Imagination Library

Program Information

Educators have emphasized the fact that reading with a preschool child is the single most important activity to prepare a child for school.  The Dolly Parton Imagination Library was created to guarantee access to books and to inspire parents to read to their children as much as possible.

United Way of Southwest Minnesota is sponsoring Imagination Library in this area so that every child (ages birth - 5th birthday) who is enrolled will receive an age and developmentally appropriate book each month at home.  The books are free for each child and every child is included as long as they live within one of the school districts* within our service area.

If you would like to contribute to the cost of the books or to sponsor a child, you can give specifically for this purpose to the United Way of Southwest Minnesota.  The program costs United Way $30 per child, per year.

* To participate in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library through the United Way of Southwest Minnesota sponsorship, families must live in one of the following school districts (private and charter schools are included):  Balaton, Canby, Lake Benton, Lakeview, Lincoln-Hendricks-Ivanhoe, Lynd, Marshall, Milroy, Minneota, Murray County Central, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton, Tracy, Westbrook-Walnut Grove or Yellow Medicine East. 

Research shows that: 

• 46% of kindergarteners are coming to school at risk for failure.
• Children whose parents read to them become better readers and do better in school.
• The size of a child's vocabulary is a strong predictor of reading.  Children read to one hour per day come to school with a 10,000 - 14,000 word vocabulary.  Children read to only 30 hours during their first five years come to school with a vocabulary fewer than 4,000 words.
• For the poorest children, the biggest obstacle to literacy may be the scarcity of books and appropriate reading material.