Dolly Parton Teams up with United Way

In an effort to increase childhood literacy, United Way has partnered with country superstar Dolly Parton and her Imagination Library (DPIL). DPIL provides a new, age-appropriate book every month for the first five years of life for free to children in need.

For United Way, the partnership is a critical strategy to support children and families. Language and pre-literacy skills is a cornerstone for what children need to succeed in school, work and life. And it’s part of United Way’s long-term strategy to cut the nation’s high school dropout rate by 50%. Research shows that disadvantaged children come to school years behind their peers in pre-literacy skills, and rarely catch up. The same children struggling to read in 3rd grade are getting suspended in middle school – and are dropping out a few years later. As part of United Way’s Born Learning early learning public engagement campaign, four of the books provided by Imagination Library include Born Learning reading extenders. These help parents understand how to go beyond the book to reinforce pre-reading skills.

The Dolly Parton Imagination Library currently partners with 140 local United Ways, but now United Way and Dolly Parton have set an ambitious goal to serve one million more children across America within the next five years.

(Photo: Detroit, MI, Friday, May 15, 2009. Country music superstar Dolly Parton and United Way President and CEO Brian Gallagher announce partnership between United Way and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.)

Links:
Dolly Parton Imagination Library