Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (DPIL) is a unique program designed to kick-start a lifelong love of reading. Dungog Early Literacy Inc., partnering with United Way, has brought this program to the Dungog Shire. Council is proud to be a supporter of this fantastic initiative.
All babies in their first year of life and living in the Dungog Local Government Area are eligible to access the program (subject to financial constraints). Through the program, each child will receive one free physical book to keep, per month, every month from birth until the age of 5.
Not only does this provide children access to an abundance of carefully selected books, it also helps to assist them in developing reading and comprehension skills from a young age and helps build family connections.
This program receives no government funding in the Dungog Shire and is proudly supported by the Council and our community. Individuals, businesses, and organisations can donate to the program to enable as many children as possible to start a lifetime of reading; starting pre-school, and then school, reading-ready.
The more donations the program receives, the greater the number of children in the Dungog Shire can be enrolled in the program.
All donations made to the Dungog Shire program stay in Dungog Shire.
Please note that donations are made via United Way Australia and are not managed by the Council. If you would like to donate, please use the link below;
Donate Today – https://donate.unitedway.com.au/donations-dungog
Note: In order to obtain tax deductibility, donations are made directly to United Way Australia, which then allocates the donations to the Dungog Shire program.
About the Program
In 2024 Dungog Early Literacy Inc partnered with United Way Australia to bring Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to children in the Dungog Shire. You can partner with us to bring the magic of a library into the home, with a gift of a book every month before pre-school and school begin. Every child in the program is given real, physical books to keep, and kick start a lifelong love of reading.
We believe in bringing books to homes, where parents are their child's first and most important teacher, creating precious bonds from sharing a book. Putting a book in a child's hands opens a new world to them. While it may seem simple, it's a proven first step towards much more in a child's life, sparking curiosity and building family bonds in the early years.
Research has shown that investing time, effort and resources in the early years of a child's life can have a significant impact on their success as an adult.
Your generous tax deductible donation will encourage children's love of reading and life-long learning. Children will receive a new book free of charge posted to them every month until their fifth birthday. Also included are parent tip sheets to help in the shared reading experience.
Together we can give as many children as possible in the Dungog Shire a chance to thrive.
"This program is one of the most important ways I know to improve the educational opportunities for children. Every child has a dream and the seeds of these dreams are often found in books. My Imagination Library aims to inspire children and help turn their dreams into the promise of a bright future." Dolly Parton
Sponsorship and Donations
Organisations and individuals can donate to the Dungog Shire Imagination Library in any amount. Donations are tax deductible when made through the “donate button”.
You may wish to donate $108 per year to fund one child, or you may wish to donate a specific amount. Every donation helps and is gratefully received.
As this is an ongoing program for children from birth to their fifth birthday, regular annual sponsorships are a great help.
At any one time there are about 500 children in the Dungog Shire between 0 and 5. Every dollar donated, helps to fund one more child on the program.
All donations stay within the shire.
No expenses are taken out of your donations.
All work is done by our committed volunteers and our few incidental expenses are funded by generous individuals or by Dungog Early Literacy Inc.
If you or your organisation would like to learn more about how you can support the Imagination Library in Dungog Shire please contact Lisa Connors on 0408 272 197 or Anne Higgins on 0403 029 181.
Enrol your Child
- Email dungogearlyliteracy@gmail.com for an enrolment form or pick one up at the Dungog Library, the Dungog Shire Community Centre, or the Clarence Town or Paterson Post Offices.
- Download and print attached enrolment form.
- Call Anne on 0403 029 181 or Lisa on 0408 272 197
Completed forms can be emailed to dungogearlyliteracy@gmail.com, or dropped off at the Dungog Library, or the Clarence Town or Paterson Post Offices.
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