Arkansas Imagination Library

Arkansas Imagination Library (ARIL) has four goals to ensure an effective implementation plan for delivery:

Goal 1: Establish a program in all 75 counties.
Since the establishment of the state office in August 2017, ARIL has worked with local affiliates and communities to grow the number of counties served. Through collaboration and communication with local community organizations, ARIL has increased the number of counties with Imagination Library programs from 54 to all 75 in less than two years.

Goal 2: Deliver books each month to a minimum of 60% of Arkansas children between the ages of 0-5.
Since 2017, the number of children receiving books has more than doubled, increasing from 16,700 to over 40,000. ARIL continues to work with all Arkansas counties to grow the number of enrolled children to 118,612 - 60% of the 0 to 5 population in the state. After reaching the 60% goal, ARIL will continue to grow the number of children receiving books. ARIL desires for ALL children ages 0-5 to receive books.

Goal 3: Strengthen local affiliates by providing capacity-building support through matching dollar programs, local leadership capacity building, and community engagement.
ARIL continues to work with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) and local affiliates to ensure delivery of books to Arkansas children. Since 2017, ARIL has developed a granting program where local affiliates could apply for funds to support the delivery of books in their community. The state office continues to seek various grants to provide funds for Arkansas affiliates, in addition to raising funds to grow the ARIL endowment. ARIL has recently secured funding through a grant with Arkansas Department of Education (ADE), covering 50% of the cost of books for every affiliate. The funds will ensure ARIL can continue the intentional growth needed to establish programs that will assist ARIL in providing funds to local affiliates to reduce the cost of program implementation at the local level.

Goal 4: Provide research to show the impact on the culture of reading and grade-level reading.
ARIL has access to national research from DPIL and partners with ADE and UCA to analyze enrollee data on an ongoing basis. The university collaborations allow ARIL to conduct research on the program’s impact to guide literacy decisions in Arkansas.

ARIL is currently conducting research in partnership with DPIL, ADE, and the University of Central Arkansas to produce a comparative analysis of children that have gone through the Imagination Library program (as far back as 2010) and determine benefits received by these children from being in the program, based on performance and testing scores throughout elementary school. By December 2020, ARIL expects our comparative research and data analysis will demonstrate that enrollment in the Imagination Library increases kindergarten readiness and literacy test scores.

In 1995, Dolly Parton launched her Imagination Library to benefit the children of her home county in East Tennessee. Dolly’s vision was to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children by providing them with the gift of a specially selected book each month. To date, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) mails free, age-appropriate books to over 1.5 million children each month directly to their home from birth to age five in participating communities. Dolly’s homegrown effort is now a part of thousands of communities’ early childhood strategies and is increasingly a vital part of educational policy for states, provinces, and territories.

In 2002, local communities throughout Arkansas started county affiliates. By 2016, local affiliates were delivering approximately 16,700 books each month to children in Arkansas. In 2017, Governor Asa Hutchinson provided a one-time gift to create the Arkansas Imagination Library (ARIL), a statewide 501c3 nonprofit organization that works with local affiliates to expand the program. As a licensed partner of DPIL, ARIL strives to increase literacy in Arkansas by ensuring all young children across the state may participate in the Imagination Library. Since 2017, ARIL worked with local communities and grew the program from 54 to all 75 counties; increasing the number of children receiving books from 16,700 to over 40,000.

In the United States, DPIL has grown to reach children in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The program is available in communities where a local partner has teamed up with the Imagination Library. Affiliates are responsible for promoting their program, enrolling children aged 0 to 5 who live in their geographical area, and securing funds to cover the cost of the books and shipping ($25.20 per child per year). In return, DPIL chooses, sources, and ships the books to all registered children; addressed to them, at no cost to the child’s family. A panel of early childhood literacy experts selects the age-appropriate books, which include two bilingual Spanish-English books per year. Audio and braille versions of the books are also available. The choices range from time-tested titles like The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter to contemporary classics such as Newbery Medal winner Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena.

DPIL is an evidenced-based, best practice program (Library of Congress, 2014) that helps to prepare children for kindergarten and later academic success. Impressive program results report that children enrolled in the program score significantly higher in reading comprehension and vocabulary measures than their peers - not only in kindergarten, but also in second and third grades (Samiei, S., 2015).

Having books in the home prepares infants and toddlers to become lifelong readers. Exposure to books at an early age leads to improved literacy throughout life. By providing books at no cost to families, the Imagination Library increases childhood

All 75 counties
50% Match Book Cost-Sharing Grant for all affiliates
serving over 40,000 children age 0 to 5
starting research for longitudinal study over 10 years.