Rhett Backscheider holds up a copy of “Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come” by Nancy Carlson, the final book he received through the Imagination Library program. Imagination Library of Johnson County now provides free books to all children in the county ages 4 and under.
SUBMITTED PHOTO | KELLY BACKSCHEIDER
Books open a window to new worlds and help young brains grow.
But most importantly, they can help set kids up for success. Low literacy rates have been linked to a greater likelihood of students dropping out of high school and to higher rates of poverty, unemployment, incarceration and hospitalization, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
And now, every Johnson County child under 5 years old can receive a free book each month.
“We really see Imagination Library as an organization that not only helps kids fall in love with reading, but prevents a lot of these potential issues from happening, because they help kids be more likely to succeed,” said Susan Crisafulli, president of Imagination Library of Johnson County. “It’s important to us that we’re not just covering part of the county.”
Imagination Library of Johnson County, the local branch of the nationwide literacy organization, will now be able to offer free books to every child age 0 to 4 throughout the county. Donations and a pair of grants have allowed the organization to add children in the two Greenwood zip codes; previously, it was able to fund books for every other zip code in the county but those, Crisafulli said.
The opportunity to give books to children, regardless of where in the county they live, is a huge step for the group.
“We are such believers in children having access to books before kindergarten. There’s so much research that shows if kids have books before kindergarten, they’re more likely to start school ready to learn to read. They’re more likely to succeed academically. They’re more likely to graduate high school,” Crisafulli said. “All kids in the county need to have equal access to getting these books for free.”
Imagination Library is an organization founded by Dolly Parton in 1995. The idea was to help children in her home Sevier County, Tennessee, achieve their dreams, by stimulating their imaginations and encouraging reading within the family at an early age.
Through her foundation, Parton was able to send every child in the county who signed up a book each month.
By 2000, the program was so successful that Parton announced that she would partner with communities throughout the U.S. to spread it nationwide. There are more than 2,000 affiliate programs worldwide. The program also exists in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Ireland.
Johnson County formed a chapter in 2017. The organization has mailed 81,244 books to local children since then.
The concept is simple — children are mailed a free book each month from birth through age 4, for a total of 60 free books by the time they enter kindergarten. Children “graduate” from the program on their fifth birthday. The first book the children receive is “The Little Engine That Could,” which includes a welcome letter from Dolly. The last book they receive is “Look Out, Kindergarten, Here I Come!”
Up to now, 2,002 children have signed up, and 1,407 have “graduated” from the program.
Organizers have added communities by zip code as funding for the books has been available. Greenwood, with its dense population and a large number of children eligible for the program, was the last to be added.
“We thought Greenwood was a far-off dream, maybe another four or five years before we could muster up the money to open it up,” Crisafulli said.
Generosity of the community accelerated that timeline. On Sept. 7, 100+ Women Who Care Johnson County chose the Imagination Library to receive its third grant of the year — worth $14,100.
“In combination of other money we had saved up, that allowed us to open up one of the Greenwood zip codes,” Crisafulli said.
Imagination Library of Johnson County had also applied for a grant from CenterPoint Energy Foundation. The foundation has made supporting Imagination Library programs a focus, and foundation leaders contacted Crisafulli about providing more funding than she applied for.
In the end, they provided $35,000.
“They were aware of how many people were on our list wanting to be on the program, and asked what they could do to make that happen,” Crisafulli said. “They very generously came back with the money we needed.”
Parents across the county can sign their children up at the Imagination Library of Johnson County website, or they can pick up a paper registration form at Johnson County Public Library branches and Johnson County WIC. Organizers also plan to distribute more of those to area preschools, particularly in Greenwood, Crisafulli said.
AT A GLANCE
Imagination Library of Johnson County
What: The local chapter of a free program for families in which children are mailed a new book every month. The goal is to help build literacy skills and a love of reading in local children.
Who can take part: Any child under the age of 5 living in Johnson County.
How to sign up: Parents can go to imaginationlibraryjoco.org/register.
