Amid the uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Mecklenburg County (DPIL) has continued to mail children enrolled in the Charlotte area a free, high-quality, age-appropriate book to their house each and every month. The organization currently delivers free, age-appropriate books to over 27,000 Mecklenburg County children each month, an 864% increase since Smart Start of Mecklenburg County began facilitating the program in 2017.
The Imagination Library recently announced a new way to spread the word about the book-giving program and get books into the hands of families in the community by partnering with various MECK Pre-K classroom locations. The program has purchased recycled newspaper bins to be used as Little Free Libraries. “These libraries will allow us to distribute new books directly to children, and help us educate parents about this opportunity for their family,” said Champagne Selman, Literacy Coordinator.
Any family with children ages 0 – 5 is eligible to sign up at no cost to them.
Reading initiatives like this are imperative, especially during times such as these, to encourage early literacy within the community, according to The Imagination Library. The parents enrolled in DPIL reported an increase in children reading daily from 50% to 72%. Daily shared reading is a strong indicator of early literacy, which is foundational for school success.
A list of Little Free Library locations can be found here.
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