State funding to support local Imagination Library program

Sep. 4—FLOYD COUNTY — The Imagination Library of Floyd County has helped instill a love of reading in local children since it started in 2009, and with support from the state, the program will be able to expand its reach in the community.

The Imagination Library, an international program that gives free books to children under age five, is receiving a significant boost from the State of Indiana.

The state has allocated $6 million in the budget over the next two years to cover half of the book costs for the local Imagination Library affiliates, including Floyd County's chapter. Through this expansion, the program will be available in every zip code in all 92 counties in Indiana.

Country music star Dolly Parton started the Imagination Library program in 1995, and since then, the program has gifted 200 million books to children across the world. The program features high-quality, age-appropriate books, which are mailed to the children's homes.

Imagination Library Program Director Becky King said the financial support "impacts us in a very big way."

It will help to promote the program in Floyd County, and it will allow the local chapter to focus more on programming. The New Albany-Floyd County Education Foundation sponsors the program.

The book budget is typically about $90,000 a year, and the state's support means a 50% decrease in that budget.

"When you have 3,400 kids, that's a lot of money to pull together for every month," King said. "I have to say, with the generous community that we have, we never really had a problem... the community has always come through for us."

"But at the state level, that announcement means a lot, not just for expansion, but for programs that are already established," she said.

It also serves as a "good nudge" for communities such as Clark County to start an Imagination Library program, King said.

The local program also receives funding from organizations such as the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County, the City of New Albany, Samtec and Metro United Way.

Since 2009, the Floyd County program has delivered 551,078 books to 18,366 children, and 3,434 children are currently enrolled. According to King, seven out of 10 Floyd County children under age five are enrolled in the Imagination Library.

The Blue Ribbon Book Selection Committee, a group of early childhood literacy experts, chooses each book for the Imagination Library.

"So it's not only beautifully illustrated books, but stories [and] vocabulary that expands the children's look at the world," King said.

The books are available to children from birth until their fifth birthday.

The Imagination Library partners with local organizations to help children get involved at an early age. This includes a partnership with Baptist Health Floyd so that families can sign up right after their child is born.

In a news release, Holcomb described reading as "the key to further education and opportunity."

"The very ability to read can transport children and adults alike to places they have never been and open doors they never knew existed. By making Dolly Parton's Imagination Library available in every zip code, we are giving Hoosier children yet another personalized tool close to home they'll need for literary success."

In the state's news release, Parton expressed gratitude for Indiana's expansion of the Imagination Library.

"It takes a lot of great people working together to make this possible, and I want to thank Governor Holcomb, the Indiana General Assembly, State Librarian Jake Speer and all our Local Community Partners across the state who helped make this dream a reality," Parton said.