Published: Saturday, Sep. 06, 2008 / Updated: Monday, Sep. 08, 2008 07:36 AM

Reading program puts free books in kids' hands

Rock Hill nonprofit launches Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

The Early Learning Partnership has a new approach to pique York County kids' interest in reading: giving them free books.

Next week, the Rock Hill-based nonprofit will launch Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which seeks to send a book a month to children ages 5 and younger. Kickoff celebrations where county residents can sign up will be Monday through Friday.

"No child will be turned away," said Donna Wooldridge, executive director of the partnership.

The idea comes from country music celebrity Dolly Parton, who in 1996 arranged for kids to receive a free book each month in her hometown of Sevier County, Tenn.

The popular program grew faster than expected, attracting interest across the country, Canada and the United Kingdom. Today, it mails books to some 500,000 kids in the U.S. Communities agree to pay for books, mailing, promotion and registration. The Dollywood Foundation manages book delivery.

Kids get a variety of titles aimed at their age groups. Infants, for example, get "Giggles With Daddy" and "Where's My Nose." Five-year-olds can check the mailbox for "A Place Called Kindergarten" and "Why Do Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears?"

The total cost is about $30 per child.

Studies indicate early childhood years -- from birth to age 5 -- are critical to a child's ability to read and communicate later in life.

According to findings by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, children who become familiar with reading and language at early ages are more likely to do well in school than those who are not exposed to reading.

2,000 expected to sign up

The partnership has enlisted businesses, school districts and individual donors to sponsor its effort. It estimates about 2,000 people will sign up, but that's just a guess.

"We don't really know what to expect," Wooldridge said.

Neighboring Lancaster County has had the Imagination Library since 2001. It costs about $42,000 a year for 1,400 kids. It's funded entirely by donations and fundraising, said Lora Bryson, who oversees the program there.

"Everybody just loves it," Bryson said. "It has a tremendous impact on children."

Bryson, executive director of the county's First Steps to School Readiness program, said it's difficult to measure the impact. But families have said on surveys that they read as many as six times a week more than before signing up.

"If children have literature in their home ... families are reading more, children are becoming more familiar with books," Bryson said. "We go on the fact that we're putting literature in the home."