Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library provides free books to children ages birth to five. (Submitted photo)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

The community is invited to attend an April 8 event to discuss the future of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Ottawa County. (Submitted photo)

PORT CLINTON – Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) has impacted thousands of young children in Ottawa County by providing free, high-quality books to kids ages birth to five. The program helps inspire a love of reading and supports early literacy. For many years, Ottawa County’s program was managed by United Way of Northwest Ohio, but United Way is ready to hand the reins to a county nonprofit, and a group of compassionate local residents are working to ensure the program is sustainable for Ottawa County children.

The Ottawa County DPIL Committee will host the “Ottawa County Wide Gathering” on Wednesday, April 8, at the Camp Perry Lodging & Conference Center located at 1000 Lawrence Rd., Building 600, in Port Clinton on the grounds of Camp Perry. The event will give the committee the opportunity to provide updates on their efforts to preserve DPIL in the county and to gather input from the community.

DPIL has been very successful locally.

“Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Ottawa County has been around a long time,” said DPIL Committee Chair Ed Carlson. “About 70% of kids ages zero to five are enrolled in the program. The program is in every county in the state, and the last time I checked, we were in the top 10%.”

For many years, United Way managed DPIL in Ottawa, Lucas, and Wood counties. The Lucas and Wood DPIL programs are now managed by countywide library systems, but that isn’t an option in Ottawa County, which has various independent libraries systems. The Ottawa County DPIL Committee is considering forming a 501 (c)(3) dedicated to managing DPIL in the county.

“It will be in Ottawa County, for Ottawa County,” Carlson said.

At the April 8 event, Carlson will talk about the future of the program, and DPIL Regional Director Missy Timko will discuss state support for local program partners.

“The state is exceptionally supportive with finances, resources, and information,” Carlson said.

Heather Gaskins, an early childhood consultant with Ohio’s State Support Team Region 1, will talk about supporting the work of DPIL in Ottawa County, and Bataan Memorial Primary School Principal, Kendra Van Doren, will discuss school readiness. After the talks, DPIL Committee Member Alison Lanza Falls will open the floor for input from attendees.

“We really want to get input from people in the community,” Carlson said. “We hope to get input from schools, churches, libraries, social service agencies, and individuals interested in Imagination Library and early childhood literacy.”

The meeting will help support the future of DPIL in Ottawa County, which is a vital resource for childhood literacy efforts. Early literacy has long-term impacts on educational success.

“We recognize that Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is one tool to improve childhood literacy,” Carlson said. “Our bigger goals are supporting kindergarten readiness and helping prepare kids to be at reading level by third grade. If kids are not reading at level by third grade, they are four times more likely to drop out of school, and their learning capacity is cut in half.”

The Ottawa County Wide Gathering will be held on April 8 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. The event is free, but RSVPs are required. RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeDBGLssNSmZMJPZ29S_sHaPoUiwHmJerALkSzKf69wb0zTnw/viewform?usp=header.