Imagination Library going strong

The Huron County Imagination Library was established in 2021 to put free, age-appropriate books in the hands of all children from birth to five years old in Huron County. This local library has been patterned after Dolly Parton's Imagination Library that she formed in Tennessee many years ago, and the program has now spread world-wide. Parents must enroll their children on-line in this program in order for the children to receive these free monthly books, delivered directly to the children in their homes. It takes parents less than five minutes to register their child at ohioimaginationlibrary.org. The number of books in the home is a key indicator of academic success. Children with twenty-five books in the home are more likely to complete an additional two years of school. It is widely recognized that the best way to promote language development is by reading to children, and families participating in the Imagination Library say they read together more often than their peers who do not participate in the program. All of the school districts in Huron County have been contacted about the Huron County Imagination Library, and are enthusiastic about the educational benefits of this program. Although the program is free for the children, the Imagination Library costs $26 per child per year for the books to be sent directly to the children's homes from Tennessee. There are no administrative costs to Huron County, but it is local funding that pays this monthly fee. The first free book that children enrolled in the Imagination Library program is The Little Engine that Could, and the last book to be received when a child reaches the age of five is Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!. Bilingual books are also now available through Imagination Library. At the present time there are approximately 3014 children under age five in Huron County. 61%of these children (2228) are enrolled in this program in this third year. 61% (410,792) is also thenumber of children in Ohio who are currently receiving the Imagination Library books. Further, the Huron County Imagination Library program has had over 2000 "graduate" from the program when they became five years old. Parents just need to go to ohioimaginationlibrary.org to get their children enrolled and for additional information. The steering committee of the Huron County Imagination Library has established an annual fund-raising goal of $75,000 in order to pay for these Imagination Librarybooks. To guarantee this impactful and inspiring program continues in Huron County, please consider sending your contribution to Norwalk Area United Fund, 2 Seminary Street, Norwalk, OH 44857. Earmark your check Huron County Imagination Library.