This Watertown Area United Way funded initiative partners with Dolly Parton Imagination Library to make sure children in Codington County have books of their own. Each month a new, carefully selected book will be mailed in your child's name directly to your home. He/she can look forward to new and exciting reading adventures until he/she turns five years old as long as you remain a resident of Codington County.

Who is Eligible?

Preschool children from birth to age five who reside in Codington County. 

What Are My Responsibilities?

Submit an official online registration via Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

Notify United Way any time your address changes. Books are mailed to the address listed on the official registration form.

Read with your child!

What are the Costs of the Program?

The program is free.  However, if you would like to contribute to the cost of the books for your child, you can give additionally through the Watertown Area United Way Community Campaign. The books cost United Way $29 per child, per year.

When Will I Receive Books? 

Once you sign up, United Way will provide books to your child through The Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library program. The books are sent directly to your home and are age & developmentally appropriate for your child.

Eight to ten weeks after your registration form has been received, books will begin arriving at your home and will continue until your child turns five or you move out of Codington County.

Books will arrive monthly. The date of arrival may fluctuate each month due to packing, sorting and shipping variables. Your understanding is appreciated.

Questions? Email us at director@watertownunitedway.org 

Celebrating 20 Years of Imagination Library in Codington County 

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by delivering books to children from birth to five years old.  The Imagination Library began in 1995 with Dolly Parton’s desire that every child, regardless of income, would have access to books, and has since expanded to include four countries. The aim is to give every child in every community an equal chance for a brighter future.

In 2002, thanks to collaboration with the Dollywood Foundation and South Dakota United Ways, Imagination Library was launched in multiple communities statewide, including Codington County. Since then, thanks to support from its local affiliate and sponsor Watertown Area United Way, our local Codington County Imagination Library program has delivered books to over 4,084 children.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library puts books into the hands and hearts of children around the world. Imagination Library books are specially selected age-appropriate, high-quality titles. These books are delivered to registered children each month from birth to age five. Each one is personalized with the child’s name and mailed directly to the child’s home. This effort creates a gifting experience making books exciting and shows the child someone is thinking of them. The Blue-Ribbon Book Selection Committee selects several bilingual English/Spanish titles each year. The first book a child receives is “The Little Engine That Could,” and the month a child turns five years old, they will receive “Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!”.

Research by Early Childhood Development Specialists affirm that children who are actively engaged in reading by their parents prior to beginning kindergarten score higher than their cohorts on the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Tool who do not have access to age-appropriate books. Codington County Imagination Library Impact Survey results shared that 91% of parents read to their child daily, 85% spend more time reading to their child because of Imagination Library, and 96% of parents feel that the Imagination Library Program has helped their child prepare for kindergarten by improving their literacy.

To support this early childhood literacy program, monetary donations are accepted via Watertown Area United Way 818 S Broadway Suite 100 Watertown, SD 57201 or online at DONATE TODAY! | Watertown Area United Way (watertownunitedway.org)