Governor Phil Bredesen has officially proclaimed Imagination Library Week (sponsored by Nissan) in Tennessee September 19-25, 2010. During this week, local Imagination Library affiliates in all 95 counties are bringing awareness to the free book program and hoping to boost enrollment across the state.
This year’s events are celebrating the 215,000 Tennessee children under the age of five who currently receive one free high quality age, appropriate book delivered to their home each month, and the fact that more than 10 million free books have been delivered to Tennessee children across the state since 2004.
“I encourage every Tennessee family with children under the age of five to enroll their children in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library during Imagination Library week,” said Governor Phil Bredesen. “During the past six years, this program has reached thousands of children and changed lives by providing them with tools to create a lifetime of learning, developing their vocabulary and school readiness. Our goal is for every child not currently enrolled to have their own library of books so that they can join the thousands of others who are growing and benefiting from this program.”
Please visit www.governorsfoundation.org to see a list of Imagination Library events happening in your area. The Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation encourage all Tennesseans to either enroll their child or give to their local county’s Imagination Library so that a child in your community can receive free books. Donations to your county’s Imagination Libraries can also be made at www.governorsfoundation.org.
Created in 1996 by Dolly Parton as a gift to the children in her hometown of Sevierville, TN., the Imagination Library mails a new, age-appropriate, high-quality book every month to registered children, from birth until age five – at no cost to the family, regardless of income. Just $24 annually provides for the purchase and delivery of 12 books to one child. This cost is split evenly between a non-profit sponsoring organization in every Tennessee county and a state budgetary allocation administered by the GBBF.
Currently, 57 percent of all Tennessee children ages 0-5 are registered in the Imagination Library and are receiving free books in the mail. More than 188,000 Tennessee five-year-olds have already “graduated” from the program. The statewide program has helped deliver more than 10 million books to Tennessee children since the creation of the GBBF in 2004.
The Governor's Books from Birth Foundation (GBBF) and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library are celebrating a significant milestone: more than 10 million free books have been delivered to Tennessee children in all 95 counties since the program began in 2004, developing their vocabulary, school readiness and a love of learning.
The milestone comes on the heels of the announcement that Tennessee is one of just two states awarded funding in the first round of President Obama's Race to the Top competition, recognizing our state's forward thinking in education reform and changing the way the nation views Tennessee's commitment to education. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is a part of that commitment, giving all Tennessee children access to free books and encouraging a lifetime of learning.
"Over the past seven years, we've focused on those things we can do to best prepare our children for success in the classroom, including the availability of pre-K and expanding the Imagination Library across all 95 counties to instill in children a love of reading right from the start," Gov. Phil Bredesen said. "This milestone shows how far we've come in a relatively short period of time and marks an achievement that will continue to pay rich dividends for Tennessee's children."
Dolly Parton, who first created the program, said, "I am one of the biggest dreamers that has ever lived, but I can honestly say I never dreamed that we would give 10 million books to Tennessee's children ... and the best thing of all, this is only the beginning!"
Created in 1996 by Dolly Parton as a gift to the children in her hometown of Sevierville, the Imagination Library mails a new, age-appropriate, high-quality book every month to registered children, from birth until age five - at no cost to the family, regardless of income. Just $24 annually provides for the purchase and delivery of 12 books to one child. This cost is split evenly between a non-profit sponsoring organization in every Tennessee county and a state budgetary allocation administered by the GBBF.
Currently, more than 214,000 Tennessee children under the age of five in all 95 counties are receiving a book delivered monthly to their home. More than 170,000 children have graduated from the program since 2004.
The books are selected from a blue-ribbon panel each year to ensure quality and age appropriateness for all ages, including The Little Engine That Could, Spot Goes to the Farm, The Snowy Day, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!.
To learn how to support Wilson County's Imagination Library program or, for information on how to register a child, please visit www.GovernorsFoundation.org or call 1-877-99-BOOKS.
