Imagination Library

United Way is committed to ensuring that children have positive developmental opportunities so they start school ready to succeed.

That's why United Way of Western Connecticut has partnered with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to provide children ages 4 and under and residents of Danbury, Bethel, Kent, Newtown, New Fairfield and New Milford a free book every month.

Click on the video to hear from Dolly!

CLICK TO REGISTER!

 Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is a unique opportunity to do something simple and powerful for preschoolers. It allows for children, from the day they are born, to receive an age-appropriate book every month until their fifth birthday.

Children that reside in Danbury, Bethel, Kent, Newtown, New Fairfield and New Milford can enter the program at any time. There are no selection criteria other than age and residency. Books are shipped directly to the children at no cost to the family.

The Imagination Library program is currently available to Danbury, Bethel, Kent, Newtown, New Fairfield and New Milford residents. Following are United Way contacts for each of the participating towns. Please feel free to contact us!

DANBURY, BETHEL, NEWTOWN, NEW FAIRFIELD
Romina Facccennini
romina.faccennini@uwwesternct.org
(203) 792-5330 ext 229

KENT and NEW MILFORD
Kathy Thomas
kathy.thomas@uwwesternct.org
(860) 354-8800

HELPFUL TIPS:

  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Activity Sheets - This is a link to a webpage at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital in Nashville, TN where you will find reader/child activity sheets on more than 100 Imagination Library titles!

STUDIES SHOW . . .

  • Kids exposed to reading on a regular basis during preschool years have a vocabulary of 10,000 words before age 5, compared to only 3,000 for children who haven’t had this exposure.
  • Preschool reading and parent involvement is among the most important steps toward a child’s success in school.
  • When books are in the home, parents are four times more likely to read to their children.

Consider Paying It Forward!

There is no cost to a family that meets eligibility requirements for United Way of Western Connecticut's Imagination Library program. However, we welcome you to "pay it forward" as you register your own child. A suggested donation of $30 is equal to the average cost of one child for the year, and would be added to the Imagination Library fund.

Paying it forward is purely optional, and does not effect whether or not your child receives a book a month through the program. But it will ensure that we help more kids in need get resources to be successful in school.

Pay It Forward donations can be made out to United Way of Western Connecticut and mailed to:

United Way of Western Connecticut
85 West Street
Danbury , CT 06810
Attn: Imagination Library Program