Assemblymember Rivera Launches Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Buffalo, Lackawanna in Partnership with United Way of Buffalo & Erie County
State funding secured by Rivera will enable free books to be sent every month to children in eligible zip codes
Buffalo, NY – In an effort to enhance child literacy across the Western New York region, Assemblymember Jon D. Rivera and United Way of Buffalo & Erie County proudly announce the launch of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in parts of Buffalo and Lackawanna.
Working with United Way of Buffalo & Erie County and Lackawanna City Councilmember Amira Muflahi, a total of $30,000 from the 2024-2025 state budget will be used to implement the Imagination Library in Buffalo and Lackawanna. By signing up, children will receive a free book mailed to their home every month.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library mails an age-appropriate book monthly to all registered children, addressed to them, at no cost to the child’s family – with the mission to promote early literacy and a lifelong love of reading.
The idea began in 1995, when Dolly Parton launched Imagination Library to benefit the children of her home county in East Tennessee. Her vision was to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families, and to ensure that every child would have books, regardless of their family’s income.
The Imagination Library provides the infrastructure by managing the secure central database of enrolled children, coordinating book selections and negotiating fair prices for purchasing books in bulk. It then partners with local affiliates and partners who help bring the program to cities, towns and communities around the world. Affiliates can be businesses, school districts, nonprofit organizations, or simply individuals who share in the mission and purpose of the Imagination Library.
Local partners are responsible for enrolling children who live within the geographical area they offer the program in and securing funding to cover the cost of the books so that families can participate at no cost. Since the national program’s beginning, nearly 245,000,000 books have been gifted. In 2023, 27,889,777 books were donated within the United States alone.
The expansion of Imagination Library into Buffalo and Lackawanna arrives at a time in which the nation faces a literacy crisis. During the 2021-2022 school year, only 47% of kindergarten students were reading at grade level. Pandemic school closures exacerbated the problem, but these challenges predate COVID-19. In the 2019-2020 school year, just 55% of kindergarteners were on track.1
The Imagination Library has demonstrated success in helping to improve these numbers. A 2015 study conducted by professors at Le Moyne College found that children enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in the City of Syracuse were significantly better prepared to enter kindergarten than their peers who had not participated in it. Among children who were consistently enrolled in the program, 61.1 percent were assessed as ready for kindergarten based on their performance on the test compared to 47.4 percent of children who did not take part in the program.2
In short, participating in the program sets kids up for success because the literary and educational benefits from consistent reading directly correlate to positive life outcomes like higher educational attainment and stronger earning potential. According to a 2014 study from the American Academy of Pediatrics, reading aloud to your child from birth helps build key language, literacy and social skills — which typically lead to greater achievements in school and beyond.3
It is the hope of Assemblymember Rivera, Lackawanna City Councilmember Amira Muflahi and United Way of Buffalo & Erie County that a successful initial launch in Buffalo and Lackawanna will lead to an expansion of the Imagination Library program into communities all over Western New York.
Those who reside in the eligible zip codes of 14201, 14213, 14218 can sign up for Imagination Library on their Web site.
Assemblymember Jon D. Rivera said, “Books are gateways to new perspectives and they open up a lifetime of curiosity. I read to my daughter Ana every night before bedtime, and every family should be able to have that opportunity to bond, develop a love for reading, and explore new worlds that unfold with each page. I’m extremely excited to bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to our community to get more books into the hands of our children, as the positive benefits of early reading are well documented and lifelong. Together, we will better prepare the next generation of leaders for a successful future.”
Assemblymember Pat Burke said, “We are thrilled to welcome Dolly Parton Imagination Library to Lackawanna and partner with United Way. This initiative is a powerful step toward fostering early literacy and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to develop a love for reading from a young age. By providing free, high-quality books to children, we are investing in their future success and strengthening our community as a whole.”
Lackawanna Councilmember Amira Muflahi said, “As the daughter of immigrants, I understand how important literacy is and what the world looks like in its absence. My father, without a formal education, taught himself how to read as an orphan and when he came to the US, he struggled and learned basic English. My mother learned how to read English as an adult and then read any and every book she could. Introducing books to children prepares them for the world and provides them with not only intellectual strengths but also takes them to places they may never explore in real life. Books expand our horizons and teach us wisdom from those who came before us. Books develop our minds philosophically and force us to think critically. I am humbled and honored to be a part of this initiative and cannot wait for our young minds to be delighted with a new book every month.”
Trina Burruss, President/CEO of United Way of Buffalo & Erie County said, “Bringing Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to our community aligns perfectly with United Way’s mission to support early childhood development in Erie County. By starting with three zip codes, we are laying the groundwork for a countywide effort to ensure that every child, regardless of where they live, has access to these books and the opportunities they create.”
Dr. Stephen Turkovich, President of Oishei Children’s Hospital said, “Oishei Children’s Hospital is excited about partnering with United Way to enroll families in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library from birth. Reading to children from birth supports brain development, strengthens the parent-child bond, and sets the foundation for lifelong learning.”
Citations
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https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/infant-reading-aloud-young-children-benefits-brain-development