Early Literacy Programs

I'm an avid reader, and have been since I learned to read. I grew up spending many hours each week in my small town library. I vividly recall one of my favorite gifts ever. I was in 4th grade when I received a book club subscription to Nancy Drew books. I could not wait for each new book to arrive in the mail. Many years, and many book clubs later, I still have a passion for both reading and for owning my own books. This love for reading, along with my career in education, spurred me to become a literacy advocate.

Dolly Pardon has always been a gem in my eyes, but I imagine (pun intended) her literacy project, Imagination Library, has made her a gem in the eyes of many non-country families around the globe.

Dolly grew up in east Tennessee in Seiver County. Back in 1996, she decided she wanted to foster a love of reading for the preschoolers, and their families, in her home county. Dolly wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create. She wanted to insure a program that would get books into every preschooler's hands, regardless of family income - her Imagination Library was born.

The program, that started in Seiver County, now encompasses the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. A brand new, age-appropriate book is mailed out to each child in the program every single month, up to the age of 5, with Look Out Kindergarten Here I Come being the final book to be delivered. Imagine the joy a child feels each month when they receive that new book in the mail!

The Dollywood Foundation partners with community organizations around the globe to provide this program to preschoolers. For all the details, please visit their site:

http://www.imaginationlibrary.com/

This could be an excellent literacy resource for your community - good luck!