JULIAN, Calif. (KGTV) — A literacy program founded by country music legend Dolly Parton has been fostering a love of reading among children in Julian for the past five years, with families crediting the initiative for helping their kids develop crucial early literacy skills.
The Dolly Parton Imagination Library provides free books to children between birth and age 5, mailing one book per month directly to their homes. The nationwide program, which launched 30 years ago, aims to prepare children for academic success before they enter kindergarten.
"All of our children are really good about sitting and reading with us, and they immerse themselves in whatever book it is we're reading," said Elizabeth Pritchard, whose children participate in the program.
The Pritchard family has seen firsthand how the program works. Their 7-year-old son Alessio has progressed from listening to his parents read aloud to sounding out words on his own and now reading independently.
"We were very excited when they became interested in reading and started reading and kind of looking at the letters and realizing that there's like a decodable language hidden in those letters," said Gilbert Pritchard.
The excitement extends beyond just the books themselves. Children receive personalized mailings with their names on them, creating anticipation around reading.
"They have an excitement for reading, so getting a book that has their name on it, that's addressed to them, it gets them excited to read their book," Elizabeth Pritchard said.
Community volunteer Eric Jones helped bring the program to Julian and explained how it operates through local partnerships.
"It relies on local volunteers to come together and to create a partnership with a local nonprofit. Then go out and make the community aware of this program and raise some money," Jones said.
The program requires local fundraising to cover a portion of the book costs. Parents register their children when they are born, and the monthly book deliveries continue until the child turns 5.
Currently, 96 children in Julian are registered for the program. Since its launch in the East County community, more than 100 students have graduated from the Imagination Library, receiving a congratulatory book from Dolly Parton as their final delivery.
Jones estimates that more than 6,000 books have been mailed to children in the Julian area over the program's five-year run.
"So when they come to school, they are already familiar with books and they enjoy them, they associate them with positive experiences with their family," Jones said.
For families like the Pritchards, the program has reinforced the importance of literacy in their household.
"Reading is very important to our family, and I just think that it's such an important piece into being a lifelong learner," Gilbert Pritchard said.
To find out if the Imagination Library is in your area, click here.
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