The Rochester chapter of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is celebrating a milestone today.
This afternoon, Mayor Malik Evans will hand the organization's 25,000th book to 2-year-old Nori Simmons at her home in the 19th Ward.
Simmons is one of more than 3,000 Rochester preschoolers who get a new book in the mail each month. Roughly one in four city kids are enrolled in the program.
"We've just about doubled the pace that the average chapter enrolls children," said Dr. Matt Present, a pediatrician who started the Rochester chapter as a pilot program in July 2021.
Singer-songwriter and philanthropist Dolly Parton began the Imagination Library in 1995 to benefit the children living in her home county in East Tennessee. Her vision was to instill a love of reading among preschoolers and their families by providing a free, specially selected book each month.
Today, the program delivers books to nearly 2.8 million children in five countries.
Present credits the rapid growth of the organization's local chapter to their community partners and volunteers, and to ambassadors like LaToya Stevenson.
"I find myself bringing it up whenever I hear anyone has a child," she said. "Actually, I had a friend sign up today. She signed up her son and her granddaughter."
Stevenson, a registered nurse, enrolled her own 2-year-old daughter, Avayah, in the program about a year ago. Stevenson heard about Imagination Library during a wellness visit to their pediatrician's office.
According to her mother, Avayah loves opening new books when they arrive in the mail, addressed to her.
"I definitely want to ensure that she has a leg up and understands what words are and what they mean. That is my goal," Stevenson said. "I understand firmly that, currently, I am programming my child."
Research confirms that early exposure to books benefits children. Studies using data from two Imagination Library chapters, including one in Syracuse, showed that kids who are enrolled in the program were able to close the kindergarten readiness gap between themselves and their wealthier peers within two years.
Families who participated in the program were 70% more likely to read to their children. That figure rose to 83% for families who lived in high-poverty neighborhoods.
Parton's nonprofit covers the administrative, warehouse, and technology costs associated with the program. Local chapters pay for the books themselves and the postage fees.
A $28 donation covers the cost of a year's worth of books for one child. Through the end of this year, every donation received by the Rochester chapter will be matched, up to $25,000, thanks to a grant from Andy Nahas.
Any child under the age of five who lives in the city of Rochester is eligible to enroll in the program at no cost. Present said he and his team are working hard to reach every child in the city. One day, they hope to expand beyond Rochester to the surrounding towns and villages.
"By going directly to the home," he said, "I get families the tools they need to really set their kid to develop a joy of learning, good reading habits."
