The Canastota Public Library gratefully acknowledges a generous monetary gift from local couple, Deborah and David Hartley, to help fund our affiliation with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
We have 300 children enrolled in this worthy program.
The Hartleys believe that literacy, particularly early literacy, is vital to school success and will enrich every aspect of a child’s life as they grow and mature. Deborah Hartley, a retired Canastota teacher, saw first-hand how children with no books in their homes struggled more than children who had access to books.
Since 2012, the Canastota Public Library has partnered with Dolly Parton’s Foundation to provide a new, age-appropriate book mailed each month to Canastota children from birth to age 5. The library pays a portion of the cost of each book and the monthly postage, and the remainder is subsidized by the Dolly Parton Foundation.
More than 800 Canastota children have graduated from the Imagination Library, and we hear regularly from parents how much their families enjoy reading together. Children really look forward to receiving their book in the mail each month.
Parents may enroll their child for free by filling out a registration form available at the library or by visiting imaginationlibrary.com.