Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a literacy co-op, reaches a major literacy milestone

A trip to the mailbox brings more than just bills to Cuyahoga County residents—it brings opportunity.

Since 2017, the Literacy Co-op has partnered with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to send out a curated selection of free books that educate local children under five for a month, helping build home libraries and support early literacy skills.

As of October this year, the Literacy Cooperative has officially distributed two million books to children in the area.

“This program introduces families to high-quality books they might not otherwise find or choose, providing an enriching experience that promotes brain development during the first three years of life, a critical window for language development,” Joan Sperl, director of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. in Cuyahoga County, the release said.

Families from Dolly Parton’s Imagination LibraryFrom Tennessee to Cleveland

The Imagination of Dolly Parton Library was founded in 1995 in Tennessee with the goal of providing children, regardless of family income, with access to books.

“Dolly didn’t want it to be perceived as a program for poor kids,” explains Robert Paponetti, president and CEO of the Literacy Cooperative. “She wanted it to be seen as a program for all children.”

Originally designed to encourage a love of reading, the program has grown over 30 years to partner with local literacy organizations and send millions of books to children in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland.

In 2015, the Heights Family Foundation donated the Imagination Library to a selection of Cleveland school districts. The Literacy Cooperative partnered with the program in 2017, expanding it throughout the county with support from organizations like the Bruening Foundation, United Way and local hospitals that help register children at birth.

Now, as the flagship Imagination Library affiliate in Cuyahoga County, the Literacy Cooperative coordinates the collection and distribution of more than 39,000 books each month. The free program currently enrolls just under 40,000 children in the county, Paponetti said.

Northeast Ohio parents like Nicole S. have seen the positive impact firsthand.

“It was so rewarding to see my daughter’s face light up when her Imagination Library book arrived in the mail each month,” she says. “This program helps me purchase quality, age-appropriate books for my daughter that I cannot afford.”

Addressing Literacy Challenges in Cuyahoga County

While the program does foster a love of reading as Parton originally hoped, its impact has gone far beyond her original vision.

The Imagination Library’s partnership with the Literacy Cooperative also addresses the needs of our Cuyahoga County, where 56% of kindergarteners are not reading at grade level.

Paponetti explains that early exposure to books can help bridge this gap, giving children the skills they need to succeed in school and beyond. This is important because, as Paponetti notes, children who fail to read by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school, leading to long-term problems in the job market.

“We’re finding that too many kids aren’t getting the foundation they need,” he says. “So how can we better support this parent and this family as their child’s first teacher? That’s what we’re focused on. And that’s where the Imagination Library really helps get the ball rolling.”

The Literacy Cooperative conducts an annual study to evaluate the program’s impact.

“We ask a lot of questions,” Paponetti says, “but I focus on: ‘Does your child want to read more after receiving these books?’ The overwhelming answer is yes.”

A two-generation approach to literacy

Beyond early literacy, the Literacy Cooperative takes what Paponetti calls a two-generation approach, combining an emphasis on early childhood literacy with adult education into a model that supports families as a whole.

“(In our survey) we also learned that 78% of families said they read together more now than before, and in Cleveland that number is even higher at 82%,” he shares. “What a wonderful thing for our family. society – people read more!”

Families from Dolly Parton’s Imagination LibraryTo further support its mission, the Literacy Cooperative has developed contextualized curricula for areas such as manufacturing, healthcare, and IT that are integrated into job training programs. Recently, more organizations have turned to the Literacy Cooperative to incorporate literacy support into their efforts.

“(This curriculum) will connect people to training and job placement programs that will really help them continue to grow in their income,” Paponetti says.

The organization has also expanded its reach by sharing valuable community resources with Imagination Library families. Through email, they inform families about services such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, health fairs and free events, helping them access opportunities they might otherwise miss.

In addition, the Literacy Cooperative works to create practical family programs in the community to support family literacy. The initiative, which began as a pilot program shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, is gradually being reintroduced.

By addressing the root causes of low literacy from birth and providing support to children, adults and families, the Literacy Cooperative ultimately hopes to improve literacy rates in Cuyahoga County.

“There is coming a time when we will have to stop just pulling people out of the river; we need to find out why they fail,” Paponetti adds of the broader impact, citing Desmond Tutu. “When you think about educational levels, we understand why they are falling – children are not getting the foundation they need. While we need to get something out, we also need to keep more from getting in.”

Although the Imagination Library program is free for families, the Literacy Co-op relies on donations to cover costs such as staffing and undelivered books. A $25 donation supports one child’s enrollment for an entire year. To register your child for the Literacy Co-op’s Imagination Library program, make a donation, or view a full list of the organization’s support offerings, visit the Literacy Co-op’s website.