United Way of Larimer County Brings Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Larimer County

The Imagination Library Provides Free Books Monthly to Children Ages 0-5

United Way of Larimer County (UWLC)has announced that it is partnering with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and Imagination Library Colorado to provide engaging, high-quality, age-appropriate books to Larimer County children from birth to age five. Books will be delivered directly to children at their homes at no cost to families.

Access to the Imagination Library increases childhood literacy rates, fosters a love of books, and promotes a culture of reading among all families in Larimer County. “We are so excited for this partnership with the Imagination Library. Children who are read to early in life are better prepared for school,” said Christina Cooper, Senior Director of Resource Development at United Way of Larimer County. “Early childhood literacy and education are important pillars of our work and bringing this program to Larimer County will have a lasting impact for years to come.” United Way’s five-year goal is to reach 65% of children under the age of 5 or over 11,000 children in Larimer County.

United Way of Larimer County is partnering with several local agencies to increase local access to the program, including Berthoud Community Library, Estes Valley Library, Loveland Public Library, Poudre River Public Library District, Red Feather Lakes Community Library, and Wellington Public Library. Families can enroll their children in the program by visiting www.uwaylc.org/ImaginationLibrary or visiting any of the above libraries to fill out an enrollment form. Once enrolled, the first book takes 6-8 weeks to arrive.

While Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library provides limited bilingual Spanish/English book options for all ages, UWLC is committed to ensuring that young children and their caregivers can enjoy books in both Spanish and English year-round. We’re working in partnership with the Poudre River Public Library District to achieve this goal.

To learn more about Larimer County Imagination Library including how to enroll, how to support the program, or how to become an enrollment partner, please visit uwaylc.org/ImaginationLibrary.

United Way of Larimer County (UWLC) is a one-stop resource for generosity in our community, ensuring that gifts of time, talent, and treasure address today’s greatest needs – and reduce tomorrow’s. Community needs change over time, which is why UWLC encourages nimble and innovative human services and a commitment to nonprofit excellence. UWLC strives to strengthen our community by supporting youth & education, financial stability, community engagement, and nonprofit excellence in Larimer County.

To learn more about United Way of Larimer County and how you can get involved with your community, visit uwaylc.org.

Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has become the preeminent early childhood book-gifting program in the world. The flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has gifted well over 182 million free books in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and The Republic of Ireland. The Imagination Library mails more than 2 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to enrolled children from birth to age five. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading, inspiring children to dream more, learn more, care more and be more. The impact of the program has been widely researched and results suggest positive increases in key early childhood literacy metrics. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. For more information, please visit imaginationlibrary.com.