State of Montana Newsroom
First Lady Gianforte Celebrates Strengthening Early Childhood Literacy
New study shows impact of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program
HELENA, Mont. – First Lady Susan Gianforte today celebrated a new report showing Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library significantly strengthens early literacy skills for children. The non-profit program boosts early childhood literacy by providing free high-quality, age-appropriate books to Montana children up to age five.
“This new study reveals what we already know: reading unlocks a brighter future for our youngest minds and leads to lasting impacts on their success and development,” First Lady Gianforte said. “In Montana, we are proud to have expanded our program to reach over 29,500 children to ensure they have access to books during the most critical years of brain development.”
First Lady Susan Gianforte reading to children at Fort Peck Head Start in Poplar
Advancing her initiatives as Montana’s first lady, Susan Gianforte in June 2023 launched the statewide expansion of the Imagination Library of Montana in partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Prior to launching the initiative, the program was only available in some Montana counties and approximately 8,500 Montana children were enrolled. Today, Imagination Library of Montana has 58 local program partners in all 56 counties serving nearly 29,500 of the state’s eligible children. Over 783,000 books have been mailed in Montana since the program’s statewide expansion.
According to new research conducted by Dr. Claire Galea of United Way Australia, data analyzed from more than 86,000 caregivers reveals that after just 10 books, children in the program were at least four times more likely to demonstrate stronger emerging literacy skills, such as vocabulary and phonological awareness, compared to children not in the program. It also revealed children were 11 times more likely to be interested in books and 15 times more likely to join in during shared reading compared to children not in the program.
Through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the international program mails more than 3 million books each month directly to children’s homes in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland.
More information on the study can be found here.
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