Shelby County reaches 10 years of offering free books
SIDNEY — Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is celebrating its 10th anniversary in Shelby County this year.
This United Way community initiative was started in March of 2015 through a joint effort between the library and the United Way, and now has many other partners involved, including Wilson Health Family Birth Center, which signs up every child at birth, according to a United Way newsletter.
The Imagination Library is an early literacy program that provides, at no cost to the family, an age-appropriate book that is mailed monthly from birth to age 5.
Currently, 78 percent of eligible Shelby County children are enrolled in the program, which ranks Shelby County as one of the top three in the program in the state of Ohio.
There have been over 200,000 books sent out to Shelby County children since the program started in 2015, thanks to generous supporters. Each book has lessons and is developmentally appropriate for their age.
Those children who have access to books at a young age reportedly have a 15 percent higher kindergarten readiness score.
For help on registration at a new address, call the Sidney library and ask for Cindy Timmerman at 937-492-8354 or email her at [email protected]. Sign up each child so they can each have their own books; sometimes the books wear out with multiple kids. Also, 25 to 35 percent of the books change each year.
To sign up for the program, visit the library’s website at www.shelbycountylibraries.org/dolly-parton or directly to the Imagination Library website at www.imaginationlibrary.com/Ohio.