We provide books to the children of Johnson County, IN, free of charge.

Strengthening our Community through Literacy

Our mission is to increase kindergarten readiness rates in Johnson County, Indiana, by providing books to as many children as possible, with a particular effort to serve low-income families.

We are an affiliate of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which gives us the ability to put books into the hands and hearts of children in our community. This inspires a love for reading, increases kindergarten readiness, and promotes overall academic success.

 

ILJC History

 

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library began in 1995 in Tennessee, when Dolly Parton wanted to “stimulate children’s imaginations and encourage reading within the family at an early age.”  She provided one free book a month to children from birth to age 5, for a total of 60 free books by the time they entered kindergarten.  In 2000, she began offering the books nationwide and even internationally by inviting communities to set up affiliate programs.  Now, over 2,000 local affiliate organizations in five countries have sent over 140 million books to preschool-age children by not only enrolling children in their respective communities, but also raising money to help cover the cost of the books.  You may read more about the history of Dolly’s program here.

The Imagination Library program in Johnson County, Indiana, began in July 2017 in response to low kindergarten readiness rates in the area.  When children start school with few literacy skills, they are at a disadvantage academically, and they have only a few years to catch up.  Low literacy rates have been linked to a greater likelihood of students dropping out of high school and to higher rates of poverty, unemployment, incarceration, and hospitalization.  The U.S. Department of Education, for example, reports that 85% of juvenile offenders have difficulty reading.  In addition, 43% of adults with low literacy skills live in poverty, and 70% of welfare recipients struggle with reading, according to the National Institute for Literacy.

The program began just in Franklin but quickly expanded to include other Johnson County communities.  In 2020, the Imagination Library of Johnson County became an official 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization.

 

Overall, studies demonstrate that the Imagination Library books promote:

  • Early reading skills

  • School readiness

  • Language development

  • Life skills development

  • Understanding of how books work

  • Parent engagement

  • Home literacy practices

  • Excitement about books and reading

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About Us Slide

“Research by Frank Ridzi and his colleagues in Syracuse, NY (2011), found that children enrolled in Imagination Library demonstrated a 30% increase in kindergarten preparedness.”

“A study conducted in Knox County, TN, in 2013 found that Imagination Library participants were more prepared for kindergarten than non-participants and, when the researchers conducted follow-up assessments when the children were in third grade, they found that the Imagination Library participants still had statistically greater performance than non-participants. Similar studies in Memphis, TN (Samiei et al, 2013), and in Indianola, MS (2014), found the same results.”

“Focus group participants in East Tennessee reported that the Imagination Library program had a “healing effect on the community” through increased community initiatives, increased library usage, and further development of child literacy programs. They also revealed that establishing a reading routine in the family provided a sense of calm and stability for families facing difficulties (Ebert, 2014).”