1. Can I enroll my child or grandchild?
2. Can I enroll just the children in my Head Start program?
3. Who sponsors Dolly’s Imagination Library in the local communities?
4. How much money does our community need to begin and what happens if we stop the program?
5. How does our community pay for the books?
6. Are there any additional costs other than the cost of the books and the mailing of them?
7. How long does it take to produce the customized registration brochure?
8. What else is required?
9. Is my community too small?
10. How are the books selected and are they the same every year?
11. Can more than one child per family receive the books?
12. Does the Library include any bilingual books?
13. Are there any studies that quantify the impact of the Imagination Library?
    

1) Can I enroll my child or grandchild?

You can only enroll your child or grandchild if the child lives in a community that participates in the program. Please check the “Affiliates” section of the website for a current listing of participating communities. If you do live in one of these communities, click on it to bring up the local contact information and contact them to enroll your child.
If the child’s community does not appear on this list, you are unable to enroll your child at this time. Hopefully one day soon all communities will be participating!

2) Can I enroll just the children in my Head Start program?

In addition all children under 5 must be eligible. The program cannot be provided just to 3 and 4-year-old children.
However a community may begin with just the new borns in the first year and then add the new borns in succeeding years. After 5 years, all of the children under 5 will then be enrolled.

3) Who sponsors Dolly’s Imagination Library in the local communities?

There are all types of sponsors. The most common are United Way, local businesses, local foundations, school districts, education foundations, Chamber of Commerce, civic organizations, individuals and local government.

4) How much money does our community need to begin and what happens if we stop the program?

Our hope is that whoever launches the program does so with the intention to provide the books for many, many years. It is over time that the Imagination Library makes a difference. We try to address this on the front end – that local sponsors share this intention and we are reasonably sure they can support the program.

5) How does our community pay for the books?

Our affiliates receive their invoice at the time the order is placed. In the near future all of our invoices will be delivered via e-mail and we will receive payments via Electronic Funds Transfer.”

6) Are there any additional costs other than the cost of the books and the mailing of them?

You are required to purchase the registration brochure from the Foundation. These brochures are customized to present your local information. The price depends upon the quantity. The cost is outlined in the “Cost” section.

7) How long does it take to produce the customized registration brochure?

Please allow for 4 weeks lead-time.

8) What else is required?

Each community takes the responsibility to register the children, enter the names on the database we provide, and place the monthly book order. Depending upon the size of the community, database maintenance and book ordering take between 1-6 hours per month. This may require a few more hours in the beginning because you will tend to register more children during the first few months of the program.
In order to provide the lowest possible postage it is important to have a 501(c)(3) organization for the return address on the books. This will be further explained by your Foundation contact.

9) Is my community too small?

No community is too small or too large. There is no minimum order.

10) How are the books selected and are they the same every year?

There is a national committee of individuals who meet each year to review the Library. The committee is composed of representatives from Parents as Teachers National Center, the International Reading Association, the University of Tennessee, Rutgers University, and the teaching profession. New titles are introduced each year so younger siblings will not receive the exact same books as their older siblings. In addition, as the program grows even more quality books are available to us.

11) Can more than one child per family receive the books?

Yes, every child under the age of five in the family may receive his/her own library.

12) Does the Library include any bilingual books?

The Library does include 6-10 bilingual titles. The number changes each year depending upon availability and cost.

13) Are there any studies that quantify the impact of the Imagination Library?

Research continues to affirm the impact of Dolly's Imagination Library. In 2003 the High Scope Research Foundation surveyed a national sample of parents and determined that 66%-75% of all families reported that they now read to their child more frequently. Since then, dozens of local surveys of parents have found similar results. The Tennessee Board of Regents asked kindergarten and pre-kindergarten teachers to compare learning attributes between children who received the Imagination Library and those that had not participated in the program - again, it was affirmed that Imagination Library children fared better on these learning attributes. More information on this study can be obtained at governorsfoundation.org. Specific information about all research efforts can be obtained through your Regional Director of The Dollywood Foundation. The contact information can be accessed at the Contact Us section of this website.