Program Offers Free Book Per Month to Kids Under Five in Marion County
Did you know that Marion County residents can get one free book a month mailed to their child up until the age of five? It’s part of Marion County’s partnership with the Marion & Polk Early Learning Hub and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, a program that was founded in 1995 and provides literacy resources across the nation.
“Before he passed away, my Daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing I had ever done,” Parton said on her website. “I can’t tell you how much that meant to me because I created the Imagination Library as a tribute to my Daddy.
“He was the smartest man I have ever known, but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams.”
The program is designed to help promote literacy among children. Marion County began the program last year and has allocated $30,000 in Economic Development lottery dollars for three years to help fund it.
“Unlike our neighbors to the north in Multnomah County where their reading proficiency rate levels are above fifty percent for children at the end of grade three, our numbers are more the mid-twenty percent level,” said Margie Lowe, Fiscal & Performance Officer with Marion & Polk Early Learning Hub. “That’s really a daunting number for us, because children who do not read well at the end of grade three are four times as likely not to finish high school.”
With the program, a free, quality book is mailed every month to every child under the age of five who is registered for the program at no cost to the family. It is also not dependent on family income. There are age-specific reading tips for parents that accompany the books to help with literacy and education. For increased accessibility, books can also be sent as audio books or in braille.
Since finalizing the grant agreement with Marion County in November 2024, more than 1,300 children have been registered in the nine zip codes supported by the grant. This represents a registration rate 156% of the national model for the same program.
Commissioner Colm Willis holds a sample book from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library during Board Session.
“Having a resource like this for the kids in our community is so vital for setting them up with success in the rest of their lives,” said Commissioner Danielle Bethell. “I’m thrilled to see the success it’s had in its first year here, and I want to see it grow and expand even more across the county.”
If you have a child under the age of five, register them today!
A fun-filled evening event will be hosted at the Gilbert House on September 27 to help raise funds to continue providing this free service in Marion County. Thirty different people will be dressed in character costumes, and children will be able to collect autographs from some of their favorite storybook characters.
More information and tickets can be found on the Marion & Polk Early Learning Hub website.