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Clayton County Imagination Library

At a Glance

  • Provides books to enrolled children from ages 0-5 each month at no cost to families
  • Promotes early literacy and kindergarten readiness
  • Inspires a positive home environment around literacy

About Us

The Clayton County Imagination Library is a local partner of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a book gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, no matter their family's income. Inspired by an anonymous donor, the Clayton County Foundation for the Future Board brought this initiative to Clayton County to promote early literacy in our communities. Children living in communities served by Clayton County school districts are eligible to participate.

It is estimated that a typical middle-class child enters 1st grade with 1,000 to 1,700 hours of one-on-one picture book reading, compared with an average of just 25 hours for a child from a low-income family. Studies show that reading at grade level is a key predictor of school success and high school graduation. This program will help get Clayton County children off to a bright start regardless of socio-economic status, with an early love of reading.

Your gift to the Clayton County Imagination Library helps get books in their hands at no expense to families.

Mission

To support early literacy for Clayton County children.

Basic Information

Email

ccff@dbqfoundation.org

Phone

563.880.6044

Address

700 Locust St., Suite 195 Dubuque, IA 52001

Director

Emily Sadewasser

Director Email

ccff@dbqfoundation.org

Success Story

Thanks to grant funders and generous local donors, our program has gifted over 9,000 books to over 650 Clayton County children since autumn 2022.

“My kids love getting their new books from the Imagination Library! We read them as a family, and they are chosen over and over again as bedtime books. As a parent, it’s amazing to see the variety of authors and topics chosen and I love to see my kids find value in reading.” - local parent

Fund Details

Fund Name

Clayton County Imagination Library

Year Founded

2022

Type of Fund

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Clayton County Imagination Library