Imagination Library is a program in which any child birth to age 5 who registers for the program receives a hard cover age appropriate book mailed to their home – FREE!
Imagination Library was founded by Dolly Parton in Sevier County, Tennessee. It is now a state funded program in Tennessee, as well as other states. Henderson was the first county in Kentucky to offer the Imagination Library program. I Am Your Henderson Child, Inc. brought the Imagination Library to Henderson in November 2003 and partnered with Chamber of Commerce in July 2005. The Chamber of Commerce Foundation for Community Excellence is now the primary supporter of the Imagination Library.
There are 878 children in Henderson County currently enrolled in the Imagination Library program and receiving books in the mail and over 800 children who have graduated. In totatl Henderson County has provided books to over 1550 children in the last 3 years.
Monthly invoices are approximately $2,500, or around $30,000 each year, and only increase as more children enroll. Though any qualifying child can receive books for free, the program must be funded by our own community. The cost is only $2.50 per child per month or $30 per child per year. One child can be sponsored for the 5 years for only $150 (this includes the mailing fees and the book).
Literacy Facts
– 35% of children arrive at school unprepared to learn.
– 75% of students who are poor readers in the third grade will remain poor readers in high school.
– From birth to age nine are critical years for brain development; the key is to start the learning process at birth.
– Children learn to read from first to third grade so they can read to learn from then on.
– The more words a child hears, the larger the child’s vocabulary, the more likely the child will be a proficient reader.
– Children who are read to at least 3 times weekly are twice as likely to score in the top 25% in reading.
– Over 85% of Imagination Library parents report reading to their child almost daily.
If you would like to donate to Henderson County's Imagination Library program, please download the attached form and return it along with your donation to the Henderson-Henderson County Chamber of Commerce.
All donations are tax deductable.
You can also register online here.
If you have any questions, please call (270) 826-9531.
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