CLEVELAND, Ohio -- When Parma mother Tiara Young first learned about a program that sends books to Cuyahoga County families, she immediately wanted to get involved.
Now the program has pushed her 4-year-old daughter, Isobel, to read more.
“She always excited,” Young said. “My daughter always feels special when she receives books addressed to her!”
The program, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, isn’t just helping Isobel. It’s also helping to prepare children for kindergarten, according to a new report by the Center for Community Solutions.
The program mails one age-appropriate book to children each month until their fifth birthday. Researchers found that more books lead to better outcomes for children under age 5.
The program improves a child’s interest in books and family reading habits and leads to a stronger foundation for kindergarten readiness, the report found.
The report’s conclusion is based on various studies from across the U.S., as well as an analysis done by Case Western Reserve University that showed a positive correlation between enrollment in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and what’s known as a child’s “Kindergarten Readiness Assessent” score.
The local data showed that children who were enrolled in the program scored higher than those who were not, but the analysis did not control for any other differences between participants and non-participants. A local impact study is yet to be completed.
Children in the program also asked parents to read to them more often, and were starting to use words found in the books, the report says.
The report also says the program had an even greater impact in zip codes with higher poverty rates.
In 2021, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library sent at least 346,900 books to more than 31,000 children in the Cuyahoga County. Since 2014, the cooperative and its partners have enrolled over 43,000 children throughout Cuyahoga County.
The program garnered support from Gov. Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine. The first lady has helped to promote the Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library program by spending time reading to children throughout the state, including last month at The McMillian Early Learning Center in Cleveland Heights.
The Literacy Cooperative leads the program in Cuyahoga County, in partnership with the Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library and The Heights Family Foundation. Any child living in Cuyahoga County can be enrolled, for free.
Cuyahoga County families can register for the program on the Literacy Cooperative’s website. The first book will arrive two months after registration.
Young said Isobel has benefitted from the program. “The books really help the kids hone in on the skills they will need for the future.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified the Center for Community Solutions as being part of Case Western Reserve University. More context on the CWRU analysis can be found here.
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