Imagination Library

(From the Imagination Library)

• This free program can reach children and families from early infancy, allowing enrichment during the critical window of opportunity for language development (the first three years of life).
• Excitement is built up by receiving a book mailed to the child every month.
• That excitement leads to the child asking their caregiver or parent to read.
• The reading routine promotes close, snuggling time for guardian and child (research show benefits of physical affection for children under the age of 4 -- building the part of the brain that promotes long-term memory).
• Introduces families to high-quality books that they might not otherwise find or choose.
• The welcome book and paperbacks have customized tips for optimizing the reading experience.
• Book ownership allows for repeated readings and for a child to re-visit a book repeatedly and independently.
• Promotes exposure to varied vocabulary, concepts, syntax, etc. 
• When partners enroll children in the program, the enrollment process implicitly conveys the message that reading regularly to young children is important and offers an opportunity for partners to explicitly convey that message as well as the fact that talking and reading regularly to their child will promote brain development.
• Local Imagination Library program staff connects with families via email, etc. to connect families with helpful information and resources. Every family receives a welcome letter mailing via U.S. mail that includes our bookmark with tips for building young brains and LENA talking tips as well as other information about the program.  
• We support our partners by sharing information, as possible, about events they're planning (e.g., close to 5000 families received the recent Starting Point needs assessment survey and over 5000 families received the flyer about Tri-C's Saturday Family Academy).
• We're able to provide parent engagement and support workshops to our families.
• With the introduction of and reliance on technology at earlier ages and new research that shows that experience with real books is more effective at building brains than are screens, this program becomes ever more important.
• It facilitates and almost ensures the other benefits of reading aloud to children from birth and before the start of school – e.g., more words spoken, more conversation between parent and child that benefits brain development, more vocabulary mastered, etc.