Letters from the Capitol
July 25, 2008
Dear fellow Tennessean:
As
back-to-school season approaches, I want to take a moment to recognize the
importance of school-preparedness for our youngest Tennesseans. While clothes,
supplies and backpacks all equip a child to start off on the right foot for
educational success, the greatest tool we can give our children is a love of
reading.
From
the start, education has been my top priority, and we all know the sooner a
child is exposed to books, the better his or her chances to succeed
academically. That’s why I established the Governor’s Books from Birth
Foundation, and why it remains so important to me personally.
Books
from Birth grew out of an initiative started by Dolly Parton in 1996 in her
hometown of Sevierville, Tenn. The idea was simple: encourage children to begin
reading at an early age by putting a new, age-appropriate, hardcover book in
the hands of every child in Sevier County each month until they begin school.
In 2004, the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation was created to make the
Imagination Library available to children statewide at no cost to the family,
regardless of income. Since then, this public-private partnership has grown by
leaps and bounds and today serves more than 375,000 children in all 95
counties.
Just
over half of Tennessee’s population of children under five years of age are
currently registered in the Imagination Library program, and over 80,000
Tennessee five-year-olds have “graduated” from the statewide program since
2004.
Most
importantly, we’re already seeing results. The Tennessee Board of Regents
recently completed the first large-scale study on the Imagination Library’s
impact on the learning preparedness of children now enrolled in public
schools.
That
study solicited the input of kindergarten and pre-kindergarten teachers on the
readiness and performance of students who had participated in the Imagination
Library. These teachers reported that children who had participated in the
program were better prepared than students who had not. On average, Imagination
Library participants also exceeded teacher expectations. Forty-eight percent of
kindergarten teachers and 64 percent of pre-K teachers stated that Imagination
Library participants performed “better than expected” or “much better than
expected” than students from previous classes.
This
research underscores how reading to a child early and often improves their
ability to succeed right from the start of their formal education. However,
many of the communities where the program is most needed are lagging in the
number of children being signed up or lack sufficient funding. The cost of
delivering books—only $28 per child, per year—is split evenly between a
non-profit sponsoring organization in every Tennessee county and State funds,
administered by the Books from Birth Foundation. This important partnership
between the public and private sectors is a key component in the ongoing success
of this program.
One
way to get involved is to join us in celebrating Imagination Library Week
September 14–20. This week marks a celebration of the
Imagination Library programs in each community, serves as a welcome to new and
interested participants, and encourages further development of community
participation. For a complete listing of Imagination Library Week events in
your area, visit www.GovernorsFoundation.org
and click on Imagination Library Week.
I
hope these promising results will encourage all Tennessee families with
children under age five to register for the Imagination Library and make a
commitment to read with a child everyday, starting at birth. Then let’s all
watch the difference early reading can make in the life of a child.
To
learn how you can support the Imagination Library in your county, or for
information on registering a child, visit www.GovernorsFoundation.org, or
call toll-free 1-877-99-BOOKS.
If
you have questions or comments about this issue or any other, please email me
at phil.bredesen@state.tn.us.