading is a personal passion for singer and songwriter Dolly Parton.
Nurturing young children through reading is a personal passion for singer and songwriter Dolly Parton.
Thirty years ago, the famous Country Western musician, motivated by her father’s inability to read, started a program in her corner of Tennessee to mail age-appropriate books to children up to five years old.
That program – known today as Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library – is alive and well across the globe through myriad partnerships with local libraries, schools and organizations, and has gifted more than 270 million colorful books to more than three million children ages 0 to 5, according to DPIL’s website.
Locally, DPIL of Ohio partners with the Geauga County Public Library, Geauga Public Health, Geauga County Job and Family Services, and daycares and childhood centers to provide age-appropriate books for families with babies and toddlers.
Hospital staff in English-speaking countries all over the world help new mothers register their newborns and librarians spread the word to mothers of pre-kindergarten children to sign up so their children will receive a book in the mail every month, according to DPIL.
Parents can share the gift of reading with their babies and toddlers, said Catherine Sulecki, state director of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, during a recent phone interview.
Ten of the books received each year are in English and two are bilingual Spanish and English because some research shows exposing a child to different languages at an early age is beneficial, she said. Parents can request all 12 books in Spanish, as well.
“A child’s brain can easily pick up a second language more easily than an adult,” Sulecki said, adding parents can learn Spanish along with their children through Parton’s books.
DPIL of Ohio is funded by the Dollywood Foundation. Support for the program also comes from the Ohio General Assembly, which includes funds biannually to cover 50% of the cost of each $2.60 book in all 88 counties, she said.
About 75 local program partners provide the remaining $1.30 per book in their areas, Sulecki said.
“Most of our local partners include United Way, public libraries, community foundations and a handful of children’s hospitals,” she said. “Our local partners touch families in lots of different ways.”
School districts are also involved. Although kids age out when they turn 5, many are still eligible when they are in a preschool program and parents are encouraged to register for the free books, Sulecki said.
“Lots of Amish families receive books,” she said. “They don’t use the website to sign up, so we do a lot of work on paper enrollment forms. The application is really simple and we try to alleviate their concerns. We only use the information they give us to mail the books.”
Geauga County has 2,818 children between 0 and 5 years old enrolled in the program, approximately 57% of those eligible, she said.
On March 19, Melissa Timko, regional director of DPIL of Ohio, visited the Bainbridge branch of the Geauga County Public Library to connect with Alice Munn, co-chair of the Geauga County Library Foundation.
Storytime was in full swing that morning with about a dozen babies and toddlers enjoying a book read by Abigail Scibiur, youth services assistant at the branch.
Scibuir engaged the toddlers while reading a book and leading exercises with bright scarves and floating bubbles.
As the children danced to music, Munn credited the library’s partners in their efforts to advance literacy for the youngest in the county.
“We could not do this without state funding,” she said, noting the foundation also helps pay for the books and the postage to get them to the many households in the county.
The nonprofit has come a long way from East Tennessee, Parton said on the DPIL Foundation website.
She recalled the first book a family member read to her – “The Little Engine that Could” – and how it motivated her to keep pursuing her career and her nickname, “The Book Lady.”
With the support of Gov. Mike DeWine, the DPIL was rolled out in Ohio two years ago, Parton said on the site, predicting it would be a huge success here as it has been in other locations.
She recalled her father’s embarrassment over not being able to read and how it limited his life, as well as how proud he was to be part of the free book program.
However, the excitement a child feels when a book comes in the mail every month is Parton’s joy, she said on the foundation website.
“They’re going to take it back to the house and make someone read it to them,” Parton said. “If you can read, you can educate yourself. The earlier you can state, the better off you are.”
