Families in Yavapai County, AZ can register their children for the Imagination Library of the Prescott Area (ILPA) and receive a free book in the mail every month from birth until the child’s fifth birthday! The Imagination Library of the Prescott Area is an affiliate of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library , a nonprofit organization that coordinates the delivery of carefully selected, age-appropriate books to children throughout the U.S.
You can register your child online or stop by the Youth Desk on the 1st floor of the library for a registration form. For more information, see the ILPA FAQs below.
Years of research and dozens of studies point to the same thing: reading to children from the time they are born is critical to literacy development and academic success. Research also links the presence of books in a child’s home to early childhood literacy. Armed with this knowledge and united by the shared belief that our community should be actively engaged in promoting literacy a number of dedicated organizations teamed up to ensure that Prescott children have books in their homes.
Ways to Support Imagination Library of the Prescott Area
We invite you to support the continuing goal of providing books to support early childhood literacy by contributing to the Imagination Library of the Prescott Area (501c3) using the PayPal link below.
For more information, call 928.777.1500 ext. 5352 or use the form below.
For other gifts to the Imagination Library of the Prescott Area, please contact:
Imagination Library of the Prescott Area
PO Box 3773
215 E Goodwin Street
Prescott AZ 86303
928.777.1500 ext. 5352
FAQs
What is the Imagination Library of the Prescott Area (ILPA)?
Imagination Library of the Prescott Area is a local affiliate of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library: https://imaginationlibrary.com/
What does the program do?
Provides one book per month per child from ages birth to 5 years old. Books are sent directly to the child’s home, addressed to the child.
Who can participate?
Children between the ages of birth and 5 years old who live in Yavapai County can participate.
What is the cost to sign up for the program?
There is no cost to participate. The sponsors of the program pay about $25 per child per year.
How do I register my child?
Register online, visit the Youth Desk at the library, or download a registration form.
My grandchild lives outside Prescott. May I register and deliver the books to him myself?
This program is a local effort to address the early literacy needs of children in the Prescott area. The cost to local sponsors is about $25 per child, and local funds will only stretch so far. It is easy to check and see if there is a DPIL program in your grandchild’s area, through the affiliate locator. If there is not a program in that area, DPIL offers some suggestions for starting a program in that area.
Who is sponsoring the program?
The Frontier Rotary Club, the Prescott Rotary Club, and the Sunup Rotary Club cosponsor the program. The Friends of the Prescott Public Library cover administrative costs. Library volunteers manage registration and library staff manage administrative details.
When do children start receiving their books?
Books will begin arriving 6-8 weeks after registration.
What if I am moving – who do I notify?
You can notify staff members at the Youth Services Desk at Prescott Public Library (928.777.1537), or use your parent login, which you can create at the time of registration, to change your address.
How do I help fund ILPA?
- contribute directly through the PayPal link on this page
- mail checks to Imagination Library of the Prescott Area (ILPA), P.O. Box 3773, Prescott AZ 86302
- contact Blair Runion at 928.777.1500 ext. 5352 for questions about contributions or engaging as a partner in the project.
Where can I find a list of books that children receive?
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library booklist
Where can I learn more about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library?
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
How did ILPA get started?
Community partnerships brought this initiative to life for the Prescott Area. The idea began with the Read On Prescott Steering Committee, a group of early childhood literacy advocates who collaborate to find ways of increasing 3rd grade reading proficiency rates in our community. Committee members reached out to the Sunup Rotary Club, Frontier Rotary Club, and the Prescott Rotary Club, who became sponsors of this initiative, each contributing equally to the cost of providing books to children, with Rotary District 5495 matching those contributions. The Friends of the Prescott Public Library also became involved to cover administrative costs, and Prescott Public Library staff and volunteers manage the registrations and administrative details. This initial program was called the Prescott Area Imagination Library (PAIL).
In an effort to reach more children in Yavapai county, a new, independent 501c3 organization, the Imagination Library of the Prescott Area, has been developed with a hard-working board comprised of representatives from the Rotary clubs, Friends of the Prescott Public Library, Yavapai Library Network Staff, Prescott Unified School District, Yavapai College, Prescott College, and Northern Arizona University. Together, this organization has been able to expand the program’s reach to cover all areas in Yavapai county that did not previously have access to a Dolly Parton Imagination Library affiliate.
Additional questions?
Contact Martha Baden, Library Manager, Public Services at 928.777.1500 ext. 5302 or use the form above.
