Dolly Parton reading program improves literacy in Aus children
Surveyed caregivers said enrolled children developed a strong love of books and reading
Dolly Parton’s book charity, which delivers free books to underprivileged children, has increased literacy outcomes, an international study found.
The globally renowned singer-songwriter started her Imagination Library in 1995 in honour of her father, who couldn’t read or write.
Today, the program delivers three million books every month to children worldwide, at no cost to families. Each enrolled child receives one book per month from birth to age five.
The study looked at the impact of shared book reading on children by analysing responses from 86,000 parents and guardians throughout Australia, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Surveyed caregivers, whose responses were compared with parents of guardians of children not enrolled in the program, said enrolled children developed a strong love of books and reading.
They were also nine times more likely to be read to four days a week compared to children not in the program.
Dr Claire Galea, head of research at United Way Australia, a youth charity that distributes Imagination Library books in Australia, authored the study as her PhD thesis. She found Australian children particularly developed stronger vocabulary skills.
“If you look right across the world, children were four times more likely to show key emerging literacy skills, like expressive and receptive vocabulary. … In Australia it was six times more likely,” she told Education Review.
The books are chosen by a committee of speech pathologists, teachers and librarians and are mostly fiction, but four and five year olds also receive non-fiction books about Australian animals.
The program plants the idea that reading is just a part of life in the children’s brains, Dr Galea said.
“Books arrive before the children even realise they’re getting mail,” she said.
“Books are coming once a month, addressed to them. So they get their own little library before they start school.
“They get this ownership around the books, but also what we see is the caregivers themselves feel empowered, that someone in their community values their child enough to give them a free book.
“Children were more likely to come up to the caregiver and say, ‘book!’, or go to where the reading normally happens. They’re nine times likely to do that, because that’s just what they do, they read.”
Local governments sign up to the program in Australia, which then allows all parents and caregivers in that local government area to receive books.
Written by Erin Morley
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