PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Soon after giving birth to her first child, Courtney Castle received a brochure about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a program hosted locally through the United Way of Aroostook, that would send her daughter Carlie, now 3 years old, one free book every month tailored to her individual reading level.
“I didn’t know that type of program existed until Carlie was born,” Courtney Castle said Wednesday. “There are a lot of families around here who can’t afford to buy books on a regular basis, so it’s great that people can still receive books for their children.”
Courtney and her husband, Daniel Castle, who live in Presque Isle, have continued the reading tradition with their 18-month-old son, Carson. Both he and Carlie receive a book each month and are two of 2,197 eligible children ages birth to 5 years old in Aroostook County who are enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. United Way, which has been administering the program locally since 2013, sends out an average of 2,200 books per month now and recently hit the 100,000-book mark.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library began in 1995 after the country-western singer distributed books to children in Sevier County, Tennessee, where she grew up, in an effort to promote early literacy skills. Since then the program has expanded to include local administrators across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.
United Way became aware of the program in 2013 after learning about a group of parents and educators in the St. John Valley who had begun distributing imagination library books in 2010 but were unable to expand due to the $58,000 per year cost of operating the program. During the past five years 1,579 children have “graduated” from Imagination Library, meaning that they turned 5 years old.
Today, United Way has grown the program’s outreach from 20 books per month in the St. John Valley to 2,200 each month throughout Aroostook County thanks to sponsorship from The Aroostook Medical Center, Cary Medical Center, Houlton Regional Hospital, Northern Maine Medical Center, Gallagher Insurance, Maibec Lumber, the Rotary Clubs of Houlton, Fort Fairfield and Presque Isle, and the Presque Isle Kiwanis Club.
“Research has shown us that when parents read aloud to their children every day, those children become more ready to start school,” said Athena Hallowell, United Way program coordinator. “The Dolly Parton program is unique because we can send quality books that are appropriate for every child’s current level of reading.”
Although Carlie and Carson still have much time before beginning preschool, their mother Courtney Castle has already seen a greater bond form between the siblings because of the books they receive.
“Carlie likes to read to her brother and try to ‘teach’ him how to read,” Courtney Castle said. “Today, there is so much technology that’s fed to kids from an early age, so I think it’s even more important to expand their imagination early and help them learn to love reading.”
Daniel Castle also noted that, despite her young age, Carlie has developed a sense of curiosity that she might not have gotten so quickly without early exposure to books.
“She can open a book and already tell us about things like shapes and colors. It’s amazing how she’s caught on to those concepts so quickly,” Daniel Castle said.
Those who want to donate to the program can visit the United Way of Aroostook website or mail a check to 830 Main Street, Presque Isle, Maine, 04769. A donation of $25 to the program covers the total cost of sending monthly books to one child for one year, according to Hallowell.
