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Dolly Parton, United Way, Covelli giving kids under 5 free books
YOUNGSTOWN
The goal of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley’s newest early education initiative, is to get a free book into the hands of every Mahoning County child 5 and younger.
The United Way’s early-literacy program, sponsored by Covelli Enterprises with help from the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, was launched Wednesday at Covelli’s Panera Bread on Mahoning Avenue in Austintown.
After the children are registered for the Imagination Library, they will receive a free, age-appropriate book once a month until their fifth birthday as long as they live in Mahoning County.
Parents or guardians can register online at www.ymvunitedway.org or pick up registration forms at the United Way office, 255 Watt St., at all branches of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County and various pre-schools and schools in the county. The books then will be sent directly to the child’s home.
Along with United Way’s Success by Six program, the Imagination Library initiative is part of an effort to get kids ready for school, said Robert Hannon, president of the local United Way.
“Children need to be able to read by third grade, and we need to start them learning to read early so they don’t get behind. We focus on early-childhood education so our children will be prepared well before they step foot into a classroom,” Hannon said.
He said the program will target at-risk children.
“We will reach out to schools and churches and other organizations. We aren’t going to wait for them to come to us. We’re going to them,” he said.
The public library’s role in Imagination Library is to facilitate the Reading Buddy Program, which teaches parents and caregivers techniques on how to read developmentally appropriate material to their children, said Jo Nolfi, manager of youth services and programming for the library.
For instance, the library’s Baby Brilliant program offers special programs and kits to help parents and caregivers learn the techniques to spur early brain development and make babies better readers and more successful students, Nolfi said.
Covelli Enterprises is financially supporting the program because Covelli Enterprises believes it will have a significant impact on education, said Allen Ryan, its director of corporate affairs.
“We have seen the test scores, and we could stick our head in the sand and do nothing. Instead, we believe the Imagination Library project has the ability to give parents the tools to improve their children’s reading skills, which will give them better opportunities to succeed in school and life,” Ryan said.