Most of us can remember the posters featuring a stern Uncle Sam pointing outward and the words, “Uncle Sam Wants You!” Hold that thought as I urge parents of newly born children in Sidney and Shelby County to enroll in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, no matter their family’s income. After launching in 1995, the program grew quickly.
At first, books were only distributed to children living in Sevier County, Tennessee. That was where Dolly Parton grew up. It became such a success that by the year 2000 a national replication effort was underway.
By 2003, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library had mailed one million books. Now all these years later, many millions of books have been sent to children around the world.
Dolly’s home state of Tennessee pledged to pursue statewide coverage in 2004 and global expansion was on the horizon. Under the leadership of the Shelby County United Way, the program was adopted in Shelby County in 2015.
In 2020, under the leadership of Ohio’s First Lady Fran DeWine and through funding authorized by Ohio’s General Assembly, every child in the State of Ohio was able to enroll in the program.
Almost since the program was begun locally, Shelby County has led the state in per capita participation in the program. Currently, 76.4 percent of children from birth to age five living in Shelby County are enrolled in the program.
Wilson Health has been a tremendous partner in the program. Children born in the Copeland-Emerson Family Birthing Center are automatically enrolled in the program. If the child is enrolled at birth, they will receive a book every month until they reach their fifth birthday. If a child is registered at birth, they should have a library of 60 books by the time they turn five!
We know from countless studies that early reading ignites creativity, sparks curiosity, and stimulates the imaginations of young children. Reading early often leads to role-play as children grow. This helps them develop other skills such as empathy, problem-solving, and moral behavior.
But if 76.4 percent of the Shelby County’s youngest children are enrolled, that still leaves approximately 707 children who are not receiving books each month. When we know that reading is necessary for learning and instilling a love for reading at an early age is the key that unlocks the door to learning, I have to ask the question: “Why do we still have almost one-quarter of our children who are not enrolled in the program?”
I’ve heard from some parents who do not participate that because they can afford to purchase books on their own, they feel uncomfortable accepting “free” books. If that is truly your reason and not an excuse, then make a contribution to the program through the Shelby County United Way and in actuality, you’ll be “paying” for the books you receive.
Others have told me that they are not comfortable with books coming into their home that may carry a message which makes them uncomfortable. Since you see the books when they arrive, you can easily censor those with which you may be uncomfortable. My grandchildren participated in the program, and I looked at the books they received each month.
The books included such standards as The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Yes, there were books whose titles were new to me, including The Night Before the Dentist, Carpenter’s Helper, and One Leaf, Two Leaves, Count With Me, but as the titles suggest, I found nothing “subversive” contained in the books my grandchildren received.
Some months ago, I organized a group of mayors from Ohio municipalities whose populations were about the same as ;that of Sidney. We met at the Governor’s Mansion to talk about problems of mutual concern with the Governor. Toward the end of the meeting, First Lady Fran DeWine took advantage of opportunity to serve some of her famous Buckeye Brownies and talk about the Imagination Library. She mentioned the fact that Sidney and Shelby County lead the state in participation. She also mentioned the close friendship she had developed with Dolly Parton.
I asked if there was a possibility that Dolly would pay us a visit if we could lead the nation in per capita participation. Thinking aloud, I asked if there was a better possibility if we could lead the world in participation (Canada launched the program in 2006 followed by the United Kingdom in 2007, Australia in 2013 and the Republic of Ireland in 2019). Certainly that would get Dolly’s attention, I suggested.
Welcoming Dolly to Shelby County would be great. Better still would be the lasting, long-term impact that the reading program would have on our county and by extension, our state and the nation.
Reading is necessary for learning. Instilling a love of reading at an early age is the key that unlocks the door to lifelong learning. Reading aloud presents books as sources of pleasant, entertaining, and exciting formative experiences for children to remember. Children who value books are more motivated to read on their own and will likely continue to hold that value for the rest of their lives.
Instilling a love of reading early gives a child a head start on expanding their vocabulary and building independence and self-confidence. It helps children learn to make sense not only of the world around them but also people, building social-emotional skills and of course, imagination. And that will benefit all of us!
I recently spoke with Shelby County Libraries Executive Director Suzanne Cline, and these were her comments: “This is an evidence based literacy program that not only helps children to have the tools necessary for beginning kindergarten, but it also provides a bonding and communication opportunity for children and their caregivers. Recent studies, conducted in Ohio, have shown up to 15% higher scores on the kindergarten readiness screenings compared to those children not enrolled in the program.”
“We could not provide with program without the continued partnership with the United Way and the efforts on behalf of Wilson Health to enroll the children as soon as they are born,” Mrs. Cline continued. “For the last couple of years we have been receiving funds as a result of Mrs. DeWine’s support of this program, and that’s helped as well.”
Since the inception of the program locally, 246,063 books have been distributed. If we can get every child enrolled, “imagine” the benefits! Picture if you will, Uncle Sam pointing at you and telling you: “Uncle Sam Wants You to Join Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library!”
Barhorst is the mayor of the City of Sidney and a longtime member of City Council.
