WADESBORO — Anson County Partnership for the Children celebrated Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and other partnering educational programs at the 2022 Barn Blast.
Their annual Barn Blast — this time on Zoom — reflects on their yearly programs and raises funds for the Partnership to continue the same programs.
One of their largest is Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library which sends free books to children from birth to age of five. They were also one of the first in the state to try the program. According to Partnership for the Children director Caroline Goins, they currently have 1,048 children signed up.
“We even have one of the highest saturation rates in the state for that program, so that’s something we’re very proud of,” she said.
The Imagination Library runs through North Carolina’s Smart Start which connects 75 local partners and agencies like Anson County Partnership for the Children. Recently, Smart Start celebrated a milestone of 10 million books sent to North Carolina children.
Imagination Library inspires a love of reading and prepares children for school and success, regardless of their family’s income. Without Imagination Library, 25% of North Carolina families would not have been able to afford books in the last fiscal year.
How the program works is each month Imagination Library mails a high-quality, age-appropriate book to registered children at their home address. Children and their families can register on the Imagination Library website. If Anson families need an address change for their child, they can contact Tracy Harrington at tracy.harrington@ansonchildren.org with their name, their address, their child’s name, and their child’s date of birth.
Anson Partnership for the Children also hosts programs such as NC Pre-K, the Early Child Resource Center, Safe Kids Anson County, community storytime, and at-home activities during the pandemic.