[OPLINLIST] Imagination Library Comes to Miami County

[Rachelle Miller]

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to come to all children in Miami
County

 

Preschool children in Miami County can now receive free books in the
mail every month. Troy-Miami County Public Library is working with
United Way of Troy, Piqua Area United Way, Tipp City Area United Way,
and the Friends of the Library to bring Dolly Parton's Imagination
Library to all children in Miami County from birth through age five. 

 

"Early childhood literacy is very important to the future success of our
communities," said Nancy Hargrove, children's services coordinator at
Troy-Miami County Public Library. "By working with the Dollywood
Foundation, we can reach our goal of giving one book per month to every
child enrolled in the program.

 

"In some states, prison's calculate the number of bed's they will need
based on the literacy rates of third graders. Waiting until children are
in kindergarten, or older, to begin teaching reading skills is just too
late," she said.

 

The Imagination Library is a 60-volume home library for preschool
children. It was created to stimulate children's imaginations and
encourage reading within the family at an early age. A panel of
educators selects the books for the library each year, always beginning
the series with a special copy of "The Little Engine That Could." Each
child enrolled in the program will receive one book each month by mail.

 

"This project is a winner for everyone involved," said Richard Bender,
executive director of the United Way of Troy. "We are excited to be able
to bring books into the homes of the children in our community."

 

Tipp City and Bethel Township children have had the opportunity to
participate in Imagination Library for the past three years, thanks to
the efforts of Tipp City Area United Way Executive Director Deborah
Carr. Children in Newton Township also have been able to participate
thanks to Joe Bledsoe. Those children will now be enrolled in the Miami
County project. 

 

"We hope that by making this a county-wide project, we will be able to
generate interest throughout the entire county so we can reach as many
children as possible," said Rachelle Miller, director of Troy-Miami
County Public Library. "We appreciate the efforts that have been made to
this point and look forward to continuing to work with Deb and Joe as we
move forward. We are also thrilled to have the support of the Troy, Tipp
City, and Piqua United Way agencies, as well as the Friends of the
Library."

 

Library staff decided to implement the project in honor of Ada Pressman,
a former Troy resident who became a mechanical engineer in the 1970s
during a time when few women entered the engineering field. She
specialized in developing emergency safety systems for fossil-fired and
nuclear power plants. In addition to the county United Way agencies, the
program is being partially funded by monies donated to the library by
Ada Pressman. 

 

By working with the Dollywood Foundation, this program can be
implemented for only $25 per child enrolled per year. Anyone interested
in more information, or in signing their child up is encouraged to call
Nancy Hargrove at 339-0502, ext. 121. 

 

 

 

      Rachelle Miller, Director

      Troy-Miami County Public Library

      (937) 339-0502

       www.tmcpl.org

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.oplin.org/pipermail/oplinlist/attachments/20140102/4f1fb3f3/attachment-0001.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 1695 bytes
Desc: image001.jpg
URL: <http://lists.oplin.org/pipermail/oplinlist/attachments/20140102/4f1fb3f3/attachment-0001.jpg>