By Cheryl Granzo, Director of Early Childhood Programs, Ionia ISD
I remember January of 2007 very well. I had just submitted a grant to the Michigan Department of Education in the hopes of receiving $25,000 dollars to be used as startup funds to bring the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to Ionia County. The Dolly Parton Imagination Library requires an organization in the community to be the champion and lead the effort, and the Ionia ISD was intrigued with the idea of doing this. In January of that year, we invited a spokesperson from the national program in Tennessee to Ionia, Michigan to speak with leaders in our community about the program. Many members of the community attended, but I could tell the audience was mixed about whether or not they would join the effort and support this program. In fact, I overheard one community leader whisper to the person sitting next to him, “This will never make it in this community.” Well as often happens in the world of education, the State pulled the grant before making any awards. As we looked toward spring, I consulted with my superintendent about what to do as we did not have the start-up funds. He said, “Let’s do it anyway.” So we did, and then he proceeded to retire at the end of June of that year!
Yes, it was stressful and intimidating to start a brand new program that I knew some members of the community probably would not understand and then support. Since that time, I have made countless presentations, written articles and provided different kinds of community messaging to create awareness about the program. Over the past seven years, the ISD has cultivated relationships with many community partners, individuals and groups that have supported the program. Michigan One Community Credit Union, United Way and PCMI have become corporate sponsors of the program; an annual quilt raffle has been developed by community volunteers; and a March fund-raising initiative in conjunction with McDonald’s restaurants is now three years strong.
As 2015 marks the beginning of our eighth year of distributing books to homes in Ionia County, there are some things I would like everyone to know about the program.
1. There ARE homes in Ionia County in which there are no age appropriate books. This is one of the biggest areas that I often receive questions about. To some the whole premise is not believable---how could there be homes in Ionia County that do not have books? Well there are! Workers from home visiting programs attest to this fact. In fact, 66% of the respondents to our annual survey tell us that if it were not for the community donations they would not be able to participate and that they do not have the disposable income to buy books for their children. As a community, we fully grasp the concept of food insecurities for young children, so doesn’t it seem logical that if there is no money for food there is most likely no money for items such as books? There IS a need right here in our own backyard.
2. Yes parents really do read the books to their children. The next most common question I get asked is, “Do parents really read the books to their children?” The answer is, Yes they do! Again the survey indicated that 94% of children in the program are bringing books to their caregiver and requesting to be read to. That same percentage of children is spending time alone looking at books. A total of 84% of respondent parents indicated they are reading to their child MORE as a result of participating in the program. This includes parents who already were reading to their children on a daily basis. This is one of the phenomena of the program: even if you have books in your home already and you participate in the program---YOU READ MORE TO YOUR CHILDREN. The difference is that when children receive a book each month it the mail for THEM, they take a leadership role in initiating being read to; access to books in the home increases the likelihood that children will be read to. In fact, many parents shared that when the book comes, they stop what they are doing to read the new story to their child.
3. We will never be finished raising money for the program. This is the kind of program that is never finished. As a funder you cannot sit back and look at what you helped to build or support. It is not a one-time contribution. For each new baby that is born, there will be a need to raise more money, and there are approximately 800 children born in the county every year. We need to continue to have funders that understand and are committed to the big picture and the long haul. We have to rely on what the research says about access to books - being read to prior to going to kindergarten is one of the best ways for parents to prepare their child for success in school. When you look at the investment of a maximum of $135.00 for each child, that is an amazing value for a school readiness initiative.
4. We must continue to be vigilant and passionate about the program and not let apathy set in. You have something special here in Ionia County as this program is not available to everyone! You must have a champion to lead the effort and many people and organizations to support it. The first year we sent out the survey, we had almost a 75% return rate and people were so appreciative and excited about the program. They could not BELIEVE they were getting free books sent to their children in the mail. Currently, I rarely go anywhere that people do not know about the program and how to sign up children, which is fantastic. It tells us that people are familiar with the program and that it has become a normal part of the community. This year, the return rate for the survey was only about 22%, which may also suggests that DPIL is an expected part of our community and therefore, people don’t feel the need to share their thoughts to continue to support the program. However, many of our funders still want to know the impact our program has on families in the community. This is really the only tool we have to provide feedback to our funders. You can be a leader by sharing your passion and support for the program in a variety of ways: tell others about it; visit our website at ioniaisd.org/dpil ”like” the Ionia Imagination Library Facebook page and share the info with your friends; make a donation to sponsor your child or another child in the program; connect us with a business or organization that may want to give a financial gift to the program; participate in the fund-raisers; complete the surveys; and tell us your family stories about how the program is impacting the reading habits in your home.
If you have not heard, we are planning a Storybook Character Night at the Ionia Moose Lodge on Saturday January 17th from 4:00 to 7:00 to raise funds for the program. This is an opportunity for your child to dress up in a character of his/her choice for an evening of fun. Tickets for the event are $8.00 for those 13 and up and $4.00 for those 6 to 12. Children 5 and under are free. There will be music, a baked goods auction and quilts for sale. This is an all age event and the Moose is preparing a wonderful home cooked meal of Swiss steak, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, vegetable, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, and cake. Hope to see you there!!
Of all my job responsibilities this one causes me some of the greatest stress as the yearly cost for the program has reached close to $40,000. It is also a responsibility that gives me some of the greatest joy as I understand this program is a universal access school readiness initiative that is having a great impact on children and families in Ionia County.
The first book that Dolly picked for children to receive in the program is The Little Engine that Could. She specifically selected this book to give a message to children that there are many possibilities out in the world and if you think positively and work hard, you can achieve them. I continue to be proud and amazed by the generosity in Ionia County. I know that we are the “THE LITTLE COUNTY THAT CAN” and we will continue to provide books to children through the Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Ionia County for years to come.
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