Douglas County to launch Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to celebrate expansion, reading programs
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Tue, 01/09/2024 - 4:46pm
Event Date:
January 12, 2024 - 4:00pm
The Northern Nevada Reading Coalition, an alliance of community partners that is committed to early childhood literacy in Nevada, will be celebrating the expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library on Jan. 12 at 4 p.m. at Douglas County Public Library located at 1625 Library Lane, Minden.
The Imagination Library is the flagship program of the Dollywood Foundation and mails free, high-quality, age-appropriate books to enrolled children from birth until their fifth birthday, regardless of their family’s income. United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra, a collective impact nonprofit in the region that operates the program in northern Nevada, recently expanded to include 13 counties thanks to a concerted collaboration with the Northern Nevada Reading Coalition and Nevada state legislators. Organizers are asking individuals to RSVP via Facebook so they can plan accordingly.
The event will also celebrate the launch of two programs from the Douglas County Public Library (DCPL) designed to encourage reading at an early age. These programs are the 1,000 Books before Kindergarten initiative and the Every Child Ready to Read initiative. All three programs will work to cultivate a deeper appreciation for reading while building foundational skills and proficiencies for reading in young children.
The Douglas County Public Library launch event will also feature two book readings by Herman Fillmore, the Culture/Language Resources Director of the Washoe Tribe of NV and CA. The two books that will be read are sí∙su ťí∙yeli ťá∙gɨm móŋilháya “the large bird that grew pine nuts” and Ɂúŋa Ɂeygéluhéš ťánu ɁáduɁétiluligi “how the people got their hands.” Both books have been retold and translated by Lisa Enos and Melba Rakow in both Washoe and English.
“We’re excited to introduce Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to families and children in and around Minden, while also signing individuals up for two DCPL programs that further support the importance of reading at young ages,” said Tim DeGhelder, library director at DCPL. “All three of these efforts have the best interest of northern Nevadans in mind and are built to be accessible for all types of families.”
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten encourages families to read one book a night with the goal of reaching 1,000 books prior to the child’s start in Kindergarten. The initiative encourages family time centered around reading designed to provide children with essential early literacy skills.
Every Child Ready to Read similarly focuses on early literacy skills in a quarterly, in-person class for parents and caregivers. Participants are provided with ways they can encourage the children in their lives to build these skills through five principle techniques: talking, singing, reading, writing and playing.
Programs like these work to bolster academic performance later in a child’s life by heavily cultivating a penchant and proficiency for reading in their early, formative years. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the most intensive period for speech and language development for an individual is within the first three years of their life. Data demonstrates that reading with young children helps to stimulate brain development.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is funded in part thanks to the 2023 Nevada State Legislature and coalition members, including: Carson City School District, Churchill County School District, Community Services Agency, Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada, Elko County School District, Food Bank of Northern Nevada, Northern Nevada Literacy Council, NV Energy, Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce, Renown Health, The Children’s Cabinet, Washoe County Library System, Washoe County School District, and United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra. Through the expansion, program partners seek to serve 30,000 children and deliver more than 1 million books by 2028. To qualify, families must reside in one of the following 13 counties: Washoe, Churchill, Douglas, Elko, Humboldt, Eureka, Lander, Lyon, Mineral, Pershing, Storey, White Pine and Carson City.
Individuals can sign up for one or all three programs directly at the event. Those interested in signing up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library who are unable to attend can sign up at www.uwnns.org/DPIL. Those interested in signing up for 1,000 Books By Kindergarten and Every Child Ready to Read can register here.
To learn more about UWNNS and its programming, click here. To learn more about Douglas County Public Library, click here. For media inquiries, contact Rachel Gattuso, APR at rachel@gattusocoalition.com or (775) 336-9453.
