Imagination Library provides children with a free new book every month through their fifth birthday. Dolly Parton started Imagination Library in 1995, to fight illiteracy in her eastern Tennessee community. Research shows that disadvantaged children come to school years behind their peers in pre-reading skills, and rarely catch up, and that the children still struggling to read in 3rd grade are the ones who eventually drop out.
Evaluations indicate that Imagination Library is getting kids more interested in reading, as well as, getting parents more comfortable reading to their children. Children are mailed an age-appropriate book directly to their homes each month to build their own private library. Only 2 out of 10 low-income children in Polk County enter Kindergarten ready to read. For that reason, low-income sites are targeted when enrolling children.
Local sponsors currently include the Friends of the Bartow Library, Bartow Rotary, Lake Wales Library Association and Florida’s Natural Growers Foundation. The program is currently available for all of Polk, Hardee and Highlands counties. The average sponsorship cost per child in Polk County is only $2.50 per month and a $3,000 sponsorship provides 100 children with one book per month for a full year! In fiscal year 2020/21, 17,282 books were mailed to children!
Dolly Parton Libraries are a component of “Let’s Grow. Every child. Every chance.” – a community initiative working to increase early literacy.
To learn more about the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Libraries or Let’s Grow, please email imaginationlibrary@uwcf.org.
To register a child please complete this Registration Form.
To inquire about sponsorship opportunities, contact Amber Qureshi at 863.648.1500 ext. 228.
In Local News:
For more information about the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, visit the official web site
Our Mission
To inspire our community to give, advocate and volunteer by identifying needs and mobilizing vetted resources to create positive, local change.
Our Vision
To unite our community and empower everyone to achieve their full potential.
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PO Box 1357,
Highland City, FL 33846
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863.648.1500
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5605 US Highway 98 S.
Lakeland, FL 33812
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