Smart Start + Dolly Parton = 10 Million Books for NC’s Children!
This week Smart Start celebrated a major milestone –10 million books sent to North Carolina children through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library!
Imagination Library is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by gifting books free of charge to children from birth to age five. The program ensures that every child can have access to their own books, regardless of their family’s income. With the support of the N.C. General Assembly, Smart Start launched Imagination Library in October 2017, and it is available in every county.
Dolly Parton’s vision and the commitment of Smart Start’s 75 local partnerships have combined to make a difference for children and families across the state. Data shows that, on average, parents who participated in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for four months or more reported an increase in reading to their children daily from 43% before they began receiving books to 67% after participating in Imagination Library. In the last fiscal year, 25% of families surveyed could not buy books for their children without the program.
The Tireless Work of Smart Start Local Partnerships
Local partnerships have forged powerful connections in their communities through the Imagination Library. Many have partnered with hospitals, health providers, and parenting education programs to extend the reach of the program, while other local partnerships share books through Little Libraries. The Iredell County Partnership created Loads of Literacy, which works within local laundromats to provide books, promote literacy tips, and register families for the Imagination Library. During the pandemic, many local partnerships held drive through events where families could register for the Imagination Library and even offered online story times.
Smart Start is proud to partner with Dolly Parton to get books in the hands of young children and support a lifelong love of reading. Early literacy is a gateway to future success and a powerful connection for caregivers and children.
Here’s to many more books for North Carolina’s children!
Register your child, aged 0-5, for free for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
