The River Adult Valley Learning Alliance (RVALA) has received funding from the University of Arkansas’ Community Literacy Collaboratory. The funding will allow RVALA to partner with the River Valley United Way and the Yell County Imagination Library to build a family literacy program that is complementary to their partnerships and the needs of the people of Dardanelle.
The Imagination Library is founded by legendary country singer Dolly Parton and is funded by the River Valley United Way. Through this program, enrolled children receive a new, age-appropriate book each month delivered directly to their homes, completely free of charge. This new grant will pay for about 1,200 families to receive books and will include an overlapping outreach program to reach families in both the English and Spanish speaking communities.
According to the National Literacy Institute, literacy in the United States is not up to par with developed countries globally. Developed countries consistently produce literacy rates of 96% or higher, while the United States has a literacy rate of 79%, with 54% of adults having a literacy rate that is below a sixth-grade level. Arkansas is ranked 32nd in the nation for fourth-grade literacy and is ranked 37th in the nation for adult literacy.
RVALA provides services to Johnson, Franklin, Logan, Pope and Yell counties with a focus on adult education and family literacy. The program will also encourage bilingual families to keep their native languages alive at home and help prepare children to attain the Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy. Early childhood literacy is a foundational step toward a brighter future, said Kristy Williams, executive director of River Valley United Way. “By partnering with RVALA and the Imagination Library, we are helping ensure that families in our community have the resources they need to foster a love of reading. This partnership aligns perfectly with our mission to create lasting change, and we’re thrilled to be part of it.”
About Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library: Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has become the preeminent early childhood book gifting program in the world. The flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has gifted over 200 million free books in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and The Republic of Ireland. This is achieved through funding shared by The Dollywood Foundation and Local Program Partners. The Imagination Library mails more than 3 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to enrolled children from birth to age five. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading and inspiring children to Dream More, Learn More, Care More, Be More™. The program has been widely researched and results demonstrate the positive impact on early childhood development and literacy skills. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. For more information, please visit imaginationlibrary.com.
