Family Resources
2024 Book List
Q & A: Imagination Library Program
Braille and Audio Options
Bilingual Books
Coloring Sheet
8 Easy Reading Tips
Partnerships
The Dollywood Foundation
Local Program Partners
Storybook Trails
Ohio’s Foster Care
Impact
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio ignites a passion for reading in young children through the building of key emotional relationships and by enhancing cognitive skills, leading to significant educational advancements.
Several Local Program Partners throughout Ohio have conducted research and surveys to measure the impact and success of the Imagination Library program in their communities.
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Research has shown that children participating in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library are significantly more likely to be ready for kindergarten compared to students who are not participating in the program. Learn More…
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The University of Cincinnati’s Economics Center conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the Warren County Imagination Library. The analysis utilized costs assumed by the Warren County Imagination Library program illustrating the lifetime economic impact of the program for the community. Learn More…
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The Center for Community Solutions published an impact report in partnership with the Community Foundation of Lorain County (Lorain County’s affiliate) indicating a high satisfaction and increase in reading among current program participants in Lorain County. Learn More…
96% of parents & 80% of children agree reading aloud with each other is a special time.
— Scholastic Kids and Family Reading Report, 2022
Children who read at home are 3x per week are more likely to recognize letters, count to 20, and write their name before entering school.
— Reading for Life: The Impact of Youth Literacy on Health Outcomes (Scholastic), Nord 1999
By age three, a child’s brain is already 80% developed.
— Baby’s Brain Begins Now: Conception to Age 3, The Urban Child Institute
Reading aloud is widely recognized as the single most important activity for enhancing a child’s language and development.
— Family Literacy Programs: Who Benefits (Ohio Library Resource Center), 2020
For every $1 invested in the Imagination Library, the program is estimated to generate an additional $1.61 in net annual economic and societal benefits.
— Economic Analysis of the Warren County Imagination Library, 2021
65% of Ohio fourth graders are not reading at a proficient level.
— Kids Data Book - The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2023
Children who read often are less likely to feel nervous, anxious, sad, or lonely compared to those who read infrequently.
— Scholastic Kids and Family Reading Report, 2022
Children with at least 25 books in the home complete an average of two more years of schooling than those with no books.
— Tennessee Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation, 2020
61% of US Children living at or below the poverty level have no books in the home.
— Reading is Fundamental