Lawrence County is hopping on board the Dolly Parton Imagination Library train by announcing the county’s participation in the Ohio Imagination Library.
The state is joining forces with Dolly’s library, which offers a free book a month mailed to any child from birth to age five. The program started back in 1995 in Dolly’s birthplace of Sevier County, Tenessee. Ohio has recently allocated $5 million to bring the program to kids all across the state.
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Lawrence County Commission President, DeAnna Holliday, said the chance to reach kids before they are old enough to start school is a monumental opportunity for the youth of the county. She quoted studies that showed the program improves literacy and kindergarten-readiness for participating children by 35%. “When we’re talking about investing in the future of Lawrence County, there’s no better way than investing in the education of our children.”
She said the program would cost the county $34,000. The Governor’s office put in $17,000 of that total. Holliday thanked local contributors and businesses for contributing money to the program. She said a full list of donors would be posted later. “When you see these folks, please say thank you to them.”
She encouraged citizens to donate saying it only costs $2.15 to send a book to a child.
Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine will be at the Collins Career Center on Monday, February 3rd at 12:45 pm to launch the OIL. The Portsmouth Public Library announced Scioto County’s participation in the program last week.