The Rotary Club of Dapto support 36 children to receive a book each month until they turn 5 as part of the Combined Illawarra Rotary Clubs project. The Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) is a program that provides children with free, age appropriate books each month from birth to their 5th birthday. The books are posted to each child’s home, addressed to the child. The program helps children, especially children from low socio-economic or disadvantaged backgrounds gain the language and literacy skills they need to start school ready to read and learn.More than 20% of Australian children start school without the basics they need to learn to read. In disadvantaged communities the percentage is higher. Literacy skills do not develop automatically, and children who start behind their peers find it very difficult to catch up. Many never do. The DPIL program is a proven way of improving educational opportunities for children.
The Imagination Library books are colourful picture books and the children who receive them look forward to the arrival of each one. The books encourage the parents to read to their children and by doing so, they assist their children’s development in many ways. Reading the books together expands the child’s vocabulary and experiences, encourages their imagination, and develops their language & early literacy skill. It is also an enjoyable activity which builds stronger family relationships and impacts the child’s overall development including the ability to communicate effectively. The result is a more confident child who is ready to learn when he or she starts school.