Families Say Imagination Library Helps Children Prepare for Kindergarten
CLEVELAND, OH, February 2, 2026 – New results from The Literacy Cooperative’s 2025 Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Participant Survey Report show families overwhelmingly believe the program is helping their children build early literacy skills and prepare for kindergarten.
Based on 1,859 responses from enrolled families, more than nine in ten parents say Imagination Library is helping prepare their child for kindergarten, regardless of household income. Nearly all respondents reported improvements in their child’s attention span and reduced screen time. Nearly 86 percent of parents shared that their child asks to be read to more frequently after receiving Imagination Library books, highlighting the excitement created by a book arriving in the mail each month.
“What stands out to me is that families are not just receiving books, they are building routines,” said Donald Jolly, Superintendent of Warrensville Heights City School District. “Those shared moments strengthen households, strengthen communities, and create the foundation our scholars need to rise, grow, and reach their fullest potential.”
More than 39,000 children in Cuyahoga County are enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a program that mails a brand new, age-appropriate book each month to children from birth to age five at no cost. The Literacy Cooperative is the proud local program partner for Imagination Library in Cuyahoga County and has administered this survey for seven years to track the impact of these books in the home and each year the survey shows the overwhelming appreciation for this program. Since inception, more than 2.5 million books have been mailed to over 88,000 Cuyahoga County children.
“The data and voices of families are aligned,” Jolly said. “When reading becomes a natural part of daily life at home, children arrive at school more focused, more confident, and better prepared to learn.”
Click here to view other research on the benefits of Imagination Library here.
