Imagination Library arrives in Putnam County

Monday, June 27, 2011
Singer Dolly Parton launched Imagination Library in 1996 to encourage a love of reading among East Tennessee preschool children and their families. Putnam County is the latest area to benefit from her imagination and generosity.

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library has arrived in Putnam County and families with children from birth to five years old will definitely want to jump on board!

Imagination Library is open to all families in Putnam County -- at no cost -- for children from birth to five years old, regardless of family income.

Sign-up just takes a few minutes and the books will arrive in the mail monthly addressed to each child, starting 8-10 weeks later.

The first book will be "The Little Engine That Could." The last book of the program, "Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!," will arrive during the month of the child's fifth birthday.

In between, a wide variety of age-appropriate books featuring colors, letters and numbers, nursery rhymes, folk tales, science, poetry and picture books, will arrive to read, enjoy and share with your child.

Parton launched Imagination Library in 1996 to encourage a love of reading among her East Tennessee county's preschool children and their families. She wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create.

Since then, the program has spread across the United States, Canada and England. Currently 17,000 Indiana families already receive their new books each month and now the community has brought Imagination Library to the children of Putnam County.

Local affiliates sign up children and order the books. The Dolly Parton Foundation obtains the books from the publisher and mails them monthly to each child. Local costs are paid by grants, sponsorships and donations. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is not a charity or social service -- it is a gift to all preschoolers in our community.

Partners in bringing Imagination Library locally are the Putnam County Public Library, Friends of the Putnam County Library, Family Support Services and Putnam County Head Start.

The Putnam County Community Foundation provided the start-up grant. Support has been and continues to be received from numerous organizations and individuals.

Children develop literacy skills long before they are able to read; having books read to them is an essential part of the process. The more words a child hears, the larger the child's vocabulary and the better chance of success in reading, writing, communicating and problem-solving. Having books in the home gives a child a benefit that lasts throughout life.

Registration forms are available at the Putnam County Public Library and bookmobile, Family Support Services, Head Start, Johnson Nichols Health Clinic and Roachdale-Franklin Township Public Library. Sign-up will be available at the Putnam County Fair and other locations throughout the community.

For more information contact Alice Greenburg, Putnam County Public Library director, at 653-2755, ex. 102. Also, interested parties can send an email at director@putnam.lib.in.us, Cathryn Ensley at 720-7610, or visit the library website at www.putnam.lib.in.us.

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  • Congratulations to Cathryn Ensley and all who made this possible. Imagination Library is an incredible gift to our youngest community members. The program may be absolutely no cost to our families with young children, but many people worked very hard to pull this together. Thank you!!

    -- Posted by Maeve04 on Wed, Jun 29, 2011, at 10:19 AM
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