Imagination Library Enrollments are Over 500
One year ago, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Ionia County was only a dream. Leaders from the Ionia County Intermediate School District were meeting with local superintendents and community leaders in an attempt to establish a program in the community where all children birth to five would have access to books in their home. In order to begin enrolling children in the program a minimum of $25,000 needed to be raised. Numerous efforts were made in the early months of 2007 to reach our goal. In July, enough money was raised to begin enrolling families. Community agencies, preschools, local school districts and doctor’s offices were all involved in getting the word out to families and providing them with enrollment forms. As of December 2007, there are 663 children in Ionia County receiving books through this program!! Enrollment forms are available throughout the community as well as on the Ionia ISD web-site (ioniaisd.org). The process is very simple, requiring only the child’s name, address and birth date. All children ages birth to five residing within Belding, Ionia, Lakewood, Palo, Portland and Saranac school districts are eligible for the program. Families only need sign their child up one time. The month they turn five they will automatically receive their last book. Due to the Dollywood Foundation’s generosity, the cost for the program is only $27.00 per year for each enrolled child. For this value, a child receives a hardcover or board book each and every month sent directly to their home for an entire year. Additionally, all donations to the program are tax-deductible! Our current enrollments represent approximately 25% of the population that is expected to engage in the program. More children are still expected to enroll and the funding that was provided for the enrolled children was for only one year. As a result, more money will be needed on an annual basis to continue the project. The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is designed to prevent children from experiencing reading failure. The importance of being read to early in life as a preventative strategy is well documented in research. Children who have been read to prior to coming to school, perform better once enrolled in school. In fact, the latest data suggests that children need to hear 1000 books before the age of five in order to have the necessary foundation skills to become fluent readers. We also know that if children are behind in kindergarten, they do not catch up with out intensive intervention. The Ionia ISD, in collaboration with the local school districts, has responded to this research by instituting Instructional Consultation Teams in every elementary school. These teams are specifically designed to support teachers when children are not progressing with respect to literacy skills. This year there was a record number of children participating with these teams with 50% being at the kindergarten and first grade levels. This suggests that many children are unable to master early skills such as letter identification, rhyming and sound symbol associations which are necessary for learning to read and sound out words. As 2007 comes to a close, the Ionia ISD would like to thank each and every staff person, community member, business, parent and grandparent that have provided financial support to this program. The overall goal of the Imagination Library is for children to have books in the home and to be read to. That goal is exemplified by one parent who recently sent an email to the ISD stating: “I just wanted to thank you for getting the Dolly Parton Imagination Library going. My son (3 1/2) has starting getting books. He loves them! He received one in the mail yesterday and he was so excited that when I walked into the house after him he was sitting in the chair with his coat, boots, hat and gloves still on holding the book waiting for me to read it. I have read it three times already and he wanted to take it to daycare so they could read it there!” If you have any anecdotal stories to share about your family’s experiences with the DPIL program we would love to hear about them. Additionally, if you have questions about enrollments and/or if you are interested in providing financial support to this important community program, contact the Ionia ISD at 1-616-522-1410 or email us a cgranzo@ioniaisd.org.

Imagination Library Enrollments are Over 500

One year ago, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Ionia County was only a dream. Leaders from the Ionia County Intermediate School District were meeting with local superintendents and community leaders in an attempt to establish a program in the community where all children birth to five would have access to books in their home.

In order to begin enrolling children in the program a minimum of $25,000 needed to be raised. Numerous efforts were made in the early months of 2007 to reach our goal. In July, enough money was raised to begin enrolling families. Community agencies, preschools, local school districts and doctor’s offices were all involved in getting the word out to families and providing them with enrollment forms. As of December 2007, there are 663 children in Ionia County receiving books through this program!!

Enrollment forms are available throughout the community as well as on the Ionia ISD web-site (ioniaisd.org). The process is very simple, requiring only the child’s name, address and birth date. All children ages birth to five residing within Belding, Ionia, Lakewood, Palo, Portland and Saranac school districts are eligible for the program. Families only need sign their child up one time. The month they turn five they will automatically receive their last book.

Due to the Dollywood Foundation’s generosity, the cost for the program is only $27.00 per year for each enrolled child. For this value, a child receives a hardcover or board book each and every month sent directly to their home for an entire year. Additionally, all donations to the program are tax-deductible! Our current enrollments represent approximately 25% of the population that is expected to engage in the program. More children are still expected to enroll and the funding that was provided for the enrolled children was for only one year. As a result, more money will be needed on an annual basis to continue the project.

The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is designed to prevent children from experiencing reading failure. The importance of being read to early in life as a preventative strategy is well documented in research. Children who have been read to prior to coming to school, perform better once enrolled in school. In fact, the latest data suggests that children need to hear 1000 books before the age of five in order to have the necessary foundation skills to become fluent readers. We also know that if children are behind in kindergarten, they do not catch up with out intensive intervention. The Ionia ISD, in collaboration with the local school districts, has responded to this research by instituting Instructional Consultation Teams in every elementary school. These teams are specifically designed to support teachers when children are not progressing with respect to literacy skills. This year there was a record number of children participating with these teams with 50% being at the kindergarten and first grade levels. This suggests that many children are unable to master early skills such as letter identification, rhyming and sound symbol associations which are necessary for learning to read and sound out words.

As 2007 comes to a close, the Ionia ISD would like to thank each and every staff person, community member, business, parent and grandparent that have provided financial support to this program. The overall goal of the Imagination Library is for children to have books in the home and to be read to. That goal is exemplified by one parent who recently sent an email to the ISD stating:

“I just wanted to thank you for getting the Dolly Parton Imagination Library going. My son (3 1/2) has starting getting books. He loves them! He received one in the mail yesterday and he was so excited that when I walked into the house after him he was sitting in the chair with his coat, boots, hat and gloves still on holding the book waiting for me to read it. I have read it three times already and he wanted to take it to daycare so they could read it there!”

If you have any anecdotal stories to share about your family’s experiences with the DPIL program we would love to hear about them. Additionally, if you have questions about enrollments and/or if you are interested in providing financial support to this important community program, contact the Ionia ISD at 1-616-522-1410 or email us a cgranzo@ioniaisd.org.