Imagination Library RVA – in conjunction with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library RVA – is proud to share that since its launch in June 2023, more than 1,600 children living in City of Richmond zip codes have been enrolled in the program which delivers free books to kids ages birth to five.
Through Imagination Library RVA, each enrolled child receives a free, age-appropriate book delivered to their home every month. Children who enrolled in June have already begun receiving their books, and more are being delivered each day.
If you have not yet registered your child with Imagination Library RVA, please visit: ImaginationLibraryRVA.org/Sign-up-now
How Does Imagination Library RVA Work?
The nonprofit organization, founded by Dolly Parton to promote literacy, has enrolled children at community events all over Richmond: National Night Out, Richmond Public Library Summer Reading Finale, Richmond Public Schools SummerFest, the 25th Street East End Festival, and The Queens of Country night at The Diamond.
Partnering with a wide array of organizations across Richmond – including Richmond Public Schools, Richmond Public Library, the Children’s Museum of Richmond, VPM, and others – Imagination Library will work indefinitely to bring free books to kids.
As Imagination Library RVA continues to expand its reach, Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions:
Is there a maximum number of kids who can be signed up to receive free books through Imagination Library RVA?
No. There are currently 13,392 eligible children in the City of Richmond, a number that shifts with new births and new families that move into or out of the area. If you live in a specified zip code and you have multiple children under the age of five in your household, we encourage you to sign each of them up, as there are different books for different age levels.
When will the Imagination Library RVA signup period end?
The signup period has no end date.
When will Imagination Library RVA books start going out to kids?
Children who registered in June 2023 have already begun receiving their books. Given that each book is personalized with the child’s name, it takes eight to twelve weeks for books to arrive.
How long will the Imagination Library RVA program last?
The Imagination Library RVA program has no end date. However, for individual children, the program concludes when they age out of the program at five years old – though the love of reading will last a lifetime!
Where did the funding come from to bring Imagination Library to Richmond?
Read to Them, the Imagination Library RVA affiliate, has funding set aside in its yearly budget dedicated to covering the cost of books and postage. Funding for Imagination Library RVA has also come from generous organizations and donors who are just as passionate about bringing this program to Richmond as we are.
Is there a way to expand Imagination Library to surrounding counties?
Read to Them hopes that Imagination Library will expand into all counties or cities in Virginia where it is not currently available. A local nonprofit in those areas must apply to be the Imagination Library affiliate and be approved by Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library team. Read to Them would assist any local nonprofit if they were interested in applying but might have more questions about the program and the responsibilities associated with being a local affiliate.
How can families sign up their kids to receive free books through Imagination Library RVA?
The outpouring of support for children’s literacy from the Richmond community has been amazing. If you’d like to join Imagination Library RVA or sign up your child in person, Imagination Library RVA will be at the following events:
- “Together We Stand, Divided We Fall” Gilpin Tenant Court Council Annual Community Day Celebration: Saturday, September 23, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Calhoun Baseball Field
- RFM Education Expo: Sunday, October 8, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Science Museum of Virginia
For further information, follow Imagination Library RVA on Facebook, Instagram, and X/Twitter. To sign up, please visit ImaginationLibraryRVA.org. If you have more questions, email Kimberly Fehrs at kimberly@imaginationlibraryrva.org
About Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library:
Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has become the preeminent early childhood book gifting program in the world. The flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation has gifted well over 213 million free books in Australia, Canada, The Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Imagination Library mails more than 2 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to registered children from birth to age five. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading, inspiring them to dream. The program’s impact has been widely researched, and results suggest positive increases in key early childhood literacy metrics. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. For more information, please visit imaginationlibrary.com.
About Read to Them:
Since 2002, Read to Them’s family literacy programs have used the power of reading aloud together to build connections across families, schools, and communities to cultivate students’ learning and success. Their flagship program, One School, One Book®, helps educators select a book that each student in a school will receive to read at home as a family. At school, students celebrate and explore the novel with their classmates. This essential strategy reinforces reading instruction, increases parental involvement, bridges the home-school connection and builds a true community of readers. One School, One Book® has been expanded to suit district and state-wide needs. For more information, please visit readtothem.org.
