United Way of Northwest Louisiana teamed up with the Natchitoches Community Alliance to bring the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Program to children in Natchitoches parish.

This early childhood literacy program fosters a love of reading to preschool age children and helps prepare them for kindergarten success. Local data demonstrates that only 52 percent of children in Northwest Louisiana enter kindergarten prepared. This educational and economic driven partnership will help to fight and reverse this statistic.

Research has shown that the number of books in a child’s home is significantly linked to reading scores – the more books, the better the score. When a child has access to books, their world becomes larger and their imagination soars. They are better prepared for school and life. United Way wants to help more kids have books in their homes. Last year, the United Way gave away 4,600 books as part of this program.

Through the Imagination Library program, books are delivered directly to the child’s home, one per month, until he/she is 5-years-old. That means, by the time he goes to kindergarten, he’ll have his own library of 60 books. Parents of children from birth to age five, living anywhere in Natchitoches parish, will need to sign up their children to participate in this free program.

To learn more about Imagination library and to find out how to sign up, visit unitedwaynwla.org/our-focus/education/dolly-partons-imagination-library/