CAMDEN, NY - The Camden Central School District is pleased to announce a new partnership that will place thousands of books into the hands of District children in the years ahead. The District announced its affiliation with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library on Wednesday, September 27th at a joint press conference alongside representatives from the Imagination Library, the Genesis Group of the Mohawk Valley and Ready 4 Kindergarten.
This landmark event celebrated the return of the Imagination Library to the Mohawk Valley region with the help of the Genesis Group and Ready 4 Kindergarten. Camden will be joined by the Utica City School District as charter member Districts for this re-launch, with the hope that it will expand throughout Oneida County and into Herkimer County as well.
“This announcement today is making an investment into children and families across our region,” Genesis Group Executive Director Ray Durso said.
Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has become the world’s preeminent early childhood book gifting program. The Imagination Library mails more than 2.4 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to registered children from birth through age five in hopes of fostering a love of reading and promoting literacy for all. In total, the initiative has sent out over 200 million books over its lifespan.
Each month from birth to their fifth birthday, all children in the District who have been registered for the program will be eligible to receive a book. There is no cost to our families for this optional program, and there are no eligibility requirements other than the child’s age.
The Co-Chairs of the Genesis Group Literacy Education Program, Roxanne Mutchler and John Reale, Jr. are excited about the potential outcomes this partnership could bring across the region, including in Camden.
“We are honored to create a new partnership with R4K and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to put more books into the hands of children,” they said. “By supporting the Imagination Library in Oneida and Herkimer counties, we can work together to help create a culture of reading for all children across the state.”
In Camden, the program will be incorporated alongside the District’s Birth-to-School initiative, which started during the 2022-23 school year. Birth-to-School includes the monthly “Look at Me, I’m 3!” pre-K preparatory program operated in association with Ready 4 Kindergarten, and led by Family School Navigator Patti Ferretti.
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Jason P. Evangelist believes that partnering with the Imagination Library was a logical next step in moving the District toward its Birth-to-School program objectives.
"In the Camden Central School District, we understand the need to foster a love of reading starting from birth in order to provide each child with the best opportunity for long-term success," Evangelist said. "We have seen a lot of progress on this front with our “Look at Me, I’m 3” programming since its inception, and this is a valuable opportunity to take another huge step toward improving literacy skills in each one of our District’s youngest learners. With the help of our incredibly supportive partners at Ready 4 Kindergarten, the Genesis Group, and the Imagination Library, we can ensure that every family in our District with young children can bring free high quality children's books into their home if they wish to do so. We're honored to be a part of the re-launch of this program in Oneida County.”
The Imagination Library is a program of the Dollywood Foundation. The foundation’s regional director, Lauren Wirt, is excited about the possibilities the partnership will create for local children.
“Simply getting books into children’s hands changes the trajectory of life for the child, their family, and the community,” Wirt said.
Information on registration will be available in the near future. Contact Family School Navigator Patti Ferretti with questions at pferretti@camdencsd.org